ATLANTA– People who live in Cheatham County including Pegram, Kingston Springs; Williamson County including Fairview, Franklin, Brentwood; and Dickson County, Tenn., are invited to look at newly revised preliminary digital flood insurance rate maps at a public open house on March 3, 2015. Flood maps show the extent to which areas are at risk for flooding, and are used to help determine flood insurance and building requirements.
The open house will provide the residents within this watershed and its counties and municipalities with the opportunity to see the preliminary maps, learn about their risk of flooding, and ask questions about what the new maps will mean for their property. Residents can meet one-on-one with a variety of specialists who will be available to talk about flood insurance, engineering, building permits and more.
The March 3rd open house will be held between 4-7 p.m. at:
Franklin City Hall
109 3rd Ave South
Franklin, TN 37064
The new maps were produced through a partnership with Harpeth Watershed counties and municipalities, the state of Tennessee, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). They are more precise than older maps because better flood hazard and risk data and the latest science available have been applied to make the maps more accurate. The ultimate goal is to protect property owners and the community from the risks associated with flooding. Flood risks do change over time due to construction and development, environmental changes, floodplain widening or shifting, and other factors—which is why it’s important that maps are updated periodically.
Property owners—both homeowners and business owners—renters, realtors, mortgage lenders, surveyors and insurance agents are encouraged to attend the open house and take advantage of this opportunity to meet with specialists and ask questions, and learn more about flood risk and hazard mitigation within their communities. Residents may also visit their local community’s office to view the maps in person, or call their local floodplain manager with questions about where their property is located on the preliminary maps.
The Harpeth River Watershed preliminary maps will not be officially adopted until after a public comment period for the effected counties and municipalities takes place. This allows property owners to submit comments and appeals if they can show that any part of the maps is in error. Specialists will be available at the open houses to address questions that residents may have about this process. Once all comments are received and addressed, counties and municipalities may adopt the maps.
By law, federally regulated or insured mortgage lenders require flood insurance on properties that are located in areas at high risk of flooding. Even people living outside of high-risk areas can have flooding, which is the most common and costly natural disaster in the U.S. That’s why everyone, regardless of their flood zone, should take steps to financially protect themselves from a disaster which affects far too many communities each year. The primary way to do that is by purchasing flood insurance. It’s available at affordable rates through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a voluntary program administered by FEMA.
Standard homeowners’, business owners’, and renters’ insurance policies don’t cover flood damage, so flood insurance is an important consideration for everyone. NFIP policies can be purchased from any state licensed property and casualty insurance agents who people already deal with for other property insurance needs. When that isn’t possible, NFIP can put people in touch with another agent. Visit www.floodsmart.gov for more information about flood insurance and to locate a local agent.
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.
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