Rebuilding in a floodplain after a “historic flood event” would become easier under a proposal moving through the North Carolina Legislature.
Supporters of S.B. 266, which advanced through a state Senate committee Wednesday on a voice vote, framed the bill as part of a bid to drive changes to federal flood insurance rules. The bill would allow the reconstruction of structures damaged in a 200-year flood to their original size or smaller — regardless of any state or local regulations passed since their original construction.
The proposal takes aim at a central tenet of federal flood insurance — a voluntary program that requires communities to meet or exceed federal floodplain development standards, including requirements that new or reconstructed homes sit above base flood elevations.
Base flood elevation is the expected water level of a flood estimated to have a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year, also known as a 100-year flood.
