SECTION 5: CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN
A floodplain management plan (or a flood mitigation plan) provides a framework for action regarding corrective and preventative measures to reduce flood-related impacts. • 11 of the 13 participating jurisdictions have a floodplain management plan in place. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE ESTIMATING PROCEDURES Immediately after a natural disaster, the Wake County Building Inspections Team is deployed to the impacted area to commence structural damage assessments. Wake County Building Inspections uses ARCGIS Survey 123, which is a map-based tool to electronically track, collect, and survey the damage. This information can be easily shared among various work groups and agencies. Each inspector uses an app on their iPad to interface with the database. Subsequent to the damage assessment, homeowners are provided guidance on necessary permits for repair work so that the structure is brought into compliance with all building codes. Structures that are deemed “unsafe” will be posted accordingly and require the owner to mitigate any safety issues. These procedures apply for Knightdale, Rolesville, Wendell, and Zebulon . The Town of Apex ’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) prohibits the location of any new buildings, in whole or in part, within the floodplain. It also prohibits the creation of residential lots within the floodplain. This robust ordinance was adopted in 2000 and has essentially eliminated substantial damages/claims in Apex. The Town’s UDO includes language about Substantial Damage, but it has never been used. As of November 2020, the Town had a cumulative total of 3 closed paid losses valued at $1,300 total for all the years the data has been collected. In the past, the Town of Apex has not incurred flood losses that qualify as “substantial damage.” With the adoption of the new FIRM maps in 2022, some floodplains have expanded to cover properties that were not previously considered at risk. The Town is evaluating steps to track future damage to these properties. Immediately after a flood event in the Town of Cary , employees across multiple departments that consist of Town planners, stormwater and transportation engineers, inspectors, building officials, and certified floodplain managers deploy to the affected areas. The town is broken into three areas and each area has a dedicated number of teams to conduct windshield surveys and assess damage. This is tracked digitally and on paper forms and then logged into Town databases. Once homeowners come in for permits for repair work, this data is referenced and if a substantial damage is triggered then the building must come into compliance with all Town ordinances, including the floodplain ordinance. If a homeowner or applicant comes in to improve the property voluntarily without damage, then substantial improvement protocols are activated. This entails a lengthy review during plan review of the project scope, evaluating the building’s depreciated valu e either by tax assessor value or through an appraisal, and the work is adjusted accordingly depending on the determination. All work is also field verified by inspectors to make sure construction is up to code and in compliance with Town ordinances. These procedures also apply for the Town of Morrisville . In Morrisville, five areas where substantial damage may occur have been identified by Town staff; these areas are evaluated post-event through windshield surveys and damage assessments. Following a flood event in the Town of Garner , employees from the Engineering, Planning, and Inspections departments convene and divide into teams. Teams include engineers, building inspectors, infrastructure inspectors, and other staff. The number of teams deployed is dependent on the extent of the
Wake County, NC Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
WSP June 2024 Page 281
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