Department of Land and Natural Resources

For Immediate News Release: April 23, 2019

WAIMEA AND HANAPEPE PROPERTY OWNERS MAY BE FACED WITH MANDATORY FLOOD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

(Lihue)-The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined the Waimea and Hanapepe levees on Kaua‘i do not provide a high level of protection and are to be de-accredited. New preliminary flood maps, effective in 2020 show areas behind the Waimea and Hanapepe levees to be in a high-risk flood zone.

The DLNR Engineering Division, FEMA and Kaua’i County would like to inform home and business owners behind these levees that the new preliminary FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM’s) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) are available for viewing at the Kaua’i County Department of Public Works, Engineering Office at 4444 Rice Street, Suite 175 in Lihue. 

The updated maps will help community officials and residents better identify known flood risks. A property’s flood risk may change and consequently so will the requirement for federally mandated flood insurance, as well as construction standards. 

Affected residents and property owners are encouraged to attend community informational meetings scheduled next month in Waimea and Hanapepe:

SAVE THE DATES:

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Ele’ele Elementary School Cafeteria (4750 Uliuli Rd, Ele’ele, HI 96705)

6:00pm – 8:00pm

&

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Waimea Neighborhood Center (4556 Makeke Rd, Waimea, HI 96796)

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Representatives from Kaua’i County, FEMA, and the DLNR Engineering Division will be available to answer questions, concerns, and provide information on the mapping timeline and appeals process at these community meetings. 

Anyone requiring the use of auxiliary aids or having questions can contact the Kaua‘i County Floodplain Administrator, Stanford Iwamoto at (808) 241-4896 or [email protected] before May 10, 2019.

# # #

RESOURCES

More information: https://www.fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata or https://gis.hawaiinfip.org/fhat.

National Flood Insurance Program map changes and Flood Insurance factsheet:

https://dlnreng.hawaii.gov/nfip/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/04/FEMA_MapChange.pdf

Media contact:

AJ McWhorter
Communications Specialist
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
[email protected]
808-587-0396 (Communications Office)