DENTON, Texas ––In mid-February, new flood maps for Aransas County will become effective and be used for rating flood insurance policies. Local, state and federal officials encourage residents to view the maps before Wednesday, February 17, 2016, in order to understand their flood risk and then consider buying flood insurance.
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Most property insurance policies do not cover the effects of flooding. People without flood insurance, whether through a private policy or through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), risk uninsured losses to their homes, personal property and businesses. The NFIP is a voluntary protection program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
Flooding is the most frequent natural disaster in the U.S. and only flood insurance covers these unexpected, damaging and sometimes fatal events. “We all need to prepare for the hazards and risks in our communities. The first step in taking the appropriate actions to prepare for flooding is to know your risk,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson.

Contact your local floodplain administrator to learn if your community participates in the NFIP and to review the new flood maps. FEMA map specialists and flood insurance experts also are available to answer your questions. They can be reached by phone and online chat.
•    To view a Preliminary Interactive Flood Map: http://maps.riskmap6.com/TX/Aransas/
•    To use the live chat service, visit http://go.usa.gov/r6C.  Click on the “Live Chat” icon.
•    To contact a FEMA Map Specialist, call 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627) or send an email to[email protected].
•    NFIP Helpline – 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), press “2” for Flood Insurance questions
FEMA encourages communities not currently participating in the NFIP to look at the benefits of joining the program. The purchase of insurance should be considered for those newly mapped into a Special Flood Hazard Area before the maps become effective. Contacting a local insurance agent is the first step to obtaining information about insurance. Visitwww.floodsmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531 to locate an agent in your area.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.   Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.