Hidden Creek Subdivision Residents may need Flood Insurance

At Lyons Wisconsin’s last town board meeting on September 8th, a possible error in the floodplain maps became a heated topic for discussion.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had revised the floodplain maps at the start of this year for Lyons Wisconsin, but there may be problems with it.  

Floodplains maps show the areas in a town that are most at risk for flood damage in severe weather, thus property owners that fall in these specified areas of the town would need to carry flood insurance; this was a source of concern for members of the Hidden Creek subdivision in particular as they were not on the maps last year and appeared this year.  Although the proper insurance on private properties is the responsibility of the property owners there were also reports of the floodplain map having not resulted from a detailed study.   According to Lake Geneva Regional News, FEMA had admitted to not doing the detail usually required for these maps, and they have not yet given the elevations for properties that would be under the floodplain definition.