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FEMA Floodplain Updates

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the process of updating our Flood Rate Insurance Maps.The preliminary maps, which are available on the King County website, show flood hazard areas within King County that would be inundated by what is called the “base flood” – a flood that is statistically expected to occur once every 100 years.

FEMA hosted four meetings in October and November of 2007, where the public had an opportunity to view the maps, ask questions and to learn more about how this information is used. The maps are widely utilized by financial lending institutions and insurance agents to determine who must purchase flood insurance and the cost of that insurance should it be necessary. 

The updated maps will also be used by King County and local communities for floodplain management and permitting purposes to ensure that any development in the floodplain is done is a safe manner.  The City is currently working with King County Floodplain management staff to prepare more current data that we will be asking FEMA to utilize in the remapping of the Green River floodplain.

For further information or an updated status of FEMA’s floodplain mapping initiative, you may contact either FEMA staff or the King County floodplain staff at the following website: http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/wlr/flood/dfirm/

Estimated schedule for the FEMA mapping effort:

  • September 28, 2007- Preliminary maps issued
  • Oct/Nov 2007- Hold Final CCO meeting
  • November 30, 2007 (est.)- 90 day appeal period begins after 2nd public notice in local newspaper
  • February 28, 2008 (est.) - 90-day appeal period ends. FEMA reviews submitted technical appeals and modifies or maintains maps as appropriate
  • March 2008 (est.) - FEMA issues “Letter of Final Determination (LFD)” to communities and publishes the BFEs in the Federal Register. Communities have 6 months to adopt the study before the data becomes “effective”. Failure to adopt results in suspension from NFIP
  • September 2008 (est.) - Effective date

For more information on current mapping related to the city of Auburn, contact Tim Carlaw at 253-804-5060 or via email.

Questions regarding future mapping should be directed to King County or FEMA (http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/wlr/flood/dfirm/).