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Permits: Green Lights On The Road to Post-Storm Rebuilding

Locally administered permits are the green lights to start rebuilding for Texans whose homes or businesses were damaged by Hurricane Ike.

Residents with storm-damaged property should check with their local building departments and start repairs only after they have received all required permits. By issuing permits, cities, towns and counties can ensure that construction complies with applicable codes and standards for safety and future storm resistance.

For communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), particular regulations apply to rebuilding in Special Flood Hazard Areas, also called regulatory floodplains, identified on FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Scientific data and engineering studies have shown that these areas are prone to flooding.

Communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program are required to adopt and enforce regulations that provide for building in floodplains. These regulations, which are designed to reduce the risk of flood damage in the communities, also reduce the risk to first responders in emergency situations and help the community recover more rapidly after a disaster.

Development permits are based on local codes and ordinances, and they are enforced locally, not by FEMA. Property owners can find out from their local floodplain administrators whether their land is in a regulatory floodplain.

Communities may adopt floodplain regulations that incorporate greater safeguards than those required for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. In some cases, this can result in lower flood insurance premiums for everyone in the community.

Property owners who do not comply with floodplain regulations may put entire communities at risk of being sanctioned by the National Flood Insurance Program and jeopardize the availability of flood insurance and other benefits of participation.

Wind protection is among the other factors that building requirements may address.

 

Last Modified: Wednesday, 11-Aug-2010 14:46:26 EDT