MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — With the heavy flooding in Kannapolis, WCNC Charlotte wanted to take a look at Charlotte's floodplains and if some homes and commercial buildings are allowed to build in those areas.
Here you can find the map of Charlotte's flood zones. Almost 6% of land in Mecklenburg County is a regulated floodplain. WCNC Charlotte is taking a look at who is affected.
SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
According to the City of Charlotte, there are more than 20,000 acres of land designated as a regulatory floodplain. Almost 3,000 residents and commercial buildings are located in these regulated floodplains.
That's because Charlotte is a part of the National Flood Insurance Program. Communities must be part of this program to build on a floodplain.
"It's necessary to enact a flood plain ordinance that regulates construction," Goode said.
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Goode told WCNC Charlotte that if there is a new home or building going up on a floodplain, they must build two feet above the minimum estimated flood height.
"We have floodplain maps, it shows an area on a map, and that area is based on an estimated flood height," Goode said.
According to Goode, the city periodically remaps floodplains and continues to look at future increases in flood levels.
"Any new construction is based on the future projected flood height," Goode said.
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