New Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Harris County will become official June 18, 2007. Are the old maps wrong?
Old or new, FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps are estimates. Older maps used technology current at the time those maps were developed. The new maps were drawn using todays state-of-the-art technology. In short, older maps are good estimates of where the floodplain exists, but newer maps improve upon those estimates. However, even the new maps do not take into account future development. Development that was taken into account was collected well before the new maps become official (a major reason why CCFCC and HCFCD are preparing the Future Conditions Flood Hazard Boundary technical study). What is the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD)? Created by the State Legislature in 1937, HCFCD is a special purpose district primarily established to build projects. Its mission: to reduce flood damage with appropriate regard for community and natural values. HCFCD devises and implements flood damage reduction plans, and then maintains the infrastructure. It does not have regulatory authority
