Swiftmud updates their Flood Maps will you have to buy Flood Insurance?

The district, known as Swiftmud, is in the process of updating the maps last revised in 1984. The maps, to be certified by the Federal Emergency Management Association, are used by mortgage companies to determine whether a property owner must buy flood insurance.

Hernando County's current flood maps haven't been revised since 1984. The district and its consultants unveiled preliminary maps last year but then admitted the methodology needed improving. The latest maps incorporate the rate that water is absorbed into sandy soil as well as new topographical data. The models in most cases use a one-day rainfall that would drop 13 inches of rain in 24 hours.

There are 22 watersheds in the county. Swiftmud will hold about seven or eight workshops, each one focusing on two or three watersheds. The district is mailing cards to property owners whose floodplain status would change based on the new maps.

For more information on the flood map project, call Swiftmud at 796-7211.

On the Web

To find out more about the new flood maps, go to / www.swfwmd.state.fl.us and click on the "Federal Flood Map Updates" link. To find out about the National Flood Insurance Program, go to www.floodsmart.gov.