DENTON, Texas– After months of collaboration and the continuous sharing of information resulting in preliminary flood maps, officials with Kleberg County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are now asking the public to participate in a 90-day comment period.
Homeowners, renters and business owners in the city of Kingsville and the unincorporated areas of Kleberg County are encouraged to view the preliminary flood maps to better understand where flood risks have been identified. Those with comments or who would like to file an appeal have from Feb. 27, 2013 until May 27, 2013 to do so.
An appeal is a formal objection to proposed base flood elevations or flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) boundaries and zones, or floodways. Appeals must be based on technical data that show proposed maps to be scientifically incorrect. Anyone who makes an appeal must include the method, data and analysis used to support the claim. A comment is an objection to a base map feature change such as labels, incorrect roads, jurisdictional boundaries, or any other non-appealable change.
Comments and appeals should be sent to FEMA through the local floodplain administrator. Anyone who hasn’t had a chance to participate in local flood insurance meetings or to review the new flood maps is encouraged to contact their county or community floodplain administrator. Other resources include:
- Viewing the preliminary maps online at //maps.riskmap6.com/TX/Kleberg/
- Using a live chat service about flood maps at //go.usa.gov/r6C. Click on the “Live Chat” icon.
- Contacting a FEMA Map Specialist at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627); email FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com.
Once all comments and appeals are resolved, FEMA will notify communities of the effective date of the final maps. When 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.
###
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 //blog.fema.gov.