ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – New preliminary flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are giving some Roanoke County homeowners a closer look at their flood risk.
The last time these maps were updated was in 2007, and officials say a lot has changed since then.“A lot of folks have been concerned if they will need flood insurance. That’s the biggest question. The short answer is, if your house is not in the floodplain, doesn’t touch the floodplain, then you don’t need flood insurance,” said Nickie Mills, the floodplain administrator for Roanoke County.
Mills says FEMA’s updated models now use nearly two decades of additional rainfall data, updated land cover information, and highly detailed elevation technology that can measure the ground surface within just a few inches…