How will my Beaufort County home be affected by the new flood maps?
What flood zone is my home in on the old maps? What about the new maps?
Here’s a how-to guide on navigating the complicated world of flood zones and who to contact for more information:
Which zone is my home in on the new maps?
▪ Visit: hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/prelimdownload/
▪ Select “South Carolina” and “Beaufort County” in the drop-down menus.
▪ A long list of PDFs will appear. Scroll to the last one in the first box titled, “Flood Insurance Rate Map Index.” Open it. This is the countywide index.
▪ On the index, identify which box represents the general area your home is located. The 11-digit ID is the panel number you will need to find on the long list of PDFs.
▪ Open the right panel and find your home. Streets should be named. A key to the right explains which shades apply to which zones.
What zone am I currently in on the old maps?
▪ Call your flood insurance agent.
▪ Or, visit msc.fema.gov/portal/advanceSearch. Select “South Carolina,” “Beaufort County” and your municipality in the drop-down menus. Scroll down, select “Effective products” and then select “FIRM panels.” The list below is all of the corresponding panels available.
▪ Your local floodplain official will also know into what zone the current maps place your home. See below for that contact information.
Who to call
If you have additional questions, local floodplain officials recommend contacting them. Due to the expected high volume of inquiries, they ask residents to allow 24 to 48 days for a response.
▪ If you live on Hilton Head Island, contact Shari Mendrick at sharim@hiltonheadislandsc.gov or 843-341-4687.
▪ If you live in Bluffton, contact Richard Spruce at rspruce@townofbluffton.com or 843-706-7812.
▪ If you live in Port Royal, contact Linda Bridges at lbridges@portroyal.org.
▪ If you live in Beaufort, contact Bruce Skipper at bskipper@safebuilt.com.
▪ If you live in unincorporated Beaufort County, contact Hakim Bayyoud at hbayyoud@bcgov.net or call the building department.
Where to learn more about how your home is affected
FEMA, S.C. DNR and local representatives will be available to answer questions and look up your property’s zone on both the old and new maps at two public meetings:
▪ 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
▪ Nov. 29 and Nov. 30
▪ University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hargray building, 1 University Blvd., Bluffton.
This story was originally published September 30, 2017 at 12:01 AM with the headline "How will my Beaufort County home be affected by the new flood maps?."