Homeowners To Review Revised Flood Plain Maps

— A revised flood plain map of Bentonville and Rogers has some residents concerned.

Informational meetings regarding the new map are scheduled in both cities later this week. Bentonville and Centerton residents can view the new map Wednesday in the Walmart Room of the Bentonville Public Library, 405 S. Main St. from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

The meeting for Rogers and Little Flock residents is from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Rogers City Hall in Council Chambers.

City and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials will be on hand to answer questions at both meetings.

Web Watch

The Rogers 2007 and proposed 2010 flood plain maps can be seen at:

www.rogersgis.com/MapGuide/Viewer.aspx?map=map.mwf

The proposed 2010 flood plain map is not available on the Bentonville website, although the 2007 map is at: http://12.187.74.3

Rogers city staff members sent letters to about 300 residents affected by the change in the flood plain map, said Lance Jobe, city project engineer and flood plain administrator.

“We heard from a few people,” Jobe said. “Many of the people who called just wanted to know what the meeting is about, although there were some property owners who weren’t thrilled about finding out they may be in a flood plain when they weren’t three years ago.”

Calls to several people who called City Hall about the meeting were not returned, with one exception. A spokesman from Cooper Homes, one of the property owners affected by the change, said the owners would have no comment until after the meeting.

Bentonville officials have invited property owners, loan officers and insurance agents to the meeting Wednesday, said Troy Davis, planner and flood plain administrator for the city.

“The meeting is informational in nature,” Davis said. “We want to give property owners and other interested parties a look at the revised map. There have been some changes from the current map approved in 2007.”

The meetings will allow property owners to determine if they are in a flood plain, how likely they are to be in a flood and learn about flood insurance.

The federal government underwrites flood insurance through private insurance companies. Regular homeowner insurance does not cover flood damage, said Scott Comiskey, an agent with Shelter Insurance.

Any homeowner can buy flood insurance, Comiskey said, but lenders often make it a requirement for those living in a flood plain.

“The cost is determined on the elevation of the home or business and its position in the flood plain,” Comiskey said. “I’ve seen some home owners in a flood plain pay as much as $1,200 to $1,300 a year for flood insurance on a $100,000 home, because the home was deep into the flood plain.” He said a certificate that shows the elevation of the house or business in the flood plain is usually requested by the lender.

For those on the edge of a flood plain, flood insurance can be inexpensive, Comiskey said.

The changes to the Bentonville and Rogers flood plain maps are due to studies of creeks and streams that haven’t been studied before.

“The flood plain was reduced in some areas and expanded in others,” Davis said. The same is true in Rogers.

Jobe said developers are usually interested in flood plain maps so they know what regulations or restrictions they may face if they decide to build in a flood plain.

A developer must raise the foundation of a structure at least 1 foot above the 100-year flood mark in a flood plain, Jobe said.

No one could be reached in the Region VI office of Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees Arkansas.

A spokesman said Friday offices had been closed for two days and only a skeleton crew was on hand to deal with emergencies. No one who could comment on the record was in the office.

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