Judge Allen on the early morning floods
Jasper County Judge Mark Allen said, "It was another wild night. We had localized flooding, but not as bad this time as a few weeks ago. Looks like Tyler County caught the brunt of the rainfall this time, especially in the City of Ivanhoe".
Many are asking about the flood plains for the area since the recent change in the flooding in Jasper County. People are insured based upon the mapping. If a property is not in a designated flood plains, the owner doesn't normally insure it as such. Residents are asking if insurance will pay now that they have been flooded, and if there will be new mapping for our area. Allen said, "I believe floodplain boundaries are established by the federal government through FEMA. Periodically, FEMA will reevaluate floodplain maps, which usually involves a pretty long process of public hearings before finalizing their updated boundaries, and many variables are considered such as effects of historic flood events in residential areas along with commercial and residential growth, along with efforts to mitigate flooding through drainage projects, detention ponds, etc."
Allen added, "For those that are uninsured with damage, the organizations that joined us last week will assist with their needs in an attempt to restore their lives. The Jasper-Newton Long Term Recovery Group will be focusing on repairs to homes, with assistance from other entities involved in replacing appliances, repairing or rebuilding home stairways or ramps, and providing essential items for maintaining a household. We are still waiting on information from the Small Business Administration regarding eligibility on this event for grants or low interest loans".
Below are links to the Jasper-Newton program that Allen was referring to, as well as a link to the program being spearheaded by DETCOG.
Jasper-Newton
DETCOG
