Nassau County, Florida Consultation Coordination Officer (CCO) Meeting February 24, 2016 Fernandina Beach, Florida
Agenda Introductions Coastal Study Update Study Process and Timeline Flood Insurance Implications Questions and Answers 2
Northeast Florida Coastal Flood Risk Study 3
Basic Elements of a Coastal Flood Risk Study Base Flood Elevation (BFE) on FIRM includes four components: 1. Storm surge stillwater elevation (SWEL) Determined from 2. Amount of wave setup storm surge model 3. Wave height above storm surge (SWEL) elevation 4. Wave runup above storm surge elevation (where present) 4
Basic Elements of a Coastal Flood Risk Study (Cont d) 5
Post-Preliminary Processing Schedule Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Issued CCO Meeting and Public Open House End of Appeal & Comment Period Letter of Final Determination Effective FIRM Preliminary Phase Meetings 90-Day Appeal & Comment Period Resolve Appeals & Finalize Map Products 6-Month Adoption/ Compliance Period 6
Nassau County Schedule Preliminary FIRM Issued January 15, 2016 CCO Meeting/Open House February 24, 2016 Appeal/Comment Period May 2016 July 2016* Letter of Final Determination Issued November 2016* Community Adoption/Compliance Period November 2016 May 2017* Effective FIRM May 2017* *estimated time 7
Preliminary FIRM Issued January 15, 2016 A Preliminary Map Package was sent to each community that included: FIRM Panels Nassau County Index Panel Flood Insurance Study (FIS) Report Summary of Map Actions (SOMA) Digital Data 8
Nassau County FIRM Update 9
Appeal and Comment Period Nassau County and the City of Fernandina Beach will have a 90-day appeal period for all changes to flood hazard information. Notice of changes will be published in the Federal Register and on the FEMA website. Notice of changes will be published in your local newspapers twice within a 10-day period. The second newspaper publication will begin the 90-day appeal period. Appeals are for flood hazard information changes 10
What Is an Appeal? The new or revised flood hazard information is believed to be scientifically or technically incorrect. The information is scientifically incorrect if: The methodology used and assumptions made in the determination of the information are inappropriate or incorrect. The information is technically incorrect if: The methodology was not applied correctly or was based on insufficient or poor-quality data. The methodology did not account for the effects of physical changes that have occurred in the floodplain. 11
Data Submission Explanation for alternative methodology Hydrologic analysis Hydraulic analysis Revised Flood Profiles Revised floodplain boundary delineations Revised floodway boundary delineations 12
Appeal and Comment Period (Cont d) Nassau County and the City of Fernandina Beach will also have a comment period. Comments do not involve BFEs and other flood hazard information. Comments include, but are not limited to, the following: Channel Names and Locations Road Names and Locations Corporate Limit Changes Requests for changes other than flood hazard information are considered comments 13
Appeal and Comment Period (Cont d) Please have appeals and comments directed to your local floodplain administrator. Your local floodplain administrator can submit all appeals and comments to FEMA Region IV. We will not move forward until your appeals and comments are resolved. 14
Appeal Resolution Process After the 90-day appeal period has elapsed, FEMA will do the following: By a letter to the CEO, we will acknowledge receipt of all appeals submitted. We will review all appeals and the supporting data submitted with the appeal. If additional supporting data are required, we will request the data by letter. If appeals are not supported by data, we will inform the CEO by letter that the appeals are denied. 15
Appeal Resolution Process (Cont d) If appeals are adequately supported, we will revise the BFEs and any other information affected by the appeals. We will revise the FIRM if necessary. We will send the CEO a letter that explains the resolution of the appeals. We will provide the community with a 30-day period to review and comment on the resolution. We will issue a letter of final determination to the CEO once appeals and comments are resolved. 16
Letter of Final Determination After the 90-day appeal period and all appeals and comments have been resolved, FEMA will issue a Letter of Final Determination (LFD). Along with the LFD, we will send the Final Summary of Map Actions (SOMA), informing the community of Letters of Map Change that will be revalidated or superseded. The LFD begins a 6-month adoption/compliance Period, during which the community will adopt the new maps into their floodplain ordinance. 17
Adoption/Compliance Period Communities may be contacted by FL State NFIP staff or by FEMA Region IV staff offering assistance with reviewing and updating their floodplain ordinance. Ordinance may require an update to adopt the new FIS report, FIRM, and all supporting technical data. Once the LFD letter is received, providing the effective date of the new FIS report and FIRM, the ordinance may be updated at any time. 18
Adoption/Compliance Period (Cont d) After adoption, a copy is sent to the FL State NFIP office and to FEMA Region IV for review. Update files showing the community s ordinance is NFIP compliant. If we do not receive the updated ordinance before the effective date, the community will be suspended from the NFIP Please begin the ordinance review process as soon as you receive the LFD! 19
Adoption/Compliance Period (Cont d) Technical support can be obtained by telephone at 1-800-595-0724 or by email at FLordinance@gmail.com For more information, please contact the Florida State NFIP Coordinator: Steve Martin steve.martin@em.myflorida.com 20
Effective FIRM After the adoption/compliance period ends, communities will receive: Paper copies of the effective FIRM panels and FIS report, as well as digital data A Revalidation Letter, informing the community of all Letters of Map Change that have been revalidated or superseded by the new FIRM 21
Opportunities to Update the FIRM A Flood Insurance Study Update is NOT the only time that your FIRM can be updated. The FIRM can be updated by: Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), MT-1 Form Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F), MT-1 Form Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), MT-2 Form 22
LOMA and LOMR-F (MT-1) Provides an administrative procedure whereby FEMA will review information submitted by an owner of property who believes that his or her property has been inadvertently included in a designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) 23
LOMA and LOMR-F (MT-1) Download MT-1 Forms at: https://www.fema.gov/national-flood- insurance-program-flood-hazard-mapping/mt- 1-application-forms-instructions 24
LOMR (MT-2) Applicable any time better data are available Based on the changes to the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source, that results in the modification of the BFEs, regulatory floodway, and/or SFHA Is a modification to an effective FIRM and/or FIS report; officially revises the FIRM and/or FIS report 25
LOMR (MT-2) Download Forms at: https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insuranceprogram-flood-hazard-mapping/mt-2-applicationforms-and-instructions 26
Risk and Flood Insurance Determine your flood risk Nearly everyone is at risk of flooding High Risk SFHA, identified as Zone A, Zone AE, Zone V, or Zone VE on FIRM Moderate Risk Identified as shaded Zone X on FIRM Low Risk Identified as unshaded Zone X on FIRM 27
Risk and Flood Insurance (Cont d) Requirements in a High-Risk Zone Federally regulated lenders making new loans or modifying existing loans secured by a building in the SFHA must require the borrower to purchase flood insurance for the term of the loan. 28
Nassau County Open House February 24, 2016 (4:30pm 7:30pm) Atlantic Recreation Center Auditorium 2500 Atlantic Avenue, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 29
Open House Layout 30
Questions and Answers Mark A. Vieira, PE Mark.Vieira@fema.dhs.gov Chris Mack, PE, PMP Chris.Mack@aecom.com Christina Lindemer Christina.Lindemer@fema.dhs.gov Henrietta Williams, CFM Henrietta.Williams@fema.dhs.gov Jason Hunter, CFM Jason.Hunter@fema.dhs.gov 31