Missouri Town Left Off Flood Maps; Portions of Others Missing, Too

Officials from central Missouri towns say preliminary flood insurance maps presented by the Federal Emergency Management Agency this week were incomplete and based on old information.

Huntsdale Mayor Debby Lancaster said she was surprised her town, which has about 30 residents, was completely left off the maps presented in Columbia.

Lancaster was not at the public meeting but was glad to hear that Boone County Planning and Building Director Stan Shawver pointed out that Huntsdale was not on FEMA’s map.

Connie Wisniewski, a mitigation specialist for FEMA’s Kansas City office, said the oversight “should be corrected.” The preliminary maps will go through a lengthy appeals and comment process to address changes, Wisniewski said. It could take as long as 24 months for the maps to become final.

The maps show flood zones ranging from low risk to high risk, with varying rates for flood insurance. Property in designated flood areas must have flood insurance when a federally backed mortgage is involved. In addition, the National Flood Insurance Program would require permits from the city and possibly the state for property owners making improvements.

Ashland City Administrator Chris Heard said the preliminary maps were “pretty bad.” A large portion of Ashland was missing because of annexations that have occurred since the maps were made.

“I do have flood issues,” Heard told Wisniewski, pointing out that Ashland’s corporate boundaries are “totally different” from those on the FEMA map.

City and county public works and storm-water officials said they have data that would bring preliminary maps up to date. The city of Columbia, for instance, has aerial maps showing topography in 2-foot contours. Boone County will have similar maps for the rest of the county by the middle of next year.

“That is a lot more accurate than the maps you are providing,” Boone County Southern District Commissioner Karen Miller told Wisniewski. If that information was not used, “that’s just a flaw on FEMA, and they need to fix it,” Miller said.

Tom Wellman, a storm-water manager for the city of Columbia, said base flood elevations that establish flood zones on the FEMA maps were based on outdated hydrology and hydraulic data.

Boone County Northern District Commissioner Skip Elkin insisted that FEMA order its map contractor to make the changes. He said the flood insurance program “absolutely” affects property values and homeowners’ ability to acquire federally subsidized flood insurance.

Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, www.columbiatribune.com

Topics Flood Missouri