What you need to know
Jason Millsaps, executive director for the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the floodplain assessments are routine following widespread disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey as well as the May 2015 and 2016 floods.
“If we don't do it, we run the risk of potentially losing our [National Flood Insurance Program] status with the Flood Insurance Program, which is a big problem,” Millsaps said.
If the county lost its NFIP status, residents within the county would not be eligible for flood insurance for their homes.
The assessments are for a maximum of 750 properties, but Millsaps said the county will likely only need to perform around 539 floodplain surveys.
The impact
The cost for maintaining eligibility under the National Flood Insurance Program falls directly on the county, according to Montgomery County Floodplain Administrator John McKinney. However, under federal disaster declarations, a county can sometimes be reimbursed for the cost of the assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“There is some substantial risk of the county not getting reimbursed, potentially, but we believe that we can present our claim to FEMA and work on that reimbursement,” Millsaps said.
What’s next?
The assessments will begin immediately following funding approval, and any reimbursements for the county will come at a later date following the allocation of any individual assistance for residents.
