Submitted by Thurston County Emergency Management
It can be hard to imagine the devastation that floods can bring to Thurston County communities as the warm, dry summer stretches on, but that’s exactly what emergency management officials want area property owners to do when they review the updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the Deschutes River watershed.
“We need people who have property in the Deschutes watershed to take a close look at these revised maps and send in their comments if they find any errors or wish to dispute any of the revisions,” said Andrew Kinney, Thurston County Emergency Management Coordinator. “We want to make sure the public is well aware of the map changes, and that they’re ready for any flood insurance rate changes that might come out of it.”
The revised maps for the Deschutes River watershed area were unveiled at an open house meeting back in June hosted by Thurston County Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The revised maps show some changes to designated Special Flood Hazard Areas in the Deschutes watershed, and also show changes to the insurance premium risk zones, which are used to help determine the costs of the monthly insurance premiums that watershed property owners will pay for national flood insurance coverage. Public comments on the revised maps must be submitted by Thursday, October 15.
Information and links for viewing the revised maps and submitting comments are available on the Thurston County Emergency Management website at www.co.thurston.wa.us/em. Hard copies of the maps are also available for viewing at the county’s Permit Assistance Center at the County Courthouse complex in Olympia. Contact Andrew Kinney, Emergency Management Coordinator with questions and comments at KinneyA@co.thurston.wa.us or at (360) 867-2827.
