Recent Articles

Getting Answers to Questions about the National Flood Insurance Program
(3/2/2012)

Expediting Determinations under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act
(3/2/2012)

What does it mean to “live with a levee”?

Across the United States, people live and work near levees – they feel safer having them in their communities. Often, levees are built with the idea that they will keep people safe from a certain level of flooding. It’s important to recognize, however, that there can always be a flood larger than the one the levee was designed to withstand, and over time the degree to which a levee reduces flood risk can change. Those who live and work near levees need to know the risk they face – knowing this can save their life and that of their family, and help them protect their property. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in close collaboration with local, state, and Federal partners, is developing new approaches to assess the flood hazards associated with non-accredited levees, and to show these high hazard areas on Flood Insurance Rate Maps, or FIRMs. The intent is to more precisely map the flood hazards for levees that don’t satisfy FEMA’s levee accreditation requirements through a more collaborative and flexible approach that is still cost-effective.

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Finding Flood Map Information

What is a FIRM? FEMA publishes Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for all communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). A FIRM is a community’s official map with delineated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) and the premium risk zones applicable to the community. As an insurance agent, you may have support from your flood insurance company or its vender; or if you sell “direct,” from the NFIP Servicing Agent. This article provides some helpful tips about flood mapping, including how to find local maps, a little about other maps, changes to local maps, and how to find updated maps and historic maps. Finally, knowing some ways to navigate the FEMA.gov pages, the FEMA Map Service Center (MSC) site, and other map-related sites can help you understand the broader picture when it comes to flood insurance. 

(Full Article)