Residents Should Obtain Required Permits Before Rebuilding
Hurricane Michael survivors in Florida should contact their local building officials to obtain permits before they consider new construction or repairs on disaster damaged property. Construction and repair should begin only after owners have obtained permits.
Obtaining building permits is an important step for those with homes or businesses located within a 100-year floodplain—land that is predicted to flood during a 100-year storm and has a one-percent chance of occurring in any given year.
Permits protect owners, residents, communities and their buildings by making sure construction meets current building codes, standards, flood ordinances and construction techniques. Permits also provide a permanent record of compliance with elevation, and/or retrofitting requirements, which is useful information when selling a home and necessary for obtaining a flood insurance rating.
Local floodplain managers can provide information about a property’s floodplain and flooding risk.
Local permit offices can provide suggestions or literature on how to better protect one’s home or business from future disaster-related damage, as well as information on selecting licensed contractors and protection against unscrupulous contractors.
Additional information on the National Flood Insurance Program can be found at fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program. To learn more about flood maps, visit floodsmart.gov.
For more information regarding Hurricane Michael and Florida’s recovery, visit the Florida Division of Emergency Management at www.FloridaDisaster.org, on Twitter at @FLSERT or on Facebook at FloridaSERT.
Updated: Monday, November 19, 2018
