On this episode of The Chat, Chatham County Floodplain Administrator Dr. Angela Bliss joins Will to talk about flood insurance, FEMA floodplain designations, and the insurance advocacy program provided to unincorporated residents.

Areas of Chatham County that are located within low-lying coastal plains are susceptible to flooding from rivers and canals. Stormwater runoff is hampered by flat terrain, low elevations, and tidal influence. These are major natural factors, common to coastal regions, which cause the County as a whole to be at risk for flooding during long periods of moderate rainfall followed or during high-volume, short-duration rainfall events.

Chatham County’s Department of Engineering provides valuable resources to help residents understand their flood risk. Property owners can request free flood zone determination letters and elevation certificates to learn their Base Flood Elevation (BFE) and flood zone classification.

Requests can be emailed to floodletters@chathamcounty.org or faxed to 912-652-7818, and residents are encouraged to include their property mailing address and Parcel Identification Number (PIN).

Flood zone data and elevation certificates are also available online at Engineering.ChathamCounty.org.