HONOLULU — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is announcing several important public meetings being held in August to educate residents and business owners on upcoming flood insurance rate map changes and how they will affect property owners,
HONOLULU — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is announcing several important public meetings being held in August to educate residents and business owners on upcoming flood insurance rate map changes and how they will affect property owners, a DLNR news release says.
DLNR is the state coordinating agency responsible for assisting the coordination of the National Flood Insurance Program between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and county agencies in Hawai‘i.
“Flooding is the most frequent and costly natural disaster in the United States. The risk for flooding changes over time due to erosion, land use, weather events and other factors. In Hawai‘i, the most destructive natural hazard is caused by flash floods and storm surge,” said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson.
“DLNR continues to work in close partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the four counties to ensure proper management of our floodplains. We encourage home and business owners to attend the public meetings next month to find out the latest information on the risk that homeowners and businesses face from flooding,” Thielen said.
Last summer, FEMA completed a Statewide Hurricane Flood Insurance Risk Study to re-examine the coastal flood hazards along the southern coastline of the Hawaiian Islands. The County of Kaua‘i and the City and County of Honolulu will be the first to have their Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps updated to incorporate the study results.
The new DFIRMs are tentatively scheduled to become effective on Nov. 26 for the County of Kaua‘i and Jan. 19 for the City and County of Honolulu. Preliminary maps to incorporate the study results for Maui County and Hawai‘i County have not been completed.
FEMA’s Region 9 engineer, planner and flood insurance specialist, along with staff from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, will be available to answer questions and assist property owners in determining their flood risk. County officials will be available to answer building permit questions for property owners considering developing in newly mapped high-risk flood zones.
The first public meeting will be in Honolulu on Aug. 24 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Ala Wai Golf Course Clubhouse. For more information contact Mario Siu-Li at (808) 768-8098 for City and County of Honolulu.
Meetings will be held on Kaua‘i on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26. Locations and times will be announced. For the Kaua‘i schedule, contact Mario Antonio at (808) 241-4873.
Meeting schedules will also be available on the Hawai‘i NFIP website at www.hawaiinfip.org.
The public may also preview the new maps by visiting the Hawai‘i Flood Hazard Assessment Tool at http://gis.hawaiinfip.org/fhat
