West Aurora residents get floodplain reprieve
BY ERIKA WURST ewurst@stmedianetwork.com December 24, 2012 12:32PM
Updated: January 27, 2013 6:21AM
AURORA — More than 50 West Aurora households can expect to save roughly $1,000 in flood insurance soon, thanks to the completion of a city stormwater project.
In 2009, the Federal Emergency Management Agency determined that 56 homes in the Greenfield Villages subdivision were in the regulatory floodplain, and that homeowners were required to carry flood insurance if their mortgages were backed by FDIC. Policies can cost more than $1,000.
City officials said they developed a plan with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to lower the floodplain. This was done by replacing a drainage culvert across Illinois Avenue, just east of Fire Station No. 10, officials said. The city received a $214,000 State-Local Hazard Mitigation Grant through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and petitioned FEMA to re-evaluate the floodplain designation.
Earlier this month, FEMA pulled 55 properties out of the regulatory floodplain.
“By working with the Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Aurora’s Greenfield residents will save a significant amount of money and have peace of mind knowing they are much less likely to experience flooding in the future,” Mayor Tom Weisner said.
The Greenfield Villages neighborhood is in the area of Orchard Road and Indian Trail. Impacted residents will be notified, and provided with the FEMA documentation to pass on to their insurance company. City officials said residents may be able to receive a rebate from their insurance company and qualify for a preferred risk policy with rates under $150 a year.
