Palm Beach County flood maps delayed

June 27--Property owners in Palm Beach County will have to wait several more weeks to find out whether their properties lie in new flood zones.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had planned to release preliminary maps by the end of this month. But staffers have been delayed in going through data submitted by local agencies that show elevation changes and other drainage improvements, said FEMA spokeswoman Margaret "Jody" Cottrill.

The maps now are expected to be released in July or August, Cottrill said.

Palm Beach County Water Resources Manager Ken Todd sees an upside. The delay means FEMA is giving serious consideration to the data submitted, he said.

FEMA last considered Palm Beach County's flood maps more than 30 years ago.

Since then, tens of thousands of homes and businesses have been built to local codes that have required more drainage improvements and higher elevations to reduce the risk of flooding, Todd said.

In FEMA's new maps, many of these properties should be lifted out of zones requiring flood insurance, Todd said.

That's what happened in Broward last spring when FEMA revised flood zone maps to reflect drainage improvements and land elevations, mainly in the western part of the county. About 60 percent of the county's land parcels in a flood zone were dropped. The new FEMA maps in Broward take effect in August.

[email protected] or Twitter @donnagehrke

___

(c)2014 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services