Flood Data for Gloucester County

Gloucester County is a coastal county along the bottom east section of the York River. Being a coastal county it is knowns to have flooding risk due to hurricanes, sea level rising, heavy rain, dam failure, as well as water main failure. Gloucester County has a Floodplain Management Committee dedicated to evaluating the county's Floodplain Management Plan and looks for ways to strengthen the flood management program and to lessen the damage caused by coastal flooding. Current recommendations in their Floodplain Management Plan include:

  • heightened construction standards in the Coastal A zone. Both actions will help lower flood insurance premiums for policy holders
  • monitor State Route 649, Maryus Road and if washouts from flooding persist, recommend that VDOT improve the road to withstand coastal floodwaters by elevating damaged sections and installing more appropriate roadway drainage crossings 
  • Continue to send annual mass mailings with specialized information relating to property protection, flood safety and flood insurance to owners of property in flood zones
  • Evaluate the potential impact of sea level rise on the community, particularly with respect to its wetlands, and consider potential management options
  • Continue to enforce the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Ordinance, the Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance, the Wetlands Zoning Ordinance, the Coastal Primary Sand Dune Zoning Ordinance, and the Storm Water Ordinance
With that list only including a few of their recommendations I think their plans are a great way to assist with flooding damage. I would like to see more flooding prevention such as adding more living shorelines to prevent erosion and more green infrastructure to reducing flooding. This may be within some of Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance but I did not see it specifically outlined in the floodplain management plan.

Flood Risk Map:https://map1.msc.fema.gov/data/FRP/FRM_51073C_Coastal_20151030.pdf?LOC=59b8553f98b4f51ae981e4aa692959af



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