By Ronica Shannon
Plans to appeal newly proposed floodplain maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be on the horizon for the Madison Fiscal Court.
The court met Tuesday in regular session to learn more about a project that could help the county have more success with its appeal.
Tom Moreland, GIS coordinator for the Madison County Planning and Development Department, presented statistics during Tuesday’s meeting that show the dramatic impact FEMA’s proposed flood maps will have on the county.
According to the last round of county floodplain mapping, which was done in 1990, the county had a total of 336 structures lying within a designated flood zone.
FEMA’s proposed floodplain maps will increase that number to 786.
There were 1,753 parcels (undeveloped) of land included in a flood zone in 1990, and that number will jump to 3,690 according to FEMA’s proposed maps.
“Although they used updated computer models, they based it on garbage data that was almost as old as the 1990 maps,” Moreland said. “We are exploring getting new base map information.”
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is an infrared laser mounted on an aircraft that scans the ground, according to information from the Aerial Cartographics of America Inc.
It determines spot elevations for millions of map locations, and 20,000 to 100,000 pulses per second can be collected. LiDAR typically is used for building digital elevation models (DEM).
According to Clark, completing the project would cost about $100,000, but it would be divided between the county, Richmond, Berea and Madison County CSEPP (Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program), which is funded by the federal government.
“It’s more efficient and it’s more cost effective (than previous technologies),” Moreland said. “ Our objective is to get better base map information.”
FEMA is not taking into consideration the work that homeowners have done to keep their homes from flooding, Moreland said.
“With all these people on the line, we’re wanting to make sure that we give them a good answer,” he said.
Developers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to ensure that new developments are built so they have little flooding risks, Clark said.
“They’re not taking any of that into consideration,” he said.
Abbie Jones, engineer for Lexington-based Nesbitt Engineering Inc., which would be administering the LiDAR project, gave the court reasons as to why the project is crucial to the overall appeal process.
“The more detail you put in that appeals packet, the more ammunition you have for them to realize that the maps aren’t as accurate as the information that’s readily available,” Jones said.
Using LiDAR is in the best interest of all county residents, Clark said.
Magistrate Bill Tudor asked that the court make sure that all those people are affected write letter of protest to be included in the county’s appeal package.
Anyone who would like more information about appeals or to view FEMA’s proposed maps can call local planning offices at 624-4780 (Madison County residents), 986-8528 (Berea residents) or 623-1000 (Richmond residents).
Visit www.floodsmart.gov for more information about flood insurance plan options.
In other business:
• The court heard the first reading of an ordinance that would change the name of the Madison County Ambulance Service to Madison County EMS. The ordinance must have a second reading before the court can take an official vote.
• The court appointed Ken Schwendeman to the Madison County Airport Board to fulfill the remaining term of former Berea Mayor Dr. Clifford F. Kerby who passed away Jan. 11. Eddie Pullins also was appointed to the county airport board, Robert Farmer was re-appointed to the Madison County Planning Commission and Wanda Pennington was appointed to serve on the county’s utility board.
• A brief closed session was conducted by the court to discuss pending litigation matters.
The next meeting of the Madison Fiscal Court is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the county courthouse.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
