Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I am writing to express my concern that, in less than two weeks, the Mathews County Board of Supervisors will likely vote to adopt a new flood ordinance which will contain voluntarily imposed mandates that could have disastrous consequences to many, some of whom are among our most needy residents.

We need to amend our ordinance to incorporate FEMA’s new Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM), so that homeowners will be able to purchase flood insurance. However, we do not need to race forward with a complex and radically different plan before our citizens have had an opportunity to consider it and be fully informed as to its potential impact.

Particularly when it embraces two additional provisions that could likely result in greater difficulties in purchasing homeowner’s insurance and bankrupt the owners of existing houses, under certain conditions.

I embrace the concept of incorporating additional elevation and mitigation str...