HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-15-21 Correspondence - Fema Ltr re Floodplain Mgmt U.S.Department of Homeland Security
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January 15, 2021
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
The Honorable Cyndy Andrus
Mayor, City of Bozeman
Post Office Box 1230
Bozeman, Montana 59771
Dear Mayor Andrus:
I commend you for the efforts that have been put forth in implementing the floodplain management
measures for the City of Bozeman, Montana,to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP). As you implement these measures, I want to emphasize the following:
- a Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) have been
completed for your community;
- the FIS and FIRM will become effective on April 21, 2021; and
- by the FIS and FIRM effective date,the Department of Homeland Security's Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)Regional Office is required to approve the
legally enforceable floodplain management measures your community adopts in
accordance with Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 60.3(d).
As noted in FEMA's letter dated October 21, 2020, no significant changes have been made to the
flood hazard data on the Preliminary and/or revised Preliminary copies of the FIRM for
Gallatin County. Therefore,the City of Bozeman should use the Preliminary and/or revised
Preliminary copies of the FIRM as the basis for adopting the required floodplain management
measures. Final printed copies of the FIRM for the City of Bozeman will be sent to you within the
next few months.
If you encounter difficulties in enacting the measures, I recommend you contact the Montana
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. You may contact Traci Sears, CFM,the NFIP
State Coordinator, by telephone at(406)444-6654, in writing at 1424 Ninth Avenue,
Helena, Montana 59601-1601, or by electronic mail at tsears@mt.gov.
The FEMA Regional staff in Denver, Colorado, is also available to provide technical assistance and
guidance in the development of floodplain management measures. The adoption of compliant
floodplain management measures will provide protection for the City of Bozeman and will ensure its
participation in the NFIP. The Regional Office may be contacted by telephone at(303)235-4800 or
in writing. Please send your written inquiries to the Director, Mitigation Division,
FEMA Region VIII, at the Denver Federal Center, Building 710,Box 25267, Denver, Colorado
80225.
wwwSema.gov
The Honorable Cyndy Andrus
January 15, 2021
Page 2
You may have already contacted the NFIP State Coordinator and/or the FEMA Regional Office, and
may be in the final adoption process or recently adopted the appropriate measures. However, in the
event your community has not adopted the appropriate measures,this letter is FEMA's official
notification that you only have until April 21, 2021,to adopt and/or submit a floodplain management
ordinance that meets or exceeds the minimum NFIP requirements, and request approval from the
FEMA Regional Office by the effective date. Your community's adopted measures will be reviewed
upon receipt and the FEMA Regional Office will notify you when the measures are approved.
I appreciate your cooperation to ensure that your community's floodplain management measures are
approved by the FEMA Regional Office by April 21, 2021. Your compliance with these mandatory
program requirements will enable your community to avoid suspension from the NFIP.
Additional information on community suspensions as proposed, other notices of current NFIP
community status information, and details regarding updated publication requirements of community
eligibility status information under the NFIP can be found on the Community Status Book section of
our website at www.fema.gov. Please note that per Revisions to Publication Requirements for
Community Eligibility Status Information Under the National Flood Insurance Program, 85 FR 68782
(October 30,2020)(codified at 44 CFR pts 59 and 64),notices for scheduled suspension will no longer
be published in the Federal Register as of June 2021 but will be available at www.fema.gov.
Individuals without internet access will be able to contact their local floodplain management official
and/or NFIP State Coordinating Office directly for assistance.
Sincerely,
f
Rachel Sears, Director
Floodplain Management Division
Mitigation Directorate I FEMA
cc: Lee dePalo,Regional Administrator,FEMA Region VIII
Traci Sears, CFM,NFIP State Coordinator, Montana Department of Natural Resources and
Conservation
Brian Heaston,Engineer, City of Bozeman