RALEIGH - On December 10th, community leaders in Edgecombe County will have the opportunity to review preliminary copies of new, countywide Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). On that date, municipal, county, state and federal officials have been invited to attend a meeting with staff of the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFPM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This meeting provides Edgecombe County leaders an opportunity to see the results of the advanced digital floodplain mapping technology used to create the new maps. The Edgecombe County Planning & Inspections Department will host the meeting, which will take place at the County Administration Building in Tarboro, North Carolina.

The meeting will start with an overview of the statewide floodplain re-mapping effort. Meeting attendees will receive information on the map production process, features of the new maps, and how they can be used to reduce future losses due to flooding. Attendees will also see a demonstration of the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Information System. The Floodplain Mapping Information System will give local officials and the general public access to the new maps via an Internet web site. Following the presentation, county, NCFPM and FEMA representatives will be available to answer questions about the mapping process, flood insurance coverage and floodplain management.

The preliminary FIRMs will be mailed to officials of Edgecombe County, Conetoe, Leggett, Macclesfield, Pinetops, Princeville, Rocky Mount, Sharpsburg, Speed, Tarboro, and Whitakers prior to the December 10th meeting. Residents of Edgecombe County will have an opportunity to review and comment on the new maps at a public meeting to be held in three to four weeks.

These maps are among the first of many to be produced and issued by the State of North Carolina under a unique partnership with FEMA. The partnership agreement signed in September 2000 designates North Carolina as a Cooperating Technical State and delegates the primary responsibility for creation and maintenance of all Flood Insurance Rate Maps to North Carolina. The commitment to re-map the state's floodplains resulted from the devastation caused by Hurricane Floyd, which flooded thousands of square miles of Eastern North Carolina and left thousands of people homeless. This disaster highlighted North Carolina's vulnerability to natural disasters and the need for accurate, up-to-date floodplain maps.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information on the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program, check the Program's web site at www.ncfloodmaps.com. More information on the Preliminary FIRM Meeting can be obtained from Mr. Ed Curtis, Outreach Coordinator - State of NC Floodplain Mapping Program: (919) 715-8000 ext. 369 or ecurtis@ncem.org.