RALEIGH - On July 9, 2003, citizens and the business community in Jones County will have the opportunity to review the preliminary copies of the new, updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). On that date public officials and citizens have been invited to attend a county-wide meeting with staff of the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFPM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This meeting provides everyone in the county an opportunity to see the results of the advanced digital floodplain mapping technology used to create the new maps. The meeting will be held at the Jones County Civic Center located at 832 Highway 58 South in Trenton, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Jones County Inspections Department.

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. State, county and municipal officials as well as their staff are all encouraged to attend the meetings.

The preliminary FIRMs have already been mailed to all communities in Jones County. These maps are among the 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 Mrs. Cassandre' Haynesworth, CD Planner/State Outreach Coordinator - Floodplain Mapping Program: (919) 715-8000 ext. 282 or chaynesworth@ncem.org.