DENTON, Texas ––In five months, new flood maps for Calhoun County, Texas will become effective.

Local, state and federal officials are encouraging everyone to view the maps before Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014 in order to understand their flood risk and then consider buying flood insurance.

Most property insurance policies do not cover the effects of a flood. Floods can place people at risk of uninsured loss to their businesses, homes and personal property if they don’t have either a private flood insurance policy or coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a voluntary protection program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Flooding is the #1 natural disaster in the U.S. and only flood insurance covers these unexpected, damaging and sometimes fatal events. “Where there is rain, there could be flooding,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “Everyone lives in a flood zone.”

To learn if your community participates in the NFIP and to review the new flood maps, contact your local floodplain administrator.

FEMA map specialists and flood insurance experts also are available to answer questions. They can be reached by phone and online chat. 

FEMA encourages communities not currently participating in the NFIP to look at the benefits of joining the program. Contacting a local insurance agent is the first step to obtaining information about insurance. Folks can visit www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531 to locate an agent in their area.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.   Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

 

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Five Months Remain Before Calhoun County, TX Flood Maps Become Final

AURORA, Ill. –  FEMA announced Friday that it has approved Governor Pat Quinn’s request to make public assistance available in Brown County to help cover the costs that county and local governments and certain non-profits face because of response and damages incurred in the storms and flooding of April 16 to May 5.

Brown County already was one of 33 counties designated for individual assistance to its residents for their damages. It becomes the 40th Illinois county eligible for public assistance, which is a cost-sharing program with FEMA providing 75 percent of eligible costs. State and local governments are responsible for the remainder.

Categories of eligible work that may be funded by FEMA are debris removal, emergency protective measures, repair or replacement of roads and bridges, water control facilities, buildings and equipment, utilities, and parks and recreational facilities.

Counties now designated for public assistance are Adams, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Crawford, DuPage, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Lawrence, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Mercer, Monroe, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Will and Woodford.

Counties designated for individual assistance are Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Clark, Cook, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Peoria, Pike, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford. Individuals in these counties can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. For more information visit the Illinois Disaster website www.fema.gov/disaster/4116.

Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

The deadline to register for FEMA disaster assistance is Tuesday, July 9.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Media Contact: 571-408-1835

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Brown County Approved for FEMA Public Assistance

DENTON, Texas – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating flood maps in Calhoun, Refugio and Jackson, Texas counties following the release of a new, comprehensive storm surge study that gives updated information on coastal flood risks.

As FEMA works to update the new flood maps, the agency is working closely with its federal, state and local partners to help these coastal communities better understand the current flood risk so that action can be taken to reduce that risk.

Meetings with local officials have already taken place and open houses for the general public have been scheduled.  The local workshops provided an opportunity for local officials to review the storm surge study methods and get an update on the project’s progress.  The open houses will help to educate the public about the current flood risk in the area. Public meetings will be posted on www.txchart.com.

The Texas-based coastal flood mapping effort is part of FEMA’s comprehensive approach to integrating flood hazard identification and analysis with risk communications for affected coastal counties. In addition to the Calhoun, Refugio and Jackson counties, the effort also includes Aransas, Brazoria, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Orange, San Patricio, Victoria and Willacy.

Once a flood risk is identified, the next step is to consider the purchase of a flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  The NFIP is currently undergoing a thorough modernization. 

Meanwhile, contacting a local insurance agent is the first step to gather information about insurance.  Folks can visit www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531 to locate an agent in their area.

Media note:  If media would like to join an online, informational briefing beginning at 1p.m. (CST) on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, please call us at 940-898-5454 for details.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.  Follow us on Twitter at  www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

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Federal, State and Local Partners Team Up to Identify Texas Coastal Flood Risks in Calhoun, Refugio and Jackson Counties