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WB council OKs action plan; union grieves furloughs

West Pittston property owners will start receiving a reduction in their flood insurance premiums this month due to the implementation of various floodplain management measures encouraged by the National Flood Insurance Program, officials announced Thursday.
				Premiums will be discounted 15% for property owners in the special flood hazard area, or Zone A, while the reduction will be 5% for standard-rated policies in flood map Zone X, it said. Collectively, borough flood insurance policy holders will save more than $26,000 annually.
				The savings come through the borough&rsquo;s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program&rsquo;s voluntary incentive program known as the Community Rating System.
				&ldquo;West Pittston&rsquo;s leadership, hard work, and accomplishments in floodplain management are to be celebrated because of the additional protection the borough&rsquo;s actions provide to its citizens and properties,&rdquo; said Nicole Lick, regional mitigation deputy division director at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the National Flood Insurance Program.
				In addition to yielding savings for insurance holders, communities in the program take steps to minimize flood risk and &ldquo;build community resilience,&rdquo; Lick said. Municipal participants must meet three goals: reduce flood losses, facilitate accurate insurance rating and promote awareness of flood insurance.
				Borough Council President Ellen Quinn thanked the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority for its guidance and expertise on completing multiple projects that enhance public safety and make the borough more &ldquo;disaster resistent,&rdquo; the release said. She also acknowledged the support of West Pittston Tomorrow, a nonprofit helping with a public involvement component of the program.
				The borough experienced the worst Susquehanna River flooding in its history in 2011 due to Tropical Storm Lee, with more than one-third of the municipality impacted. More than 900 structures were flooded, causing nearly $1 million in damages.
				Early in the 2011 flood recovery phase, FEMA had identified serious deficiencies in the borough&rsquo;s implementation of National Flood Insurance Program requirements and placed the municipality on probation, the release said.
				Borough officials worked with the federal agency to develop a long-term recovery plan that led to the creation of West Pittston Tomorrow. The subsequent demolition of 26 flood-damaged properties, a new flood warning system and other measures helped return the borough to a positive standing in the flood insurance program, the release said.
				For example, the borough partnered with the county Flood Protection Authority to install a river staff gauge on a pier of the Fort Jenkins Bridge that will be used by borough emergency responders to measure the river rise during flood events, according to the release and authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman.
				Authority mitigation specialist Laura Holbrook was &ldquo;instrumental&rdquo; in obtaining the borough flood insurance reduction, Belleman said, noting the river gauge and Holbrook&rsquo;s assistance were covered by mitigation funding set up during the Wyoming Valley Levee-raising to help communities not protected by that flood control system.

West Pittston obtains discounts for flood insurance holders