The City of Lebanon, Indiana participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) so that property owners within the city are eligible to purchase federally backed flood insurance. Lenders and insurance companies use the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) as a tool to analyze the risk of flooding to any individual property. Information for properties located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), found on the FRIM can be used to write a flood insurance policy. Derek Warren, The Floodplain Administrator for the City of Lebanon is available to answer questions related to information found on the FIRM.
Information such as the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) can be determined by reading the FIRM. BFE is defined as the national standard used by the NFIP and all Federal agencies for the purposes of requiring the purchase of flood insurance and regulating new development. In addition to the BFE, the Floodplain Administrator can determine which flood zone applies to a property by referencing the FIRM.
The City of Lebanon maintains record of building activity in the SFHA, including Elevation Certificates (EC) and Letter of Map Amendments (LOMA). ECs are an important tool that documents a buildings elevation. In all identified SFHAs, The City of Lebanon maintains an official record that shows new buildings and substantial improvements are properly elevated. This elevation information is needed to show compliance with the floodplain management ordinance. The City of Lebanon participates in the Community Rating System (CRS) and is required to use the FEMA Elevation Certificate. A LOMA is an official amendment, by letter, to an effective NFIP map. A LOMA establishes a property’s location in relation to the SFHA. LOMAs are usually issued because a property has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain but is on natural high ground above the base flood elevation. Because a LOMA officially amends the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that the community must maintain.
For flood insurance questions, flood zone determinations, Base Flood Elevations, Elevation Certificates, Letter of Map Amendment applications and floodplain permits, please contact the Floodplain Administrator, Derek Warren, at (765) 482-8845 or visit the Planning and Zoning Administration located at the Municipal Building, 401 South Meridian Street.
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