CORINTH – Alcorn County property owners who plan to build will soon be required to obtain a permit that indicates whether or not the structure will be built in a flood zone.

The board of supervisors passed an ordinance on Monday which complies with federal requirements to obtain national flood insurance.

Most administrative and legal issues have been ironed out with approval of the county attorney and the representative from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, county engineer Ricky Newcomb said.

As the designated flood plain manager, Emergency Management Director Ricky Gibens will be the first point of contact for county residents to review the flood plain maps.

Gibens also will have people who plan to build complete a permit application that indicates whether or not their property lies in a flood zone.

Alcorn County will meet the Mississippi deadline of Sept. 17, by which time all counties must have their flood maps updated and ordinances and a permitting process in place. This effort is part of a federal flood map modernization initiative that began in the early 2000s.

Property owners who make improvements to remove their property from the flood zone designation, or who disagree that it belongs in the flood zone will be able to request a variance.

However, the composition of the variance review board and the procedure will be developed at a later time.

Contact Lena Mitchell at (662) 287-9822 or lena.mitchell@djournal.com.