February 13, 2023 |
A former Saratoga Town Council member has a new mission. Jon Nelson is taking on Washington and their new flood maps.
“FEMA appears to have used subjective data in its latest flood maps,” Nelson told the new Saratoga Town Council last week. Nelson is out to prove where the Federal Emergency Management Administration went wrong at the unnecessary expense of homeowners here.
The North Platte River through the center of town has caused some minor flooding in past years. Homes along the river or on low-lying properties are the most at risk during highwater runoff in the spring. FEMA has created a new map showing which areas of the town are supposedly vulnerable to flooding. At last week’s council meeting, Nelson appeared as a concerned citizen. He said the new FEMA maps do not appear correct.
Occasionally, FEMA will update its disaster maps using computer modeling. Nelson said, for nearly eight years the government agency has worked to update its outdated flood maps.
Nelson said FEMA assembled information on the North Platte River collected over the last decade or more. He said when FEMA first presented the flood maps to the public, something about them didn’t seem right.
Nelson said he’s contacted FEMA officials about the inaccuracies. He and Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator Lenny Layman asked the government to have representatives from FEMA visit Saratoga to discuss how far off their data is.
Nelson is a civil engineer. He owns and operates a consulting firm. The former councilman said he has some field experience but is not a trained hydrologist. He said he understands, however, how the model was created.
Nelson also says FEMA’s own historical data sets contradict the dire predictions contained in their flood maps.
FEMA adding more homes into the flood zone will cost residents more money. Properties designated as flood risk by the federal government must purchase coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program. Nelson said forcing homeowners under the federal insurance umbrella may be a way to fund a bankrupt system.
In 2011, Saratoga experienced significant flooding. The Army National Guard was deployed to fight the rising waters using sandbags. Nelson said FEMA provided him with the data it used to create their flood models. He said the new FEMA models indicate that more of the town would at risk of high water from less flooding than what occurred over a decade ago. The news forecast maps contradict the actual data from 2011.
In other words, Saratoga saw more water in 2011 but experienced less flooding than what FEMA forecasts with less water in the flood modeling used in its new maps.
Nelson said FEMA’s conclusions about future floods are not supported by the actual numbers. He said the discrepancy amounts to a smoking gun.
How did FEMA come up with the number it’s using in the newest flood maps? Nelsons said some of the data is based on speculation.
After showing FEMA representatives the inconsistencies in their data, Nelson said he was ignored. Armed with what he says is irrefutable proof, Nelson said the town must decide how to move forward.
Nelson said it could cost the town up to $200,000 to build their own flood model and wage a legal battle with the federal government. He suggested the council move the dispute up the chain of command instead.
Local resident Randy Raymer expressed skepticism about going up against FEMA. Raymer is the chairman of the Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District. Based on what he said was experience of battling the government in the past, Raymer said the town is unlikely to get what it wants.
The council appeared to agree with Raymer’s point and decided that sending a letter to the Board of County Commissioners is the best way to proceed with any challenge. Nelson said the town shouldn’t be forced to pay out-of-pocket for what is an obvious mistake.
Councilwoman Kathy Beck said she would ask other municipalities about inaccuracies in their FEMA maps. The hope is that having additional towns involved would create more momentum in the dispute process.
