Luther and Nancy Mills, who live on Magnolia Circle in Corinth, came away from the preview of new Alcorn County flood plain maps with a sense of relief.

Their home near Phillips Creek had not been designated as being in the flood zone.

The lone Tippah County resident who attended Wednesday’s open house in Ripley got even better news, said county flood plain manager Robert Jackson.

Her home, which had been listed in a flood plain previously, is no longer within a flood plain boundary.

“Basically, what that means for her is that if her mortgage lender required her to have flood insurance, they may drop the requirement,” Jackson said. “Even if she still has to buy flood insurance, this means the premium will be lower.”

Residents in Alcorn and Tippah counties got a look at new flood plain maps this week to ask questions and lodge objections if they disagree with the maps’ accuracy.

The newly revised maps replace ones that have been in place since the 1970s. During the next six months these preliminary maps will be available for review as the last step before the counties adopt them as Flood Insurance Rating Maps.

The maps are used to determine what areas throughout the state are more prone to flooding, and to determine risk for the National Flood Insurance Program, which is administered by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

Though compliance with flood plain management is voluntary for each community, only homeowners who live in communities that participate may obtain federal flood insurance.

By September 2010, Mississippi expects to have flood plain maps finalized for all 82 counties, completing a project that has been under way since 2003.

The Mills of Corinth asked if there was anything the city could do about upstream Phillips Creek, where they said lots of limbs and debris, as well as some beaver activity, is clogging the flow.

Unfortunately, said Community Planning and Development Director Dave Huwe, the city doesn’t have authority to address the issue because the problem is on private property.

“We were glad to see no change in our status,” Luther Mills said. “We’ve lived in our home for 41 years and never been flooded but with the creek so close there is always a concern.”