Excerpt from the attached article, "Currently, hundreds of Lubbock citizens are required by federal law to pay for flood insurance. ... The northwest drainage improvements project is designated to help relieve people of that burden as well as remove neighborhoods from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood map, said Michael G. Keenum, a storm water engineer with the city. “Really, the whole premise of the project was to get areas out of the flood zone,” he said. ... “Phase one is focused on, what we are calling ‘Arnett Benson neighborhood,’ which is in the area east of Indiana and south of Erskine street,” Keenum said. “Currently, that whole entire area is in a flood zone, and so when it rains it fills up. We have flood maps that show where the water is going to be.” Neighborhoods in a FEMA-designated flood hazard area are not eligible for some public funding including community grants, according to Keenum. To remove those neighborhoods from FEMA’s flood zone maps, the city must first conduct a restudy of the area, and the completion of that research may take years. However, after the new maps are accepted, about 1,250 structures will be removed from FEMA’s list, Franklin said. ... The system, while good for homeowners, will disrupt traffic in the areas during the initial phases. “We recognize the inconvenience in the process, and we appreciate everyone working with us,” Keenum said. “The benefit is going to be long-term, but it’s difficult and it’s hard during the short-term — especially going through residential areas — but it is something that is going to benefit the community as a whole, ultimately.”
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 03:05:01 +0000
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