When the story comes to you

Journalists are told they shouldn't become part of the story. That practice is at times violated, but the guideline stands.

Until recently, the only time I as a reporter became personally involved with a public issue was several years ago, when a subdivision developer sought approval for plans to build a subdivision on Haggerty Road, in a parcel across from Riggs Road known as the Horste property.

I rose from the audience to ask that the water and sewer management system in the sub be carefully designed and maintained to ensure that pollutants would not flow into Woods Creek, located just to the north of the sub. I live in a home west of the planned subdivision, and Woods Creek flows through my backyard. It can be beautiful at times.

But it floods a few times each year. A heavy rain, a winter thaw, and the at-times luscious valley that runs between homes on Riggs and Fret Roads becomes flooded, and it takes a few days for the waters to recede.

Word is that FEMA, the federal agency that helps manage natural disasters, took an updated look recently at areas at risk of flooding in Wayne County, and declared 529 properties in Van Buren Township at risk.

There is a map of Van Buren Township with colors showing where the areas are, and the areas in red are where the highest risks of flooding affecting a primary residence are, according to FEMA's admittedly cursory look.

I was sitting in yesterday's Van Buren Township work study meeting, when the reporter beside me wondered whether the tiny red dot on the map along Woods Creek represented my home. Red's not good in this scheme; it's not necessarily gloom and doom, but it invites a bit of concern. Does FEMA think my home is at risk of flooding?

Currently, it's hard to say. The map is tiny, and it's hard to sort out what's what. Last night, my wife concluded that the red dot was just west of us. We shall see. I'm getting a digital copy of the map for a better look, and we'll go from there. Not that I have much choice.