Recent Flooding Has No Impact on Highland Heights Flood Plain Map

This week's flooding has no bearing on attempts to get Highland Heights homeowners removed from a flood plain map. About 50 homeowners have been told they are in a flood plain and need to buy additional insurance.

City officials have been discussing ways to help those homeowners and the issue was on the agenda for Tuesday's City Council Committee of the Whole meeting.

"This deals with overland flow, not sewers backing up. I think you saw more of that yesterday," said Assistant City Engineer Brian Mader at Tuesday's meeting.

Service Director Thom Evans said he received quite a few calls, but that they all dealt with sanitary sewer overflow.

Mader updated council members on his efforts to get the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to remove some properties from the flood plain map based on past revisions to the map that were not taken into account in the one released in December.

"I'm hoping to hear back in a couple of days," he said. "Basically, I'm just asking them to consider all this information that appears to be left off."

When those results are in, city officials are looking at conducting a detailed tributary study that would provide more reliable information and would be accepted by ODNR in revising its map, Mader said.

"You're in everybody's back yards, shooting the creek up and down," he said.

Mader estimated the study would take three to four months to complete and cost about $25,000.

Meanwhile, Mayor Scott Coleman said the city will send a letter to affected residents explaining how they can file for an extension that would provide a lower rate on flood insurance for two years.

The city's website also includes a link to a Federal Emergency Management Agency page with more information.