BEDFORD – Floodplains are areas of land near bodies of water that may flood in the event of excessive rainfall. The maps identify these areas for floodplain administrators to decide what land is safe to build on.
Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer told the commissioners Tuesday morning that if an applicant requests a permit to build on a floodplain, they are usually denied. If homeowners belatedly find their home sits on a floodplain, their home’s value can go down significantly, and it can be difficult to sell the home and costly to build on the land.
“If you have purchased land and didn’t realize it was in a floodplain building can be extremely costly,” added Luchauer. “There are so many loops to jump through and a lot of people don’t realize it until it’s too late.”
Additionally, according to Allstate Insurance, “no type of flood damage, no matter the source of the water, is covered by standard homeowners policies.”
Authored by Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, Senate Bill 242 repeals Indiana law and lets floodplain administrators use Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps, rather than the more recently updated maps created by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) when they receive requests to build new structures.
The new law provides that, after June 30, 2023, a county or municipality may not issue a permit for construction activity in or near a floodplain unless the permit applicant is allowed to elect whether the local floodplain administrator will use: (1) the department’s “best floodplain mapping data”; or (2) an engineering study provided by the permit applicant; in reviewing the permit application.
It prohibits a local floodplain administrator from issuing a permit authorizing a structure or construction activity in or near a floodplain if the issuance of the permit will violate National Flood Insurance Program requirements.
After June 30, 2025, an individual may not serve as the floodplain administrator of a county or municipality unless the individual has successfully completed: (1) the Certified Floodplain Manager program of the Association of State Floodplain Managers; or (2) another course or training program for local floodplain managers that is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the department.
Luchauer and her assistant Scott Smith will be completing that training.
Emergency Management is here to help.
“If someone had questions if their property is in a floodplain they can contact me or Scott. We are here to help,” added Luchauer.
