City of Naples holds new FEMA maps open house

We all remember the damage left behind by Hurricane Ian.

“You want to make sure that you’re safe from any flood risk, know what your risks are, and protect yourself from that,” said Steve Beckman with the City of Naples.

The open houses provided people with more information about the updated flood maps and answered any questions or concerns they may have had.

“The maps were updated in 2019, they were called the preliminary maps then, and they went into effect on february 8 of 2024,” added Beckman.

He said FEMA was here to help answer questions about the zones and potential flooding.

“We’ve got other handouts here to go over flood risks and things you can do to protect yourself,” he added.

WINK News met people on their way out who found the open house helpful.

“The last hurricane, the water came up to the door, but it did not come in,” said Pat McCabe.

She lives in Collier County but still made her way over to Naples to learn more.

“I’m concerned that the next hurricane will come in, and consequently, I want to get as much information as I can to protect the house in the future,” she said.

Robert Burns has lived in Naples for 11 years.

“We lost all the cars, but we did not have water on our first floor because our original building plans, which were constructed in 1978, raised the building 10 feet above mean sea level, and that was enough to protect our first floor,” Burns said.

They both agree it’s important to know your area’s risk of flooding.

“We have to get the word out that you need flood insurance to be able to cover yourself in the event of a flood, or hurricane, surge,” he said.

For more information on flood zone maps, click here.