18.120.010 Purpose.
A. The purpose of this chapter is to adopt the regulations of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to enable the residents of the Haines Borough to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. The Haines Borough recognizes that areas within its boundaries are periodically subject to inundation which may result in loss of life and property, health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection and relief and impairment of the tax bases, all of which adversely affects the public health, safety and general welfare.
Because portions of the Haines Borough have been designated as flood prone pursuant to Section 201 of the Federal Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, said portions of the borough being shown on the “City of Haines Flood Hazard Boundary Map” dated August 22, 1975, the borough is required to join the National Flood Insurance Program in order to make flood insurance and federal financial assistance available to the residents within the flood hazard areas. The community was converted to the Regular Program of the National Flood Insurance Program, effective May 1, 1987. This action converted the flood hazard boundary map (FHBM) to a flood insurance rate map (FIRM).
B. The further purpose of this chapter is to promote the public health, safety and general welfare, to minimize those losses described in subsection (A) of this section and to meet the requirements for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. To accomplish this purpose, it is the intent of this chapter to:
1. Amend the zoning permit system in the Haines Borough to specifically provide for permits within flood hazard areas; require permits for all proposed construction and other developments including the placement of manufactured homes, within zone A on the FHBM;
2. Require that land uses vulnerable to floods, including public facilities and utilities which serve such uses, shall be protected against flood damages at the time of initial construction or substantial improvement;
3. Restrict or prohibit land uses which are dangerous to health, safety or property in times of flood or cause excessive increases in flood heights or velocity;
4. Ensure that subdivision and development of land within the borough are consistent with the need to minimize flood hazards. (Ord. 04-08-075)