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[History of Flooding] [Property Protection] [Flood Insurance] [Federal Disaster Relief] [City Standards] [Drainage System Maintenance] [In The Event Of A Flood] [Helpful Links] |
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| History of Flooding | |
| Partial records and historical knowledge of tidal flooding in the city date back to its first settlement. This is not a surprise since most of Poquoson has an elevation lower than 7 feet above mean sea level. In the more recent years, severe floods have occurred in 1933, 1962, and 1998 with waters rising well over 7 feet above mean sea level. Most flood events are not caused by hurricanes, but rather unnamed low-pressure systems. |
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| Property Protection | |
Activities you can do to
help prevent or reduce flood damage include:
To find out if your home or property is in a special hazard area contact the Building Inspector. |
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| Flood Insurance | |
| Fortunately, you
can protect yourself and your future from the crippling financial losses
often caused by flooding. Working with the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP), the City as labored to bring flood awareness to Poquoson
residents and to lower the cost of federally backed flood insurance.
Flood insurance provides coverage that homeowner insurance policies rarely
cover.
Don't wait until a storm is coming to protect your family and investment because flood insurance policies take 30 days to go into effect. For more information about flood insurance and the NFIP check out the City's Library and FEMA's website here: www.fema.com |
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| Federal Disaster Relief | |
| Most forms of federal aid for disaster relief are loans that must be paid back with interest. This and other forms of relief are not available unless the President declares a major disaster and makes that assistance available. Over 50% of all disasters are not declared by the President as federal disasters. |  |
| City Standards | |
| In order to
obtain a permit, the City requires the proposed finished floor elevation
to be above the FEMA
map flood elevation for new and renovated buildings unless the renovations
do not exceed 50% of the City's assessed value of the structure. If
you'd like to know if your in a flood plain either contact the City's
Building Inspector
or visit the library for current maps and instructions. The City also requires final recorded subdivision plats and individual lot surveys to show flood hazard areas. |
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| Drainage System Maintenance | |
| In order to
minimize flood hazards, the Code of the City of Poquoson strictly
prohibits any person or company from interfering with, blocking,
obstructing, deterring, or altering drainage within any public
right-of-way, drainage easement, drainage course, or waterway within the
City. At least twice a year, the City inspects all drainage courses that drain public property or roadways. If you notice any drainage course that is obstructed, please contact Public Works. |
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| Helpful Links | |
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Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program NOAA Storm Warning Map |
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