NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
MAY 13, 14, 15 AND 16, 2008
ABOUT
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS (FIRM)
PREPARED BY THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY,
FEMA, BASED ON NEW FLOOD INSURANCE STUDIES, FIS,
FOR PUERTO RICO
For public knowledge and according to the dispositions of the Article 27 of Act Number 75, of
June 24, 1975, as amended, known as the “Puerto Rico Planning Board Organic Act”; Article 3
of Act Number 3, of September 27, 1961, as amended, known as “Floodable Zone Building
Control Act”; Section 2.3 of Act Number 170 of August 12, 1988, as amended, known as the
“Uniform Administrative Procedures Act”, and Section 4.04 of “Special Flood Hazard Areas
Regulation”, Planning Regulation Number 13, effective since December 31, 2005, the Puerto
Rico Planning Board notifies that will hold public hearings to discuss the proposed amendments
as follows:
Date/Time/Place
Affected Municipalities
May 13, 2008 - 9:00 a.m.
1. San Juan: Nelson E. Soto Assembly Room,
14th. Floor, North Building, Roberto
Sánchez Vilella Government Center,
Avenue, Int. Baldorioty de Castro
Avenue, Santurce.
Bayamón, Canóvanas, Carolina,
Cataño, Dorado, Guaynabo,
Loíza, Río Grande, San Juan, De Diego
Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Vega
Alta, and Vega Baja
Date/Time/Place
May 14, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.
1. Caguas: Fame Pavillion
(Pabellón de la Fama) of the
Sports Complex (Highway PR-156)
Aguas Buenas, Caguas, Gurabo,
Juncos, San Lorenzo
2. Ponce: Municipal Legislature Assembly Room, Arroyo, Guayama, Guayanilla,
El Cometa Building, Marina Street Int.
Juana Díaz, Peñuelas, Ponce,
Comercio Street, in front of Popular Bank
Salinas, Santa Isabel, Villalba,
Yauco.
Date/Time/Place
May 15, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.
1. Mayagüez: Municipal Legislature
Assembly Room, Mayagüez City Hall
Aguada, Aguadilla, Añasco, Cabo
Rojo, Guánica, Hormigueros,
Isabela, Lajas, Mayagüez, Moca,
Rincón, Sabana Grande, San
Germán, San Sebastián
Page 2
Notice
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS
Date/Time/Place
May 16, 2008 - 10:00 a.m.
1. Arecibo: Public Hearing Assembly Room,
ARPE Regional Office
Quebradillas
Arecibo, Barceloneta, Camuy,
Ciales, Hatillo, Manatí,
2. Humacao: Activities Room, 5th. Floor
Humacao City Hall
Ceiba, Culebra, Fajardo, Humacao
Las Piedras, Luquillo, Maunabo,
Naguabo, Patillas, Río Grande,
Vieques, Yabucoa
Proposed Agenda
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, through the Map Modernization Management
Program has finalized the works about the revision of several Flood Insurance Studies, FIS, for Puerto
Rico, where preliminary maps has been prepared identifying new base flood elevations, new flood
hazard area limits and new floodway limits on the revised rivers and creeks; including new
information about the high hazard coastal areas studied by new coastal studies. The flood hazard
areas, known as the Special Flood Hazard Areas, are established for the flood that has one percent
(1%) chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (100 year storm).
Coastal Area
Amendments are proposed to the base flood elevations and the velocity zones, VE, along, the coastline
of Puerto Rico. These amendments mean the increasing or decreasing the base flood elevations or the
widening or reduction of the VE zones (100 year storm) on the coastal municipalities.
Rivers and Creeks
New base flood elevations, new flood hazard areas and floodway limits are proposed on the following
rivers and creeks:
1. Río Grande de Loíza – from the river mouth to approximately 46.5 kilometers upstream, up to
the Municipality of San Lorenzo.
2. Río Gurabo – from the confluence with Río Grande de Loíza to approximately 27.0 kilometers
upstream.
3. Río Bairoa – from the confluence with Río Grande de Loíza to approximately 8.8 kilometers
upstream.
4. Río Cagüitas – from the confluence with Río Grande de Loíza to approximately 8.8 kilometers
upstream.
5. Río Turabo – from the confluence with Río Grande Loíza to approximately 9.5 kilometers
upstream.
6. Río Valenciano – from the confluence with Río Canovanillas to approximately 3.5 kilometers
upstream.
7. Quebrada Cambute – from the confluence with Río Canovanillas to approximately 1.3
kilometers upstream.
8. Río Guayanés (Yabucoa) – from the river mouth to approximately 14.0 kilometers upstream.
9. Río Limones – from the confluence with Río Guayanés to approximately 5.0 kilometers
upstream.
10. Río Sabana – from the river mouth to approximately 4.6 kilometers upstream.
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Notice
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS
11. Río Humacao – from the river mouth to approximately 10.7 kilometers upstream.
12. Quebrada Mariana – from the confluence with Río Humacao to approximately 3.7 kilometers
upstream.
13. Tributary to Quebrada Mariana – from the confluence with Quebrada Mariana to
approximately 1.8 kilometers upstream.
14. Quebrada Mabú – from the confluence with Río Humacao to approximately 3.8 kilometers
upstream.
15. Río Fajardo – from the river mouth to approximately 12.0 kilometers upstream.
16. Río Guanajibo – from the river mouth to approximately 31.4 kilometers upstream.
17. Quebrada Honda (San Germán) – from the confluence with Río Guanajibo to approximately
1.7 kilometers upstream.
18. Río Grande de Añasco – from the river mouth to approximately 16.2 kilometers upstream.
19. Río Culebrinas – from the river mouth to approximately 16.4 kilometers upstream.
20. Tributary to Río Culebrinas – from the confluence with Río Culebrinas to approximately 0.5
kilometers upstream.
21. Río Guatemala – from the confluence with the Culebrinas to approximately 3.6 kilometers
upstream.
22. Ríos Matilde, Pastillo y Canas – from the river mouth of Río Matilde, including the Pastillo
and Canas rivers, to approximately 12.3 kilometers upstream.
23. Río Jacaguas (Villalba) – from the east of Félix Hernández Mora street to approximately 5.5
kilometers upstream.
24. Río Jacaguas (Juana Díaz) – from the river mouth to approximately 21.7 kilometers upstream.
25. Río Inabón – from the river mouth to approximately 6.6 kilometers upstream of the confluence
with Río Guayo.
26. Quebrada Honda (Vega Alta) – from the confluence with Río Cibuco to approximately 5.5
kilometers upstream.
27. Río Grande de Manatí – from the river mouth to approximately the Pueblo Ward at the
Municipality of Ciales.
28. Quebrada La Mina (Vieques) – form the creek mouth to approximately 1.0 kilometers
upstream of the Road PR-201.
29. Río Coamo – revision of the base flood elevations, the flood hazards areas and floodway limits,
from the river mouth to approximately 3.3 kilometers upstream, as per determined in the Letter
of Map Revision, Case No. 07-02-0993P, dated October 31, 2007.
30. Río Guayo – from the confluence with Río Inabón to approximately 8.2 kilometers upstream.
Case Explanation
The proposed amendments will be presented by the Puerto Rico Planning Board.
Page 4
Notice
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS
Documents Available for Inspection
The proposed amendments to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps will be available for inspections from
April 23, 2008 at the Land Uses Plans Subprogram of the Planning Board located on the 13 th. Floor,
Office 1304, North Building, Roberto Sánchez Vilella Government Center, De Diego Avenue, Int.
Baldorioty de Castro Avenue, Santurce.
Copies of the above mentioned maps will be also available through the municipalities, as per
corresponding, at the Regional Offices of the Permits and Regulations Administration (ARPE) located
at the municipalities of Arecibo, Aguadilla, Mayagüez, Ponce, Humacao, Guayama, Bayamón and the
Express Center of Steps (Centro Expreso de Trámites) in San Juan. On these offices, the maps for each
municipality will be available as per corresponding on each regional office. The maps can be also
examined through the websites, www.avipr.com or www.jp.gobierno.pr.
Invitation to the General Public
We hereby invite the government organizations, private entities and citizens in general to
participate in these hearings and submit their comments and recommendations related and
pertinent to the proposed amendments to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
We advise the interested parties that they can appear to the hearings assisted by a legal counsel,
but they are not bind to do so, including corporations and partnerships.
Section 2.2 of Act Number 170 of August 18, 1988, supra, allows you to submit comments
related to the aforementioned maps thirty (30) days of the publication of this notice to: Junta de
Planificación de Puerto Rico, PO Box 41119, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00940-1119. Also, you may
send comments through the following email: www.comentariosjp@jp.gobierno.pr The Planning
Board will acknowledge the receipt of comments within two working days from received.
MYRNA MARTÍNEZ HERNÁNDEZ
ACTING SECRETARY
Approved by the State Election Commission
CEE-C-08-099