MEDIA RELEASE

Two meetings are scheduled to ensure residents and business owners understand the flood hazard map changes and are aware of their options.

The meetings are:

* 3-8 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort

* 3-8 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort

Public Works will be contacting and assisting those who will be affected by the digital change, and will be assisting those who are affected.

At the first open house, personnel from FEMA, state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the county will answer questions on the new flood maps, flood insurance requirements and FEMA’s preliminary flood insurance study (FIS) report, that have not yet been officially adopted.

At the second open house, consultants, along with personnel from county, will talk about the results of the South Kona Flood Study, and seek input from the community on the focus for the North Kona Flood Study. 

Consultants will share results of the flood study for South Kona and seek input for the North Kona Flood Study 3-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 29 at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort. 

Consultants will alternate their discussions in separate meetings for the South and North Kona studies. 

The two South Kona meetings are 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and North Kona meetings are 4:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.  

To ensure that all residents and business owners understand the map change process and are aware of their options, representatives from Hawaii County and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be on hand to answer questions. 

South Kona consultants will focus on the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) watercourses 13- 20.  To download a map of these watercourses go to the “South Kona Flood Hazard Study” map, http://co.hawaii.hi.us/info/projects.htm  

At 4:15 p.m., consultants for the North Kona Flood Study will discuss topographic information collected using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) measurements for Waiaha Drainage way, Split flows & Tributaries; Horseshoe Bend Drainage way; Holualoa Drainage way; Zone A and the Kaumalumalu

Drainage way, & Tributaries. Consultants will ask the community to prioritize the watercourses for the FEMA maps changes. 

The results of the South Kona Flood Study and the LIDAR of the North Kona flood plain boundaries are not on the preliminary digital flood hazard maps for Hawaii County recently released by FEMA. 

FEMA map changes for watercourses 1-12 and 21-24 in South Kona and the results of the North Kona flood study will be presented and discussed in 2010. 

Residents and businesses affected must first be notified by the County of Hawaii, and the community will be given time to review these changes.

Residents are encouraged to review the flood designation for their individual properties and provide comments for FEMA. Deadline for comments is April 17 by contacting the county Public Works, Engineering Division’s offices in Hilo at 961-8327, or Kona at 327-3530, or e-mail fdemarco@co.hawaii.hi.us.

The preliminary maps are posted on the Department of Land and Natural Resource’s Web site:  http://gis.hawaiinfip.org/fhat/. 

Maps are also available at Department of Public Works in Hilo and Kona.

 

If you require special services to participate at this meeting, call Public Works at 961-8321 to arrange for sign language interpreter, or to have materials printed in larger print.