Fort Smith Floodplain Changes Take Effect Friday

More than 200 residences and 14 commercial buildings will be officially outside the floodplain as of Friday, the city’s engineering director announced on Tuesday.

A few others, however, may now be subject to floodplain restrictions when they weren’t previously. Federal bank regulations require flood insurance on floodplain properties pledged as security for loans held by FDIC-insured institutions.

"Our recommendation is that property owners in these locations contact their mortgage holder, take a look at the online maps, or give us a call in the Engineering Department at (479) 784-2225," Stan Snodgrass, director of engineering for the city, said in a news release. "It will also be important to coordinate the information with mortgage lenders and insurance agents. We’ll do our best to help our citizens understand how their property may be affected by the remapping."

FEMA reevaluated about 12 stream miles of floodplain at the request of Fort Smith’s engineering department and delivered a revised map that was approved by the City Council in December with an effective date of March 2.

The map revisions, available on FEMA website, will affect the following FEMA regulatory floodplains:

• Mill Creek from Highway 271 to Cavanaugh Road; base flood elevations lowered, benefitting 179 residences and five commercial structures.
• Massard Creek from Rogers Avenue to south of Zero; base flood elevations lowered, benefitting 17 houses and one commercial structure.
• Spivey Creek from Massard Creek to Geren Road; floodplain zone was redefined, benefitting one commercial structure and impacting five more commercial structures.
• No Name Creek – from west of 66th Street to south of Gordon Lane; base flood elevations remapped, impacting 10 apartment structures and three self-storage rental structures. South of Free Ferry Road, the base elevations were lowered, benefitting two residences and three commercial structures.
• No Name Creek tributary from No Name Creek to west of South 46th Street; base flood elevations lowered, benefitting 13 residences, four apartment structures and four commercial structures. The floodplain was extended to the west, impacting one house.