Montgomery County has unveiled a new website to educate and inform the public about flooding issues that may affect residents and businesses throughout the County. The website provides information about frequently flooded roads, steps residents can take to prepare for potential flooding and the availability of flood insurance to all properties in the County.
Montgomery County is committed to addressing adverse flood impacts to residents and businesses in the County.
The web address is https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flooding/. The page also can be found on the County’s homepage.
Flooding is the most frequent severe weather event and the costliest natural disaster. Floods not only affect high-risk coastal areas, but according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 25 percent of flood insurance claims come from moderate-to-low-risk areas like Montgomery County. Just one inch of floodwater can cause up to $25,000 in damage.
Montgomery County is developing a comprehensive flood management plan to better understand the causes and impacts of flooding—and potential strategies to eliminate or minimize the risks of flooding. In June, the County announced a new high-tech flood sensor program to provide earlier alerts to residents about potential flooding.
“We know that climate change impacts Montgomery County in two major ways: heat and flooding,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “That is why we are mapping heat islands in the County to identify potential areas where we can take action to protect vulnerable neighborhoods. That is also why we will use the flood management plan to identify flood-prone areas and potential strategies to minimize flooding in the future.”
The County is seeking assistance from community members to help identify flood-prone areas. The new website includes a short, confidential survey to where residents can provide feedback on flooding experiences and insight.
The new website includes a calendar of in-person and online events where County teams will explain the Comprehensive Flood Management Plan to community members and help them fill out the survey.
Events include:
- Saturday, Sept. 24. 8 a.m. Gaithersburg Community Flea Market, Pin Oak Drive, Gaithersburg.
- Saturday, Oct. 1. Noon. Lotte Plaza Market, 13069 Wisteria Dr., Germantown.
- Wednesday, Oct. 12. 6:30 p.m. Comprehensive Flood Management Plan Virtual Community Forum.
- Thursday, Oct. 20. 6:30 p.m. Comprehensive Flood Management Plan Virtual Community Forum.
For more information on the flood sensors go to: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/water/Resources/Files/stormwater/Fact-Sheet-Flood-Sensors.pdf
For questions on the Comprehensive Flood Management Plan, email Stan Edwards, DEP division chief, at stan.edwards@montgomerycountymd.gov
Original source can be found here
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