Officials Estimate It Will Cost $15 Million to Update Iowa Flood Maps

Iowa officials estimate it will cost $15 million to bring the state up to speed on flood plain maps.

Only 50 of Iowa’s 99 counties have complete maps that meet federal standards.

The outdated or incomplete maps are problems because large parts of the state face unknown risks and don’t qualify for federal flood insurance.

Some families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by this year’s flood say they couldn’t buy flood insurance because they didn’t live in communities or counties covered by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Lori McDaniel of the Iowa Department of Resources told a flood task force on Wednesday that the cost to upgrade maps would be $150,000 per county, for a total of nearly $15 million. She says it’s too early to determine if updated maps could have prevented flood damage.