From: The City Of New Orleans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 7, 2004
FEMA, CITY AND CORPS WORKING TO REVISE FLOOD MAPS First update in 20 years will take drainage improvements into account.

(New Orleans) - The City of New Orleans the Federal Emergency Management Agency and The Corps of Engineers are partnering to create new flood-insurance rate maps for New Orleans, Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced today.

Flood maps are important because they help determine the flood insurance rates that property owners pay to protect their property. As the maps are revised, they will be converted to a digital format, which allows them to be updated easily in the future.

"Drainage improvements over the last 20 years have made New Orleans less prone to flooding. By providing us with funding for this project, FEMA is helping us convert those drainage improvements into more accurate flood insurance rates for our citizens," Mayor Nagin said.

"The National Flood Insurance Program is a partnership between the federal government and participating communities," said Ron Castleman, FEMA Regional Director. "We value our partnership with New Orleans to update flood maps and help residents understand current flood risks."

Since the maps were last updated, $545 million has been invested to improve New Orleans drainage. The Sewerage and Water Board has invested approximately $400 million to build or expand drainage pumping stations, construct new canals, enlarge existing canals and totally upgrade the system's electrical distribution system. Through the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Program (SELA), another $145 million was invested in drainage improvements, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding 75 % of the construction costs and the Board contributing 25 %.

It is expected that the results from the study will be available in late 2005, as preliminary Digital Flood-Insurance Rate Maps for the entire city.

FEMA has provided funding to the Corps and the City of New Orleans to complete the technical work needed to determine how drainage improvements have affected the City's flood zones. The Corps and the City of New Orleans are working together to make effective use of the FEMA funding, said Col. Peter J. Rowan, District Engineer.

"Extensive drainage improvements have been made in New Orleans since the maps were last updated in 1984," Rowan said. "As you might imagine, taking into account these improvements might lead to reduced flood-insurance premiums in some areas. But the update results should be in hand before drawing any conclusions on rates or other flood-plain issues."

The City and the Corps will update the maps using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, a computerized mapping format which will make continuous updates possible. The Mayor's Office of Technology is in the process of putting together a comprehensive GIS system, which will include flood map information, construction permits, 911 emergency response and other vital city information.

FEMA's adoption of digital format will help prevent long intervals between revisions. The job is part of a map modernization project under FEMA's Flood Hazard Mapping Program. FEMA has embarked on map modernization because about 85 percent of the Flood-Insurance Rate Maps are at least five years old, and one third of them are more than 15 years old.

Goals of the map-modernization program also include heightened public awareness of flood risks, increased community involvement and improved customer service. More information will be provided and public meetings will be scheduled as the study progresses.

The Digital Flood-Insurance Rate Maps will allow FEMA and the City to identify the areas where they should revise floodplain management practices. It will also reveal where revised flood-insurance premiums are warranted. The updated maps will provide the City with a better picture of the flood risks in New Orleans.

The conversion to digital maps will allow the local government and other users to update hydrologic and hydraulic data as drainage improvements are placed in service, such as future SELA projects. In addition to flood insurance, the new maps will also be useful in public works and geographic information systems, and to floodplain managers and developers.

Map Modernization Program http://www.digitalfloodmap.org/flood/