Mississippi’s Olive Branch to Contest FEMA Flood Maps

Olive Branch, Mississippi officials have agreed to hire a firm to help the city challenge Federal Emergency Management Agency maps that identify a number of homes as being in flood zones.

Being inside a flood zone results in homeowners being required to buy flood insurance.

Aldermen this week voted to hire ETI Corp. to examine the FEMA maps.

City officials say ETI’s initial investigation of FEMA’s maps determined that perhaps 200 homes out of up to 260 should not be in a flood zone.

Mayor Sam Rikard said in some cases FEMA’s information was incorrect about the number of culverts handling water or the size of the culvert.

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Information from: The Commercial Appeal
http://www.commercialappeal.com