Flood meeting set for Jan. 2 in Valley Stream

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will host a meeting in Valley Stream in early January about proposed new flood maps for the community. Representatives from the agency will present the changes and will also take questions from the public.

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Village Hall courtroom, 123 S. Central Ave. This is a change from the original date.

FEMA, as required by Congress, must redraw Nassau County flood's using relevant, local data. Data from the recently completed coastal analysis of New York City, which included as study of Jamaica Bay, was also used. According to FEMA officials, the revised maps are expected to show the flood hazard as "decreasing slightly" in the area.

In 2009, new flood maps went into effect that put much of Valley Stream, including Gibson and Mill Brook, into the high-risk flood zone. Residents with federally-backed mortgages were forced to purchase flood insurance with four-figure annual premiums.

FEMA officials say that revised maps would likely go into effect next summer.