Inaccurate floodplain maps targeted

By ANJANA SCHROEDER
Capital News Service
LANSING – After the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released floodplain maps, effective April 17, homeowners started receiving letters from their lenders giving them 45 days to buy additional insurance because they were in a flood zone. Floodplain maps for counties statewide were determined by FEMA, but officials in Gladwin and Crawford counties were concerned about the accuracy and impact of the maps. Approximately 350 homes in Gladwin alone were placed in a newly created flood zone, U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls, told FEMA in a letter requesting that Gladwin County have until Oct. 31 to draw new maps. State Rep. Joel Johnson, R-Clare, contacted the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) about remapping Gladwin’s floodplain.