This from indystar.com: INDIANAPOLIS, IN- Despite federal maps that show your home is safe from flooding, you may be living in a floodplain, a new study suggests.
More than 113,000 more Indiana homes, businesses and other structures not included in federal floodplain maps may be vulnerable to floods, according to a recent study by nonprofit First Street Foundation. The problem is that some Federal Emergency Management Agency maps are old, and don’t include whole neighborhoods that could now be prone to flooding due to increased rainfall and urbanization.
To find out how First Street Foundation categorizes the flood risk of your home, check your address with FloodFactor.com.Here are some of the ZIP codes in Indiana where the report finds thousands more properties are likely at risk of flooding than current maps suggest.
Peru (46970)
About 11,000 people live in the small city of Peru, Indiana, just east of Logansport. The town, which is the seat for Miami County and was once the winter headquarters for many famous circuses, has been slowly declining in population after reaching a peak of about 14,000 in the1960s and 1970s.
And now, in this town’s central ZIP code, 33% of the total homes, businesses and other structures could be at risk of flooding — about 4,916 properties, according to the First Street Foundation.
This estimation is 590% higher than the number of properties FEMA maps suggest.Logansport (46947)
Logansport, also a county seat, is home to about 18,000 people. Designated a “Preserve America Community” by former First Lady Laura Bush, the city has been recognized for maintaining its historical heritage.
According to FEMA floodplain maps, there are 828 properties in a floodplain in the city’s downtown — but according to First Street Foundation, there are 4,990.
Taking climate change predictions into account, the foundation estimates this number may be closer to 5,050 in thirty years.Monticello (47960)
Just more than 5,000 people live in Monticello, a small city about 45 minutes north of Lafayette. Although small, the city draws tourism through nearby lakes and the Indiana Beach amusement park.
There may be as many as 5,144 properties in this ZIP code in the path of substantial flood risk, according to the foundation.
That’s more than twice as high as current FEMA maps display, and represents 34% of the properties in the ZIP code.Indianapolis (46205)
This is the Indianapolis ZIP code with the most properties at risk of flooding, according to the report. It encompasses the neighborhoods of Friends and Neighbors, Mapleton-Fall Creek, Watson-McCord and parts of Meridian-Kessler and Oakhill.
There may be 2,515 properties with a level of flood risk, about 1,337% more than the official state maps currently show.
The study deemed more than one-fifth of the properties in this ZIP code to be at risk. The most recent floodplain map for Marion County was completed in 2016, a spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said. Mishawaka (46544)
About 50,000 residents live in Mishawaka, home to riverfront park space and a historic district. The city lies southeast of South Bend and west of Elkhart, both cities that also have a large portion of properties in an uncharted floodplain, according to the study.
Of the more than 12,000 properties in Mishawaka, the foundation considers more than 2,000 to be at substantial risk. This number could increase by about 200 in the next 30 years, taking into account climate change predictions.
Current FEMA and Department of Natural Resources flood maps delineate just 46 properties in this ZIP code.Elkhart (46516)
Near Mishawaka and along the same river, Elkhart is home to more than 52,000 people. Sometimes referred to as the “RV capital of the world,” Elkhart and surrounding areas produce more than 80% of the world’s recreational vehicles.
ZIP code 46516 in Elkhart may have more than 2,500 properties at substantial risk of flooding, about 1,400 more than current floodplain maps suggest.
This number represents about 16% of the properties in that ZIP code.
East Chicago (46312)
About one-third of East Chicago’s 27,000 residents live in poverty, according to U.S. Census data. The shoreline city’s industry is centered on steel mills, including ArcelorMittals’ Indiana Harbor complex, the biggest in the nation.
In East Chicago, the First Street Foundation estimates there may be about 1,455 properties at risk of flooding, a number more than 1,400 higher than current floodplain maps outline.
As climate change exacerbates flooding in the next 30 years, there could be another 300 properties put at flood risk in the city, which lies on Lake Michigan.Dyer (46311)
Just south of East Chicago in the ZIP code that encompasses Dyer and parts of Kreitzburg, as many as 1,707 properties could lie in a flood zone, far more than the 309 in current floodplain maps.
That’s about 17% of the properties in this ZIP code.
Just under 16,000 people live in Dyer, and many of them are well off — the median income of the city was $84,000 in 2018. South Bend (46628)
This ZIP code encompasses the northwest corner of South Bend, along the Indiana-Michigan border and where the South Bend International Airport lies. The city of South Bend is home to 100,000 residents and lies on the St. Joseph River.
Although fewer properties than nearby Mishawaka, there still may be 1,452 properties at substantial risk of flooding, according to the foundation. Current floodplain maps signify only 100 such properties.
By 2050, the foundation estimates there may be closer to 1,518 properties at risk. Huntington (46750)
More than 10% of properties in this ZIP code in the northeast Indiana town of Huntington might be at risk of flooding.
Just 30 minutes southwest of Fort Wayne, Huntington is home to 17,000 people. The city sits on the Wabash River and near Salamonie Lake and the JE Roush Fish and Widlife Area.
The foundation’s data shows this could be 1,300 more than the 304 properties currently set aside in the state’s floodplain maps.
