New Flood Maps for Bremer County

posted in Community Development on March 7, 2019

New Flood Maps for Bremer County

On March 14th the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will host an Open House to present preliminary floodplain maps to Bremer County citizens.  The open will be held at the Waverly Civic Center, 200 1st St NE, Waverly on Thursday, March 14, from 5:00pm – 7:00pm.  This meeting is open to the public.

The open house will provide property owners an opportunity to view the preliminary maps and learn how their flood risk may have changed.  Representatives from FEMA and the Iowa DNR will be on hand to answer questions and address residents’ concerns about the preliminary flood maps.

Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States.  It is vital that property owners understand their risk and take advantage of tools and programs available to them, including flood insurance.  These preliminary maps provide a tool for communicating flood risk to property owners. The maps will eventually become the basis for local communities’ floodplain management measures.   Insurance companies will use the maps to determine flood insurance rates for buildings and contents.

As a result of these map changes, some buildings throughout Bremer County may, for the first time, may be included in a high-risk flood zone, known as the Special Flood Hazard Area. This may result in those affected homeowners being required to purchase flood insurance.

Residents with questions can contact the Ken Bouma with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources at 515-725-8352 or ken.bouma@dnr.iowa.gov.