Flood Map Open House Today, Feb. 8, to give Avoyelles land owners chance to learn about changes

Avoyelles Parish residents can learn more about the flood risk to their properties at a Flood Map Open House scheduled for Monday, February 8, 2010 from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Marksville Fire Department located at 512 North Main Street, Marksville, LA 71351

The Flood Map Open House gives residents a chance to look at how the preliminary digital flood insurance rate maps will affect individual properties, and to learn about how the new maps may affect future flood insurance requirements, premiums and building plans.

During the Flood Map Open House, residents will work with a technician to view the changes to their individual properties. Officials from FEMA, the State of Louisiana and local and parish officials will be available to answer any questions that a resident may have about the proposed new maps and the changes that they will bring.

The State of Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development sponsors these outreach events to help residents be prepared for the map changes when they take effect. FEMA underwent a multi-year effort to make the new maps digital and show the best available representation of flood risk that can be determined.

Staff from the University of New Orleans Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology (UNO-CHART), along with staff from the LSU Ag Center, operate the event, which is available to any non-coastal parish in the state.

For more information about the Flood Map Open House, contact UNO-CHART Research Assistant Carrie Beth Lasley at 502-645-0421 or at clasley@uno.edu.