Butler County’s floodplain maps updated

July 21--BUTLER COUNTY -- The federal agency in charge of responding to natural disasters is redrawing the boundaries for floodplains in Butler County.

The end result: updated and more detailed maps showing the boundaries of floodplains throughout the county, which may mean where properties fall in or outside of those parameters could change, said Jim FoxButler County Department of Development's building and zoning division.

Whether a property is in a floodplain or not affects flood insurance rates that property owners pay, Fox said. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency contracted with an engineering firm to update the maps, using more advanced technologies than past versions.

Properties located inside a plain have a 1 percent chance in a given year of flooding, Fox said. Although, it doesn't mean properties outside the boundary will never flood.

Notices are being mailed to the owners of 3,272 properties throughout Butler County communities if their property is affected -- these properties might have moved inside or outside the floodplains, he said.

Preliminary maps are posted online. Find the link at www.butlercountyohio.org.

Property owners can search for their land online or call 614-265-6709.

Then, from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, there is an open house at the Butler County Government Services Center at 315 High Street. Those who attend can also learn at the event where in the flood zone their property lies. Representatives of the consulting firm for FEMA and Ohio Department of National Resources will be on hand to answer questions.

Following the open house is an appeal period. The new maps are likely to become official in 2015.

"If you do have questions, contact us now before the maps become official," said county Development Director David Fehr, whose department enforces the map regulations created by FEMA.

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