Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flooding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Baldwin County staff preview flood-hazard management plan; draft released online
Summary
County staff and CRS coordinators presented a draft flood‑hazard management plan and said a final draft will be available Jan. 23; a public meeting to review the plan is set for Jan. 21 in Foley.
DJ Hart, former Community Rating System (CRS) coordinator for Baldwin County, and Corey Flowers, the county’s incoming CRS coordinator, briefed the Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 9 about a draft flood-hazard management plan.
The presentation described the plan’s purpose as reducing flood damage and risk to people, property and infrastructure, guiding safe development in mapped flood zones and supporting the county’s participation in FEMA’s CRS program. Hart said Baldwin County has participated in CRS since 1994 and currently holds Class 7, which produces a roughly 15% premium discount for property owners with flood insurance.
Why this matters: the CRS program ties community floodplain management activities to flood-insurance premium discounts for residents. County staff said improving CRS credits can make flood insurance more affordable while encouraging measures that reduce property damage and public-safety risks.
Corey Flowers said the draft — described during the meeting as a rough draft — would be posted on the county website the evening of Jan. 9 and that a final draft is expected Jan. 23. Staff scheduled a public review meeting for Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Foley satellite courthouse; staff said the public is welcome and the meeting will walk through the full plan before the document is sent to the commission and to FEMA for adoption.
Hart and Flowers emphasized the plan’s alignment with NFIP/CRS expectations, noting the plan addresses identifying flood-prone areas, guiding safer development, strengthening preparedness and improving the county’s ability to respond to and recover from floods.
No action was taken by the commission at the Jan. 9 session; staff characterized the presentation as informational and noted the formal adoption step will come later after public review and FEMA submission.
