Southtowns Record

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DRAFT

Government
Town of Aurora
Board
Town Board
Meeting
Feb 4, 2026
Kind
Other
Topics
Zoning and land use, Water, sewer and drainage, Parks and recreation, Budget and taxes, Roads and traffic, Housing, Energy and data center siting, Public safety

Original document

Same meeting

Text · page 114 of 154

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requirements, maintaining rigorous enforcement, promoting open space, encouraging responsible
  building practices, promoting the purchase of flood insurance, and others. However, the ECMHMP
  states that the Town does not have any certified floodplain managers on staff. The Town also does not
  have “adequate resources to determine future damage due to climate change and would need
  occasional training in basic floodplain management.” The Code Enforcement office does provide permit
  review as part of NFIP administration services.

  While the Town is a participating community in the NFIP, they do not participate in the Community
  Rating System (CRS) program. The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program
  that encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements
  of the NFIP. In communities that participate in CRS, NFIP insurance rates are discounted to varying
  degrees depending on the amount of “credit points” earned by the community. Credit points can be
  earned by a series of actions, including map information services, hazard disclosures, publicly sharing
  flood protection information, providing flood protection assistance, stormwater management,
  floodplain management planning, building dams and levees, and many more.

  According to the ECMHMP, the town does not have any barriers to running an effective NFIP program
  and does not have any NFIP compliance violations. The town’s most recent Community Assistance Visit
  was March 18, 2008, had a CAC (Community Assistance Contact) visit on May 4, 2005, and is due for
  another visit soon. The local law number for the local flood damage prevention ordinance is Chapter 68
  of the Town Code and was last amended on April 8, 2019. Finally, the town does not exceed the
  floodplain requirements set by FEMA and does not have any other plans or ordinances that support the
  NFIP program.

  The Town of Aurora does not maintain a list of properties which have been damaged in floods, nor does
  it maintain a list of property owners interested in flood mitigation. The Town has also not had any
  substantial damage determinations and has not mitigated any properties. According to the Town of
  Aurora, as described in the ECMHMP, Town officials consider the existing flood maps (created by FEMA)
  adequate to address the risk of the flood in the town.

iv.  History of Flood Events
  According to NOAA, the National Climatic Data Center, Erie County experienced 104 flood events
  between 1950 and 2020, including 10 lakeshore floods, 40 floods, and 54 flash floods. For Erie County
  (not specifically for the Town of Aurora), the estimate probability of experiencing a flash flood in any
  given year is 76%; for a non-flash flood, the probability is 56%. These probabilities will likely increase as
  the effects of climate change compound. Likewise, the direct and indirect impacts of floods are likely
  to increase, the latter of which include hazards such as infrastructure deterioration or failure; utility
  failures, power outages, water quality and supply concerns; and transportation delays, accidents, and
  inconveniences.

v.  Flood Risk Zones
  Flood zones are defined by FEMA using three different categories: A, V, and X, which are indicated on
  flood insurance rate map (FIRM) panels, the official flood zones maps issued by FEMA. Zones A and V
  indicate high-risk (within the 100-year floodplain). The difference between Zones A and V is that Zone
  V areas are coastal, potentially with high waves, and are at high risk of other extreme events, such as
  hurricanes. Zone A indicates low-lying land that is near lakes, ponds, and rivers, potentially with low
  waves. Shaded Zone X indicates low risk (within the 500-year floodplain; 0.2% to 0.99% chance), while
  unshaded Zone X indicates very low risk (less than 0.2% chance).

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