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494 FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION ORDINANCE ARTICLE 1. Statutory Authorization, Findings of Fact, and Objectives SECTION A. Statutory. Authorization The Legislature of the State of North Carolina has in Chapter 143, Article 21, part 6 delegated the responsibility to local governmental units to adopt regulation designated to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of its citizenry. Therefore, the Cabarrus County Commissioners of Cabarrus County, North Carolina does ordain as follows: SECTION B. Findings of Fact (1) The flood hazard areas of Cabarrus County are subject to periodic inundation which results in loss of life, property, health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection and relief, and impairment of the tax base, all of which adversely affect the public health, safety and general welfare. (2) These flood losses are caused by the cumulative effects of obstructions in flood plains causing increases in flood heights and velocities, and by the occupancy in flood hazard areas by uses vulnerable to floods or otherwise protected from flood damages. SECTION C. Statement of Purpose It is the purpose of this ordinance to promote the public health, safety and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to: (1) restrict or prohibit uses which are dangerous to health, safety and property due to water or erosion in flood heights or velocities; (2) require that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities'which serve such uses, are protected against flood damage from the time of initial construction; (3) control the alteration of natural flood plains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers, which are involved in the accom- modation of flood waters; (4) control filling, grading, dredging and other development which may increase erosion of flood damage; and, (5) prevent or regulate the construction of flood barriers which will unnaturally divert flood waters or which may increase flood hazards to other lands. SECTION D. Objectives The objectives of this ordinance are: (1) to protect human life and health; (2) to minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects; (3) to minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public; (4) to minimize prolonged business interruptions; (5) to minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, and streets and bridges located in flood plains; (6) to help maintain a stable tax base by providing the sound use and development of flood prone areas in such a manner as to minimize future flood blight areas; and, (7) to insure that potential home buyers are notified that property is in a flood area. ARTICLE 2. Definitions Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this ordinance shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this ordiance its most reasonable application. "Appeal" means a request for a review of the administrator's interpretation of any provision of this ordinance or a request for a variance. "Area of Special Flood Hazard" is the land in the flood plain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.