Flood Information
Flood - A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is the policyholder's property) from one of the following:
- Overflow of inland or tidal waters
- Unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source
- Mudflow
- Collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or similar body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels that result in a flood as defined above
Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to address both the need for flood insurance and the need to lessen the devastating consequences of flooding. The goals of the program are twofold: to protect communities from potential flood damage through floodplain management, and to provide people with flood insurance.
For decades, the NFIP has been offering flood insurance to homeowners, renters and business owners, with the one condition that their communities adopt and enforce measures to help reduce the consequences of flooding. The Town of Louisburg has enacted the Louisburg Flood Hazard Ordinance to regulate activities in the fllod zone. These regulations are based on models provided by the State of North Carolina and the Federal Government and are mandated in order for property owners to purchase flood insurance in Louisburg.
The Town of Louisburg, situated along the Tar River, has been a participant in the NFIP for many years. The NFIP provides a safety neet for those who have property prone or subject to flood waters. The Town is required to adopt and enforce specific regulations regarding development within established flood areas. These regualtions include requirements that structures in flood areas must be constructed with a lowest finished floor elevation of at least one foot above the base flood elevation (BFE) as established by hydrographic analysis of all flooding areas in Town. Flood maps have been generated by the State of North Carolina which delineate the boundaries of expectyed flooding in the event of certain statistical rainfall amounts. These levels are referred to as the "100 year" flood. This description actually translates into a rainfall amount that has a 1% likelyhood of ocurring each year. The percentage description began wide reference after NC experienced 2 “100 year” floods within 3 years – those being remnants of hurricanes Fran and Floyd.
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