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A floodplain map of the area where two Amish brothers built their homes in Wayne County.
(Indiana Floodplain Information Portal)A bill that could jeopardize flood insurance for Wayne County residents — and potentially other insured Hoosiers — passed the state Senate on Tuesday.
SB 342 would prohibit the state from making Wayne County residents move or put their home on stilts if it's in the floodway.
The county granted permits for two Amish brothers to build their homes in an area that later was found to be in a floodway on the state’s floodplain maps.
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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said, if the bill becomes law, it’s possible Indiana would not meet federal flood protection standards. That means FEMA could choose not to provide flood insurance to Wayne County residents — or maybe policy holders statewide.
Contact reporter Rebecca at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.
Indiana Environmental reporting is supported by the Environmental Resilience Institute, an Indiana University Grand Challenge project developing Indiana-specific projections and informed responses to problems of environmental change.
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