Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
339 <br /> Attachment 10 <br /> INFORMATION PAGE <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM: <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> In 1968 Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to help provide <br /> a means for property owners to financially protect themselves from the possible damage <br /> of structures resulting from flood events. The program is intended to supplement typical <br /> homeowner insurance policies, which do not cover damage to structures resulting from <br /> a flood. The NFIP offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and business owners <br /> if their community participates, specifically through the adoption and enforcement of <br /> regulations designed to mitigate/reduce flood risk, in the program. <br /> Orange County has been a member of the NFIP since approximately 1976. <br /> Part of the `regulations' at our disposal are Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) denoting <br /> those areas of the County that are susceptible to flooding. The County utilizes these <br /> maps to verify the anticipated `elevation' of flood waters during a storm event and works <br /> with property owners to ensure structures are not located in areas where flooding is a <br /> possibility. Through the enforcement of our flood damage prevention regulations, the <br /> County requires incorporation of design standards (i.e. elevation of structures and <br /> utilities, installation of flood vents, prohibition of specific activities, etc.) all in an effort to <br /> reduce the risk of loss during a flood. <br /> COUNTY FIRM DATA: <br /> Our original FIRM became effective on March 16, 1981, with the latest becoming <br /> effective on February 2, 2007. On advice received from the County's Attorney office in <br /> 2007, staff incorporated FIRM data onto the County Zoning Atlas creating the Special <br /> Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) overlay district. This Overlay District mirrors FIRM data <br /> delineating special flood hazard areas on the County's official atlas. At the time it was <br /> considered desirable to duplicate this information on the County Zoning Atlas in order to <br /> ensure proper identification of flood prone areas throughout the County. <br /> COUNTY FLOOD MANGEMENT REGULATIONS: <br /> In accordance with our responsibilities as a member of the NFIP, Orange County <br /> adopted its own flood regulations, currently embodied within the Orange County Unified <br />