BULLHEAD CITY – A Thursday, Jan. 23 open house aims to help inform the owners of hundreds of property parcels that may be impacted by updated flood maps proposed for portions of South Mohave Valley and Fort Mojave Tribal lands. The open house that runs from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. will take place at River Valley High School, located at 2250 Laguna Road.
Mohave County Flood Control District Engineer Paul Baughman said 348 structures are being removed from the floodplain in the new maps that are proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Many property owners will benefit by the identified lower flooding risk and the subsequent lowering of flood insurance rates,” Baughman said. Conversely, Baughman said the FEMA proposed maps place 12 other structures into zones that may involve insurance requirements and higher rates.
“We will work with these property owners to identify mitigation solutions and they will be eligible for a subsidized flood insurance rate,” he said. A total of 720 parcels, many undeveloped, would be removed from designated high-risk flood zones while a total of 128 others would be added by the proposed maps.
Property owners have until March 7 to lodge formal appeals regarding the proposed Flood Insurance Rate Maps. FEMA requires detailed hydraulic or hydrologic data or other technical and scientific data for such appeals.
- Dave Hawkins
