What You Need to Know About Floodplain Management
INTRODUCTION
The City of Morgan City is dedicated to minimizing the
loss of life and property that is associated with flooding events. Education and prevention are valuable and
proven tools that help communities become resistant to these natural disasters. The City of Morgan City recognizes that its
entire community is susceptible to flooding, not just those structures located
within Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA’s).
The following information has been provided to help inform property
owners located within the SFHA, flood prone areas and also all property owners
within the City of Morgan City.
FLOOD HAZARD
The
City of Morgan City is located in the eastern portion of St. Mary Parish
approximately 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The area consists mainly of low coastal marshes with ridges of
higher alluvial land along the rivers and bayous. Morgan City is situated along the east bank of the Atchafalaya
River at the intersection of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Lake Palourde lies to the north and east of
the city. The Atchafalaya River, the
Gulf Intracostal Waterway and other watercourses in the area have made Morgan
City attractive to the fishing, construction, transportation and petroleum
industries.
Although
ponding of runoff produced by rainstorms and hurricanes causes significant
flooding in Morgan City, the most severe flooding in the major part of the City
has been caused from the Atchafalaya River, a tributary of the Mississippi
River. Major floods of the Mississippi
River and its tributaries occurred in 1927, 1937, 1945, 1950, 1973, 1974, and
1975. The flood of 1927 was the most
disastrous in the recent recorded geological history of the lower Mississippi
River Valley. A significant portion of
land adjacent to the Atchafalaya River was inundated by the floodwaters of
1927. Flooding extended continuously
from the Teche Ridge (west of Morgan City) to Lafourche Ridge (east of Morgan
City). The flood of 1927 had an
estimated recurrence interval of 50 years.
The flood of 1973, which had an estimated recurrence interval of 40
years, was the largest flood on the Mississippi River since 1927. The maximum stage of the Atchafalaya River
at Morgan City during the 1973 flood was 10.5 feet, or 2.5 feet below the top
of the floodwall. During the 1973
flood, heavy losses were experienced by industries located on the Atchafalaya
River side of the levee in Morgan City.
FLOOD SAFETY
1. Learn the safest route from your home or
business to higher, safer ground, but stay tuned to reports of changing flood
conditions.
2. If emergency officials tell you to evacuate
or leave your home, go immediately to a safe shelter, hotel or relative’s
house.
3. Turn
off all utilities, gas and electricity at the main switch. Stay away from power lines and electrical
lines. Be alert for gas leaks.
4. Do not walk through flowing water. Drowning is the number one cause of flood
related deaths. Currents can be deceptive;
six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.
5.
Do not drive through a flooded area. More people drown in their cars than in
any other location. Vehicles also push
water into homes and cause additional property damage.
FLOOD INSURANCE
The
purchase federal flood insurance is highly recommended. Basic homeowner’s insurance policies don’t
cover damage from floods. The City of
Morgan City participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which
means that federally subsidized flood insurance is available to everyone in the
City. Remember there is a 30-day
waiting period before a policy becomes effective. Some people have purchased flood insurance because it was
required by the bank or loan company when they obtained a mortgage or home
improvement loan. Usually these
policies just cover the building’s structure and not the contents. During the kind of flooding that happens in
the City of Morgan City, there is usually more damage to furniture and the contents
than there is to the structure.
Remember that a flood insurance policy must be renewed each year.
Mandatory
Purchase Requirement: The mandatory
purchase requirement applies to all forms of federal or federally related
financial assistance for buildings located in a Special Flood Hazard Area
(SFHA). This requirement affects loans
and grants for the purchase, construction, repair, or improvement of any
publicly or privately owned buildings in the SFHA, including machinery,
equipment, fixtures and furnishings contained in such buildings. If a building is located in a SFHA, the
agency or lender is required by law to require the recipient to purchase a
flood insurance policy on the building.
For
more information about flood insurance contact:
●
www.cityofmc.com
●
www.fema.gov/nfip
●
The Morgan City Public Library.
●
Contact your insurance agent.
●
Contact the Morgan City Planning and Zoning Department.
PROPERTY PROTECTION
Rather
than wait for a flood to occur, you can act now to protect your property from
flood damage. Various alternatives are
available to help minimize flooding. If the floor level of your property or
structure is lower than the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) located on the City’s
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), consider ways to prevent flooding from
occurring such as retrofitting your building.
“Retrofitting” means altering your building to eliminate or reduce flood
damage.
Retrofitting
measures include:
●
Elevating the building so that flood waters do not enter or reach any
damageable portions of it,
●
Constructing barriers out of fill or concrete between the building and flood
waters,
● “Dry floodproofing” to make the building
walls and floor watertight so water does not enter,
● “Wet floodproofing” to modify the structure
and relocate the contents so that when flood waters enter the building there is
little or no damage, and
● Preventing basement flooding from sewer
backup or sump pump failure.
There
are several good references on retrofitting in the Morgan City Public
Library. Many of these will inform you
about retrofitting techniques and help you decide which is best for you.
NATURAL AND BENEFICIAL FUNCTIONS
The
City of Morgan City is a beautiful place to live. The undisturbed marshes and wetlands provide a wide range of
benefits to the human and natural systems.
They provide flood storage and conveyance, reduce flood velocities and
flood peaks. Water quality is improved
through the marshes and wetlands ability to filter nutrients and impurities
from runoff and process organic wastes.
The local marshes and wetlands provide breeding and feeding grounds for
fish and wildlife, create and enhance waterfowl habitat, and protect habitats
for rare and endangered species. The
floodplains are an important asset.
They provide open space, aesthetic pleasure, and areas for active and
passive uses.
FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM
If
flooding is imminent and evacuation of the City is advised, the City of Morgan
City will notify you through local radio and Cable TV. Additionally, the City
will be receiving information from NOAA Weather Station Radio broadcasts
weather information at 162.550 MHZ 24 hours a day and from the National Weather
Service Offices in Louisiana The local
contact number is (985) 385-1770 or the City of Morgan City’s Planning and
Zoning Office at (985) 380-4724. Please call in reference to evacuation
notices, procedures and shelters.
FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
All
development in the City of Morgan City needs local and state permits. Contact the City of Morgan City’s Office of
Planning Zoning at (985) 385-1770 or (985) 380-4724 for advice before you build,
fill, place a manufactured home or otherwise develop. The zoning ordinance, flood control ordinance and the
International Building Codes have special provisions regulating construction
and other developments within floodplains.
Without these provisions, flood insurance through the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP) would not be available to property owners in the City
of Morgan City. Any development in the
floodplain without a permit is illegal; such activity can be reported to the
Director of Planning and Zoning at (985) 380-4724.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT REQUIREMENTS
What
is substantial improvement? The
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires that any reconstruction,
rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of
which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure before the
start of construction of the improvement, must conform or meet the same
construction requirements as a new building and be constructed above the
minimum Base Flood Elevation (BFE) listed on the City of Morgan City’s Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
What
is substantial damage? Substantial damage
means damage of any origin sustained by a building or structure when the cost
of restoring the building to its pre-damaged condition would equal or exceed
50% of the market value of the building before the damage occurred. Substantial damage is determined regardless
of the actual repair work performed.
The
City of Morgan City requires by ordinance that any substantial improvement or
substantial damage improvement must have a building permit. Permit information can be obtained at the
Planning and Zoning Department located at City Hall or by calling at (985)
380-4724.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
It
is illegal in the City of Morgan City to dump any type of debris into a canal,
stream, river or drainage ditch. This
debris can become entangled in culverts and shallow streambeds, canals or
drainage ditches and impede drainage causing the flow of water to back up. Citizens of Morgan City should also keep
drainage ditches on their property free of debris, foliage and vegetation that
would impede the flow of water. Debris dumping should be reported to the City
of Morgan City’s Public Works Department or the Planning and Zoning Department
at City Hall by calling (985) 385-1770 or 380-4724.
FLOOD INFORMATION
Citizens
of the City of Morgan City can obtain flood information concerning flooding,
flood maps, mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements, flood insurance
requirements and inquiries, and flood zone determinations from the City of
Morgan City’s Planning and Zoning Office located at City Hall, or by calling
(985) 380-4724.
Elevation
Certificates of all properties in the Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA’s)
are available and on file at the Office of Planning and Zoning and copies are
available upon request.
Real
time river gauge information can obtained through the following websites: www.la.water.usgs.gov/hydrowatch.htm
or through www.usgs.gov.
FLOOD PROTECTION ASSISTANCE
Concerned
citizens and the general public can obtain information on flood protection
assistance from the City of Morgan City’s Office of Planning and Zoning or the
Department of Public Works by calling (985) 385-1770 or (985) 380-4724. Flood protection assistance provided by the
City of Morgan City is site-specific flood and flood related data, data on
historical flooding in the neighborhood and similar information so inquirers can
relate the flood threat to their problems.
List
of Services Provided:
●
Provide a list of names of contractors and consultants knowledgeable or
experienced in retrofitting techniques and construction.
●
Provide materials on how to select a qualified contractor’s and what recourse
citizens have if they are dissatisfied with the contractor’s performance.
●
Make site visits to review flooding, drainage and sewer problems and provide
one-on-one advice to property owners.
●
Provide advice and assistance on retrofitting techniques, such as, elevating
buildings above flood levels or the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), dry floodproofing,
wet floodproofing and protecting
basements from sewer backup. Also, information
on the installation of barriers, levees, berms and floodwalls around individual
buildings or structures is available.
IMPORTANT USEFUL WEBSITES
●
www.fema.gov
●
www.usgs.gov
●
www.noaa.gov
●
www.la.water.usgs.gov/hydrowatch.htm
●
www.nws.noaa.gov
●
www.floods.org
●
www.weather.gov
●
www.lfma.org
