Floodplain Mapping GIS Links Published Article 112605

Anticipating the imminent threat: Guided by ordinances, Floodplain Management crew directs safety

Anticipating the imminent threat: Guided by ordinances, Floodplain Management crew directs safety

Finding Nimmo awash in muddy water isn’t out of the question.

Nimmo Road, that is.

Near the farthest southeast corner of White County, Nimmo — a tiny road bringing traffic to a neighborhood consisting of little more than a fist-full of stilted or upraised houses and a few hunters’ lodges — is especially susceptible to catastrophic flooding. The home-wrecking kind of stuff.

Situated along the Little Red River near the confluence of the White River, Nimmo Road is one of dozens of areas throughout White county designated as susceptible, and even likely, to flood at some point.

And there is a plan for helping when the floods come. FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But in order for FEMA to be able to enter an area wrecked by flooding and begin writing checks and giving orders, there must be an existing plan and insurance.

The only way to get this insurance is by maintaining vital information and informing homeowners and developers of the risks of building or living where water will likely run.

In White County it is Billy Teague with the White County Floodplain Management office (WCFM) who is charged with this task.

His office was formed by special ordinance of the Quorum in 1997. The Flood Hazard Prevention Ordinance.

White County Judge Bob Parish said Friday it is one of the first tasks he oversaw as County Judge, and remains one of the most important.

Nearly 30 percent, or 300 square miles, of White County’s 1,000 square miles of land is designated “special flood hazard area,” or SFHA. Not just the obvious areas in the low-lying “delta” area of the county, but lots of small pockets of land. Wherever the land is low and lacking drainage is potentially susceptible.

It is this fact that guides the WCFM.

White County streams and rivers, and their low-lying terraces that make up much of the county’s floodplain area, are priceless natural resources, Teague said. And when the rains come, these priceless places of beauty and agriculture plenitude are the only conduits that can safely move water away fast enough to avoid the loss of human life and property. When storms are so severe that water begins to spill over the stream and river banks, the flood plains are the main buffers that we have to store the excess water.

In a recent press announcement, Teague wrote, “In order to encourage safe future development, and to ensure continuing availability of flood insurance to rural White County residents, the county’s Floodplain Management and GIS office is requesting the cooperation of everyone who owns property, or who plans to develop property, in one of the special flood hazard areas.”

For one, insurance in available to residents through the National Flood Insurance Program, which is administered by FEMA. Also, developers or homeowners could find themselves out of compliance with floodplain management requirements, which could lead to unnecessary added costs to owners and developers.

According to Teague, “any structure built in an SFHA more recently than 1997 was and still is required to meet minimal construction standards that are outlined in the county’s ordinance, and a Floodplain Development permit is required for the building project.

Teague said developers should be cautious when planning a dam or culvert for an existing stream, for example. Permits from the United States Army Corp. of Engineers must be requested by the developer. In situations where the development is likely to alter boundaries of the regions subject to inundation by the base flood, detailed plans must be submitted to FEMA engineers for review, along with hydrologic and hydraulic analysis performed during determination of base flood elevations for the planned subdivision.

The fees for this process can range from $4,000 to $10,000 Teague said.

A lot of red tape, it may seem at times, Parish said. But when the waters come, it is all worth it.

When White County was hit with torrential rains several years ago that led to widespread flooding throughout the county and even within the city of Searcy, the county was prepared.

The county wants to make sure residents remain prepared.

The county’s ability to participate in the national insurance program is contingent on the county’s residents being in compliance with Floodplain Management requirements.

Knowing whether or not you live or are developing in a floodplain is an important fact to learn, Teague said. And if it turns out forms must be filled out, Teague’s office is available to help. The application for floodplain development permit is usually only a two-step process.

For more information, contact Billy Teage, CFM, Deputy Floodplain Manager, White County Assessor’s office. Email at floodplain@cablelynx.com. Telephone: 501-279-6254.

The White County Floodplain Management office is administered by Debra Lang, county assessor.