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Floodplain Management Public Information
The Town of Greeneville Floodplain Ordinance & Floodplain Development Permit Application can be located under Forms & Downloads.
In the face of mounting flood losses and escalating costs of disaster relief to U.S. taxpayers, Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 1968. The goals of the program are to reduce future flood damage through floodplain management and to provide people with flood insurance. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates the NFIP for communities to establish floodplain areas and qualify for reduced flood insurance rates.
Community participation in the NFIP is voluntary although some states require NFIP partnership as part of their floodplain management programs. The Town of Greeneville participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
There are nearly 400 communities in Tennessee that participate in the NFIP. FEMA guidelines strictly regulate any form of construction or development within a regulatory floodplain. A developer must demonstrate that there are no impacts to the flood water surface elevations using FEMA application forms and analysis requirements as shown on the FEMA website. For this reason, it is very difficult and costly to develop within or near a floodplain. In addition to FEMA requirements, any proposed work within a stream typically requires permits from TDEC and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers.
Flood Zones are land areas identified by FEMA. Each flood zone describes that land area in terms of its risk of flooding. Everyone lives in a flood zone. It's just a question of whether you live in a low, moderate, or high risk area.
Land areas that are at high risk for flooding are called Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), or floodplain. These areas are indicated on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS). A home located within an SFHA has a 26% chance of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30-year mortgage. In high risk areas determined by FEMA and communities participating in the NFIP, mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply to all A Zones. For more information on Floodplain Management, please contact Planning Director Randy Davenport at (423) 787-6199 or Building Official Bert Seay at (423) 787-6182.