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131 <br /> 166 floodplain, and how to navigate through FEMA. He said that the County is getting out of the business of is no longer <br /> 167 maintaining multiple data sources that could be seen as conflicting with official FEMA data and could potentially put <br /> 168 the County in jeopardy if someone argued that the County is not using the appropriate flood map. <br /> 169 <br /> 170 Paul Guthrie said that some time ago, he received a letter from his insurance agency saying that his property was in <br /> 171 a floodplain district and he needed to get a floodplain insurance policy. He was concerned about the communication <br /> 172 from the insurance organization since he did not consider his property to be located within a floodplain. He asked if <br /> 173 there is anyone to get word out to residents that communications from insurance agencies may not be based on <br /> 174 FEMA floodplain determinations. He thought that a property owner might reach out to FEMA to find out the most <br /> 175 accurate information. <br /> 176 <br /> 177 Michael Harvey agreed with Mr. Guthrie that a property owner should reach out to FEMA to verify information from a <br /> 178 non-government entity claiming that property is in a floodplain. Property owners can call the Planning Department for <br /> 179 an immediate answer as to whether or not their property is located within a floodplain. Staff provides a document <br /> 180 called a Site Assessment denoting a property's development opportunities and constraints, including information on <br /> 181 floodplain on a parcel of property. If a property is located within the floodplain, Staff will provide information regarding <br /> 182 applicable regulations. Mr. Harvey noted that the Planning Department can only provide accurate floodplain <br /> 183 regulation information to property owners with property in the County's planning jurisdiction, and cannot provide <br /> 184 comments to property owners living within another local municipality's jurisdiction. <br /> 185 <br /> 186 Lydia Wegman asked if residents with property in a local municipality's jurisdiction should go to their municipality's <br /> 187 Planning Department for more information on floodplain. <br /> 188 <br /> 189 Michael Harvey answered that yes. For example, if someone has property in Chapel Hill, that person should go to the <br /> 190 Chapel Hill Planning Department, or even the Town of Chapel Hill's Stormwater Group to speak to the Floodplain <br /> 191 Manager. <br /> 192 <br /> 193 Tony Blake asked for more information on the minor corrections FEMA requested be made to the County's submitted <br /> 194 documents. <br /> 195 <br /> 196 Michael Harvey said that the feedback was more about the way a definitions reads, and Staff is making all changes <br /> 197 FEMA requested. <br /> 198 <br /> 199 Tony Blake asked if Michael Harvey knows approximately how much land in Orange County is in a floodplain. <br /> 200 <br /> 201 Michael Harvey said that he does not know specifically, but he did say with certainty that there are areas of the <br /> 202 County where the floodplain is decreasing, though there are some significant areas with increases. He will be <br /> 203 meeting with some property owners who live off of Starlight, a small residential subdivision off of NC-86, on Friday to <br /> 204 go over how the new flood maps will affect their property (once the maps are adopted) and how the changes will <br /> 205 affect their land use options. It is possible that the floodplain data for this community should have been denoted on <br /> 206 maps several years ago. <br /> 207 <br /> 208 Tony Blake said that based on research he has been doing on his own, the FEMA flood maps are notoriously <br /> 209 inaccurate in some areas. He said that FEMA may be looking for this feedback. <br /> 210 <br /> 211 Michael Harvey said that the current model takes into account a myriad of factors previously excluded; it takes into <br /> 212 account more topography data, uses better survey data, applies data from LiDAR for elevations of houses, and <br /> 213 consults hydrologic studies to identify where the model may have been excessive or not descriptive enough. While <br /> 214 Mr. Harvey empathizes with property owners who are going to see more floodplain encumbering their property, it is <br /> 215 his job to help them understand their options, provide answers on what can be done to flood-proof their home, and <br /> 216 assist them as flooding incidents occur so that they can take advantage of FEMA funding when and if a flood does <br /> 217 occur. <br /> 218 <br /> 219 Lydia Wegman asked if there are options for a property owner dealing with an increase in floodplain. <br /> 220 <br />