Berrien County Residents Invited to Attend Flood Map Open House

CHICAGO - FEMA, the state of Michigan and Berrien County community officials invite residents to join the Open House in Benton Harbor on Thursday, November 14. At this event, FEMA will answer questions from residents about flood risk and flood insurance after the release of preliminary flood maps.

Homeowners, renters, and business owners in Berrien County are encouraged to attend and meet with experts one-on-one to view their own addresses on the new maps. They'll learn about the mapping process, their specific flood risk and ways to help prevent flood loss. Residents can view preliminary versions of the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report and the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) here.

WHAT: Berrien County-Flood Map Open House

WHEN: Thursday, November 14, 2024, from 4-6 PM ET

WHERE: Benton Harbor Public Library, 213 E. Wall St. Benton Harbor, MI 49022

The updated maps for Berrien County will highlight several streams and flooding sources, including McCoy Creek, Paw Paw River, St. Joseph River, Hickory Creek, Granger Drain, Goodrow Drain, both branches of Glenlord Road Drain, Parker/Richardson Drain, West Tributary St. Joseph River, and Yellow Creek. These updates span 34 Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panels and cover 29 communities, including 7 charter townships, 11 townships, 6 cities, and 5 villages.

Once in effect, the maps will inform flood insurance rates and local floodplain management rules adopted under the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA urges public officials to use the maps to help plan and prepare communities to quickly respond to and recover from future extreme weather events.

For Open House questions, reach out to [email protected]. For media questions, reach out to the FEMA Region 5 News Desk at [email protected].