By Rupert Howell
An all important meeting for municipal and county leaders with FEMA officials is scheduled for Wednesday, March 2 at 9 a.m. at the Emergency Management Building in Sardis according to Flood Plain Manager Chad Meek who emphasized digital maps will soon be used to determine flood elevations.
So, why is a meeting between local government and federal and state bureaucracies important?
Meek says it may eventually mean money in terms of flood insurance premium savings and the county rating, something he is constantly working on to bring the cost of flood insurance down.
“I feel some in special flood hazard areas will come out and other areas will go in,” Meek said which may cause an outcry from those negatively affected.
Localities are classified on a Community Rating System and Panola is currently rated 8 which determines the cost to buy flood insurance. Meek said improving the rate could mean savings of 15 percent on a flood insurance policy.
Digital maps are being used throughout the state except for Panola and Quitman Counties according to Meek who said he understood an issue with a levee involving the Corps of Engineers has delayed its approval here.
That issue has evidently been resolved and the digital maps will soon determine if property is or isn’t in the flood plain rather than Meek having to make on-site visits to construction sites in questionable or low lying areas of the county.
The new maps should alleviate some of that travel according to Meek who compared the new maps to, “something like Google Earth.”
He explained that Panola County has approximately 70,000 acres located in the Special Hazard Area with the majority of that  located in the western side of Panola County.
Panola County is a member of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which allows property owners to purchase flood insurance through the program.
On the flip side, the county has agreed to take certain actions, including adopting and enforcing a floodplain management ordinance, having a permit process, collecting elevation certificates, conducting field inspections and checking for non permitted development.
“Recent flooding has revealed some things that have slipped by and gotten damaged,” Meek admitted but he also stated, “It means something when you pull up and see houses flooded and the one you recently permitted is above water.”