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Tompkins County posts updated flood‑map resources and guidance ahead of FEMA preliminary effective date
Summary
The county planning department on May 12 demonstrated new online flood‑risk and flood‑insurance resources, explained FEMA preliminary maps due to become effective in June, and outlined municipal outreach and mitigation work including a Fall Creek study funded by DEC.
Abigail Connor, a planner in Tompkins County’s Planning Department, demonstrated a new flood information section on the county website for legislators at the May 12 Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committee meeting and urged residents to use the online FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) viewer and the county’s new guidance pages.
The Planning Department’s pages gather short explanatory videos and printable materials on flood insurance, flood risk and preparedness; Connor showed county staff how to navigate to government resources → flood information on the county website and how to access the FEMA firm viewer, noting that FEMA preliminary maps for parts of the county will become effective in June.
Why it matters: Updated maps and plain‑language guidance affect homeowners’ flood‑insurance obligations and mitigation choices and can affect development review, insurance costs and property‑level preparedness.
What’s on the site: The new resources include concise videos and handouts on how flood insurance premiums are determined, renters’ and homeowners’ options (including contents‑only coverage for renters), guidance for insurance and real‑estate professionals, and a step‑by‑step walkthrough of the FEMA map viewer. The planning team also added a flood‑preparedness checklist, links to sign up for emergency alerts and contact information for local resources.
Outreach and municipal coordination: Planning staff said they are coordinating with municipalities to target mailings to affected postal routes and that the City of Ithaca is preparing a focused mailer for densely impacted neighborhoods. Staff said they provided draft materials to municipalities and will support local messaging so that each jurisdiction can send locally tailored notices to residents.
Mitigation and next steps: Planning Director Katie Bergella and staff noted that upstream natural infrastructure — wetlands, retention areas and proper ditch management — is a primary mitigation strategy. Staff said they have a $75,000 DEC grant to study Fall Creek and are pursuing similar assessments for other stream systems to identify potential flood‑retention or natural‑infrastructure solutions.
Questions and advocacy: Legislators raised questions about state funding for mitigation programs and FEMA grant support; committee members suggested municipal and county advocacy to state and federal representatives where federal mitigation grants (such as BRIC) or DEC programs have been reallocated or paused.
Ending: Planning staff asked legislators to help distribute the new resources to constituents and said the department will continue to update the web pages and support municipal outreach as preliminary FEMA maps become effective in June.
