The FEMA Flood Maps Adopted January 15, 2021, Took The Entire Subdivision of The Parks of Plaquemines Out of the Flood Zone, Insuring that New Homes Buyers & Our Residents Will Have the Lowest Flood Insurance Rates Possible!
The new maps adopted January 15, 2021, show that parts of Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and Plaquemines Parishes have seen a lowering of Base Flood Elevations (BFE). BFE is the elevation on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Special Flood Hazard Areas. The FIRM shows the water surface elevation which results from a flood and bases its Zones on the one percent chance of equaling or exceeding that water surface level in any given year. While southern Plaquemines Parish will experience an increase in BFE because parts of the parish are located outside of the new levee system, Belle Chasse is one area of Plaquemines Parish which will experience a significant reduction in or the total removal of flood insurance requirements for its residents. With improvements to the Mississippi River levee, the BFE in Belle Chasse dropped from 1.5 feet above sea level to 0-3 feet below sea level.
The reason that the Belle Chasse area is getting the good news of the reduction or removal of flood insurance is because of an agreement between the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA after Hurricane Katrina. The levee system that has been constructed in the Greater New Orleans area has been built, complete with new closing floodgates, with the parameters for a 100-year storm. Because of this intense and productive work, their efforts have resulted in residents in The Parks of Plaquemines to “breathe easier” when it comes to the potential risk of flood damage to their homes. For more information about this announcement or to view the flood maps, click on the links below.
