The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly takes up a big rewrite of the local floodplain maps on Thursday. The new maps would move about 2,800 homes out of designated flood zones, while about 538 structures, including most of Moose Creek, would be added. The borough spent 11 years on the update with FEMA and used lidar mapping to get a much sharper look at the Tanana, Chena and other rivers. Read the full story in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Our take: this is one of those dry government stories that could quietly put real money back in people's pockets. If you live around Chena Small Tracts, Dale Road or the Badger Road area, it's worth pulling up the map, because homes coming off the flood map won't need flood insurance just to get a mortgage. The borough's planning director figures residents could save around $24 million over several years. Moose Creek folks land on the other side of the line, so if that's you, this is a good week to call your insurance agent and ask what changes. And since rivers move and the maps get redone every few years, nobody should toss the sandbags just yet.
Whichever side of the line your place lands on, Good Hand Co. can line up a Fairbanks handyman for the small fixes around the house, or junk removal to clear out the garage or crawlspace before winter really sets in. And if the new map has you thinking about selling, The Alaska Cleaning Company can get the place looking its best for showings.
Photo: the Chena River running high in downtown Fairbanks after heavy rain in July 2016. By RadioKAOS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.