Parts of North Dakota Will Receive Updated Flood Maps

Federal officials say new flood maps for parts of North Dakota are expected to be released in early June.

Federal Emergency Management Agency official Ryan Pietramali told the Minot Daily News that science and technology have improved the agency’s understanding of terrain since the Souris River flooding in June 2011. The flooding caused $700 million in damage to Minot.

Pietramali said the improved data allow for a better assessment of flood risk and more precise mapping.

FEMA will make necessary revisions to the for Minot and Ward County flood maps after a public review process this summer. The final adoption of the maps is expected in 2018.

About 4,000 properties with 3,600 structures are expected to move to a higher flood-risk zone, which has implications for flood insurance premiums, Pietramali said.

“We are seeing just about a doubling of the 100-year discharge,” he said

Pietramali noted the 1 percent annual flood risk will be based on discharge of 10,000 cubic feet a second rather than 5,000 cubic feet a second. The 2011 flood was about 27,000 cubic feet per second.

Property owners are being advised to purchase flood insurance and keeping it to cushion premium increases.

FEMA will continuously monitor flood-risk changes and update those portions of the map, Pietramali said. FEMA previously announced that updates typically take three years, but Pietramali said the agency is following the proposed impact of the flood protection project to quickly update the flood maps.