All About the FEMA Flood Maps: Understanding Flood Zones and Insurance

Let’s face it: in the realm of natural disasters, tornadoes get all the fanfare. They are beautiful,  majestic, powerful, and deadly. They are also widely isolated, with even large outbreaks occurring frequently. But tornadoes don’t hold a candle to other types of natural disasters in terms of loss of life and loss of property. 

Flooding is the most destructive and costly natural disaster in the United States, and by a significant margin. Floods also spoil everything they touch, from fresh water supplies to food, clothing, and housing. Greenwood Aerospace is dedicated to supplying resources for disaster relief efforts. Here is our overview of flood risk and FEMA flood maps. 

Introduction to Flood Risk

Inland flooding is hazardous and can occur anywhere, including areas not near a body of water. They are caused by heavy rains, poor drainage, and construction projects, affecting the community’s flood map and overall flood risk. Although it is also fair to say that other factors contribute to and exacerbate flooding beyond rain, in 2019, the Missouri River basin experienced historic flooding, starting around South Dakota and Iowa, due to a significant snowfall that melted rapidly. Then, ice dams blocked the river once runoff started, and once those broke free, the river swelled to historic proportions. Everything downstream, including many tributaries, flooded. 

Understanding flood risk is crucial for communities and individuals to make informed decisions about flood insurance and mitigation. FEMA is one of the critical organizations in this process because FEMA produces flood maps for the entire nation to use in preparation and understanding the flood problems and processes. Flood risk can be reduced by understanding flood zones and taking steps to mitigate flood damage. Again, while flooding doesn’t always occur near a body of water, areas prone to flooding must always be aware of the risk. 

Understanding Flood Zones

Alright, let’s talk about flood zones. 

Flood zones are areas with varying levels of flood risk, including high-risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk areas, which are designated on FEMA flood maps. These are some key pieces of information on the flood zones:

  • Zone B is an area of moderate flood hazard, while Zone C is an area of minimal flood hazard, and Zone A is a special flood hazard area with the highest risk of flooding.
A good illustration of the flood zones of a given point.
  • Flood zones are used to determine flood insurance requirements and rates for properties, with higher-risk areas requiring more expensive insurance.

Understanding flood zones is paramount for community members and leadership to make informed decisions about purchasing flood insurance and protecting their properties. And here’s the thing: floods are so widespread that you will end up with stakeholders from all walks of life. 

A major river flood will impact farmland, towns, cities, and municipalities, and even military installations. All of these stakeholders have an interest in flood mitigation and prevention.

FEMA Flood Maps and Insurance

FEMA flood maps display the flood risk for a community and are used to determine flood insurance requirements and rates, reduce flood damage, and promote effective flood risk management. 

The FEMA flood maps are critical tools for communities and individuals to understand their flood risk and take steps to mitigate it. The maps are just as much about establishing insurance rates as anything else because flood insurance is required for properties in high-risk areas with federally backed mortgages, and can be purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program.

FEMA flood maps are regularly updated to reflect changes in flood risk, providing communities with the most accurate information available. 

Flood Map Updates and Changes

Much like flight publications, flood maps are regularly updated to reflect changes in flood risk, providing communities with the most accurate information available. Changes to flood maps can and routinely do affect flood insurance requirements and rates, and can be appealed through the map revision process.

Community members, civic leaders, and the public can review and comment on proposed changes to flood maps and contact FEMA for additional information. 

Community Rating System and Benefits

The Community Rating System (CRS) is a program that offers discounts on flood insurance premiums to communities that implement floodplain management measures, including updating their flood maps and adopting floodplain management ordinances. FEMA provides funding through grants to help communities make their flood-prone areas much more resistant to flooding through infrastructure improvements. Even a seemingly minor improvement, such as a levee or drainage upgrade, can help mitigate disasters, depending on its scale. 

Communities can participate in the CRS to reduce their flood insurance rates and to promote flood risk management. The CRS offers benefits to communities, including reduced flood insurance rates and enhanced flood risk management, and can serve as a handy tool for mitigating flood risk. Again, the best place to start with managing flooding is in the preparation stages, and understanding the CRS is key for communities to make informed decisions about participating in the program and to take advantage of its benefits.

Conclusion and FEMA Flood Resources

FEMA provides a range of resources and information to help communities and individuals understand and manage their flood risk, including flood maps, flood insurance options, and flood hazard mitigation measures. The maps are the first line of defense in understanding the relative level of risk in any given community. Once your community or organization understands the relative risks of flooding, you have a baseline to work with and build upon. Again, FEMA provides funding to communities with elevated risk levels to mitigate them. 

Greenwood Aerospace is dedicated to supporting your organization in preparing for flooding and other natural disasters. We are also a committed partner of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and numerous other federal and military organizations. Be sure to follow our blog and LinkedIn for updates on how we can assist and the services we offer for disaster relief.

Here are some useful links for Flood Zones and Flood Zone Maps:

-https://www.floodsmart.gov/flood-zones-and-maps#floodZones

-https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home

-https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/tools-resources/flood-map-products/national-flood-hazard-layer