In a joint effort by the Indiana DNR and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, residents of Porter County were able to attend a flood risk open
house Wednesday evening.
The purpose of
the open house was to release and explain FEMA’s updated flood risk maps for
the area.
Darrin Miller, a
hydraulic engineer for the DNR, said it was the first update to the maps
since 1982 and it could help people protect themselves by taking proper
precautions and getting the proper insurance.
Residents who
were unable to attend the open house can still access the flood maps to see
if their property is at risk at www.floodmaps.in.gov
Miller said
residents can also feel free to contact him through e-mail at dmiller@dnr.IN.gov
with further questions or if they believe the maps have inaccuracies.
Any residents
who had their property change to high-risk were already contacted by the DNR
through a mailed brochure and were invited to the open house, Miller said.
Pine Township
resident Dennis Conklin said he attended the open house expecting to see his
property, which is close to the Little Calumet River, in a high-risk area
and was surprised it wasn’t and that he wasn’t recommended to have flood
insurance.
“I just came
because we wanted some information,” Conklin said. “We have had some
flooding around 1300 N and 450 E and I wanted to see if anything was being
done to address the situation.”
He said he is
going to suggest FEMA and the Porter County flood assessment projects work
together to insure they have accurate information.