Lyon County residents impacted by potential changes to the county’s flood map made a point of stopping at a special open house on flood-related matters Thursday.
White Auditorium’s Little Theater had steady and occasionally heavy traffic during a five-hour information meeting. The turnout impressed Lyon County Planning, Zoning and Floodplain Administrator Sam Seeley. He says the feedback will be helpful as the county’s revised map is completed.
Representatives of Lyon County, the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were available to talk with residents one-on-one about possible adjustments to the overall map, related changes to flood insurance and other flood matters. Several basic questions came up, including how mapping changes affect flood insurance rates, what activities are allowed or not allowed in floodplains, permit procedures and possible areas of future map study.
The current maps haven’t been updated in over two decades, so developers used lidar to create the draft map in front of residents Thursday. Residents still have until Sept. 8 to comment or offer concerns about the potential changes. A preliminary map may be ready by the end of this year, although a final map may not be approved until spring 2021.
For more information, call the Planning, Zoning and Floodplain Administration Office at 341-3471. You can also go online to www.lyoncounty.org and find “Floodplain Management” under the Government drop-down tab or find the agency on Facebook and Twitter.
