Borough to adopt updated FEMA flood maps after lidar remapping; public open houses set for June

Adam Pruitt, the borough’s floodplain administrator, told the Chena Riverfront Commission on April 23 that the community is in the final stages of adopting FEMA’s updated flood insurance rate maps, which are based on high‑resolution lidar elevation data.

Pruitt said the remapping effort has been underway for roughly a decade and uses modern lidar data to more accurately model flood extents. The updated maps remove a substantial number of structures and parcels from high‑risk designations but add others; the most notable increases are in the Moose Creek area where hundreds of structures will newly fall inside mapped high‑flood‑risk zones.

“These maps are extremely accurate now because of that laser elevation data,” Pruitt said, summarizing the improvements that lidar brings to flood modeling.

Pruitt said FEMA’s process requires public outreach and an appeal window. The borough will hold public open houses in June; affected property owners will receive mailed notices. After the public comment and appeal period and FEMA review, the borough will have six months to formally adopt the maps to remain compliant with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Commissioners asked about the lidar vintage; Pruitt said the federal USGS grant that produced the lidar was conducted around 2017. Commissioners also asked whether Perkins Landing and other frequently flooded local roads would be differently depicted; Pruitt said many local nuances are now shown more accurately because elevation data is much more precise than prior maps.

Pruitt urged commissioners and residents to attend the June open houses to learn how the maps affect parcels and to file appeals if property owners believe an error exists. He said the overall result is a net benefit to many homeowners and developers because thousands of structures will be removed from high‑risk designations, reducing regulatory hurdles and insurance costs for those owners.