October 30, 2007
Marana and Giffords rally to fight FEMA
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007
Marana Weekly News
A standing room only crowd of 300 packed Marana’s Town Council Chambers to hear from Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and town officials including Mayor Ed Honea.
MARANA – Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has taken up the cause of those Marana residents placed in the floodplain by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new flood mapping policy.
FEMA has set new flood boundaries and remapped a large part of Marana into a floodplain. Giffords says she will pursue all possible administrative or legislative solutions to the issue.
Over 300 people made up a standing room only crowd that packed into Marana Council Chambers last Friday afternoon to hear the latest in the dispute between the town and FEMA.
“We’re not asking for special exemptions,” Giffords told the crowd. “What we are asking for is sufficient time so that we can demonstrate what an actual flood risk we’re going to have before the final maps are actually put into stone.”
Giffords said that pending legislation could be used as a vehicle to specifically address the FEMA mapping issue nationally and locally. “I don’t think they fully understand the situation that we have,” Giffords said. “FEMA is responsible for emergency disasters. What we’re talking about is an economic disaster here in southern Arizona and the town of Marana unless we act on this.”
Giffords said she was surprised that other states and municipalities have not been more vocal because they have been affected as well. She also said she felt it unacceptable for homeowners to pay for flood insurance that they really don’t need and will fight to stop it. “I’m willing to give it everything I’ve got.”
“It seems to me that FEMA was arbitrary in their decision,” said Marana Mayor Ed Honea. ” Instead of coming out and doing the engineering, the hydrology and the research first, and then making a decision based on fact they just took a map and said, €˜oh this looks like a problem,’ and put us in a floodplain.”
“As I see it, FEMA’s unwillingness to work with us is simply unacceptable,” said Giffords. “If the draft flood maps were to become permanent the impact would certainly be severe. There would be unnecessary financial burden of mandatory flood insurance on home owners here, some of whom are on very limited, fixed incomes.”
The key sticking point is FEMA’s dismissal of the Central Arizona Project Canal, Union Pacific railroad tracks and Interstate-10 as flood blocking levees. FEMA’s new standards, which have been arrived at since Hurricane Katrina, insist that levees be built for that purpose and meet the agency’s specific specifications.
In the past, according to long time residents, these structures have played a key role in keeping flood waters away from central and northern Marana.
“I’ve lived here for 60 years and my family for 75 and I’ve seen major, major floods and there were some dangers from the Santa Cruz River which have been alleviated with the new 500 year flood bank protection,” according to Honea. “I have never seen any floods in Honea Heights or Rancho Marana or the Gladden Farms area, ever from the Tortillita Alluvial Fan.”
“We think that our structures can be taken into consideration,” Giffords added. “Other communities have the time to certify their levees and all we’re asking for is that our levee-like structures get the same consideration.”
“We’re not going to let this rest until we come up with an adequate solution,” said Giffords. “FEMA is required by law to consult with local municipalities throughout the flood mapping process. And what we need to continue to push for is that they don’t forget that.”
Giffords said she intends to work with the Arizona congressional delegation, including Senators John Kyle and John McCain, to reach a positive conclusion to the issue with FEMA. She said she plans to meet with the delegation and FEMA officials this week. “If we can’t get things done from an administrative standpoint, then we’ll take legislative action,” she added.
Click here to read the article in the Marana Weekly News
