San Antonio FEMA Flood Plain Map Appeal Period Ends August 6th
July 1, 2008
San Antonio River Authority (SARA), as part of the Bexar Regional Watershed Management (BRWM) partnership, received confirmation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that the beginning of the anticipated 90-day appeal period of updated Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) will begin on May 9, 2008. It is during this time that all protest and appeal forms and any necessary supporting data will need to be mailed to SARA to be acknowledged as received and identified on the appropriate DFIRMs.
“As a Cooperating Technical Partner with FEMA, the San Antonio River Authority took on the responsibility of managing the Bexar County Map Modernization program in 2004,” said Nefi Garza, Manager of SARA’s Watershed Management Department. “SARA will remain as the local point of contact now that the new draft DFIRMs are ready for public comment throughout this 90-day protest and appeals process.”
Once the appeal period ends on August 6, 2008, the documented protests and appeals will be sent to FEMA for review. At this time, FEMA may require additional information for specific protests or appeals which will be handled through direct communication from FEMA and the appropriate party. FEMA will evaluate all protests and appeals and provide SARA all the comments that need to be addressed. SARA will then take all the comments received from FEMA and make all the necessary updates to
the DFIRMs; Letter of Map Revisions (LOMRs) approved during the study time (September 2005 to August 2008) will be incorporated into the DFIRMs at this time.
Depending on the amount of comments and LOMRs received from FEMA, it may take SARA from one month to a year to complete the DFIRM updates. Once the revisions have been incorporated, FEMA will notify the community (i.e. Bexar County, City of San Antonio and all the suburban cities) in writing that all the changes are complete and the DFIRMs are ready for approval. This Letter of Final Determination (LFD) will notify communities and all appellants that any and all protests and appeals have been resolved and that the Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are considered final. The LFD also initiates a compliance period, which is usually 6 months. It is during this time that each community must begin an ordinance review and update period. To become “official”, the DFIRMs must be accepted by ordinance by each community; communities must accept the final DFIRMs if they intend to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is anticipated that this entire process will be complete and the final report and DFIRMs will become effective by the winter of 2009.
For more information about DFIRM protests and appeals or any of the other programs supported by the BRWM, please visit www.BexarFloodFacts.org. Those interested in submitting a protest or appeal may also contact 210-302-3630 for more information. All protests and appeals should be mailed to:
San Antonio River Authority
ATTN: Floodplain Management
600 East Euclid Ave.
San Antonio, Texas 78212
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