In recognition of Pennsylvania’s Flood Safety Awareness Week starting on March 20th, Lewisburg Borough and SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) are raising awareness of the dangers of flooding and the resources available to help borough residents prepare.
Lewisburg Borough Manager William Lowthert said it is crucial to know what to do before, during, and after a flood.
“Lewisburg Borough is located in 3 watersheds, making flooding our top natural disaster concern in the Borough. Our residents and property owners can improve their resiliency by preparing in advance. Understanding your individual situation and what will happen to your property is important in order to prepare for the next flood event and recover afterwards. We encourage residents to be proactive,” Lowthert said.
In high-risk areas, there is a one-in-four chance of experiencing a flood over the life of a 30-year mortgage and residents should consider purchasing flood insurance.
Safety tips to prepare for flooding include making a plan, building a go kit of supplies, knowing the types of flood risk in the borough (both river and stream flooding), signing up for emergency alerts, practicing evacuation routes and shelter plans, buying flood insurance, keeping important documents in a waterproof container, and proactively protecting property. More information about flood safety and preparedness can be found at www.ready.gov/flood.
SEDA-COG will publicize more safety tips the week of March 20th on its social media channels.
The Borough contracts with SEDA-COG to provide professional and administrative services for the Community Rating System (CRS), which is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The CRS program for the Borough gives its residents a 10% flood insurance premium discount for all properties in and outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area.
The Borough also recently began the CodeRED Community Notification System. Residents, partners, and property owners of Lewisburg Borough can enroll in alerts by visiting the Borough website at www.lewisburgborough.org and clicking on the CodeRed logo, or by texting LewisburgPA (not case sensitive) to 99411.
Emergency notifications include weather warnings, curfew notices, flood evacuations. Non-emergency notifications include street closures, parking/towing reminders, Borough events, and holiday closures.
For more information about flood hazards, flood protection, or for a site inspection, residents may contact Lewisburg Borough at 570-523-3614 or office@lewisburgborough.org or SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program at 570-524-4491 ext. 7218.
Pennsylvania’s Flood Safety Awareness Week is held the fourth full week in March each year.
SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program offers services related to flood resiliency and mitigation assistance both within and outside of its 11-county region. Its goal is to help break the damage cycle and stop its drain on people and communities. For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/
Lewisburg Borough Recognizes Flood Safety Awareness Week
