2022-05-23 Flood Map updateFlood Map update
May 23, 2022
10 a.m.
Present: Commissioner Pollock, Commissioner Swope, Commissioner Grose, County Manager Erik
Martin, Josh Metcalf, Mindy Brooks, Lee Napier, Austin Majors
Guest(s): Nic Scott
Recorder: Rieva Lester
Lee Napier said the county is undergoing two mapping exercises: Nisqually Basin and Packwood.
She said FEMA will address the Nisqually Basin study first. Lee and Doyle Sanford said FEMA is reviewing
a preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIS) for portions of the Nisqually River and nearby streams.
They said the areas included in the preliminary maps were previously unstudied, and the new map and
FIS present a more accurate depiction of the floodplain and floodway for the area, providing better
protection for the citizens of Lewis County.
Lee said FEMA has a 90-day appeal deadline, after which the county will consider formal adoption.
Doyle said Packwood has been considered “Flood Zone AO,” a high-risk flood zone that has a 1 percent
chance of flooding annually. He said the AO determination has forced builders to raise home heights by
3 feet or more and that the stringent requirements have hampered growth. Doyle said the new proposal
FEMA is reviewing would remove most of Packwood out of the flood plain. He said the proposal relies
on solid data and will help Packwood’s residents.
Meeting adjourned at 10:18 a.m.