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DNRC briefs Missoula on revised floodplain maps, levee certification and insurance implications
Summary
A DNRC representative described updated 100-year floodplain maps and noted levee certification is required for FEMA to recognize reduced flood risk; some Missoula levees remain unaccredited and could affect insurance rates and local planning.
Nadine Wadsworth of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation briefed Missoula listeners about revisions to the city's floodplain maps and the practical implications for planning, insurance and emergency response.
Wadsworth explained the maps inform local planning and flood insurance rates and that FEMA relies on certifications to recognize levees that provide reduced flood risk. "The county regulate these map flood plains for development. Federally backed flood insurance is available to all residents within the city and county regardless of whether or not they're in a map flood zone," she said on the program.
The DNRC noted several levees within city limits (McCormick, Monrock, Orchard Homes, Area 3 and Area 5) and said levee accreditation requires a professional-engineer certification or federal-agency review before FEMA will consider a reduced-risk designation. The broadcast said Orchard Homes, McCormick and Monroe (Monroe/Monrock wording in the presentation) are not currently accredited in the Army Corps of Engineers database, a status that could affect property owners' insurance premiums if the map designation changes.
City staff on the program tied the updated maps to FEMA eligibility for emergency funds and to local planning and liability concerns; listeners were advised that river and terrain changes drive some map adjustments and that staff will continue coordinating with state and federal partners.
