fema flood zone designations explanations

All SFHA’s are flood zones, not all flood zones are SFHA's.īase Flood often referred to as the “100-year Flood”, which is a misnomer, is the area where flood has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.īase Flood Elevation is the elevation, above sea level, at which Base Flood will inundate. Sometimes the SFHA is casually referred to as the “Flood Zone”, but these terms shouldn’t be confused. The risk of flood in these flood zones is 0.2 or less each year. For more information about flood maps, please see the following page: Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The Address Search allows you to search by specific address or location. The zone designations for moderate-to-low-risk flood zones are B,C, and X. To find the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM) for your area of interest, you may use the Address Search feature.

However, these zones still account for more than 20 of flood insurance claims. This is where flood insurance may be required depending on structure location. Moderate-to-low-risk flood zones are areas where flood risk is not as high as Zones A and V. Some important points and definitions to know:Ī Flood Zone is any zone delineated on a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)Ī Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is a high risk flood zone, and is the land area covered by the base flood on a FIRM. FEMAs National Flood Hazard Layer and Air Photos become available for viewing once you zoom in to a large scale (1:150,000). The different zones illustrate whether you live in a high-risk, low-risk, or moderate-risk flood zone. Everyone lives in an area with some flood risk-it’s just a question of what level of risk is present. National Flood Hazard Layers (NFHL): This layer contains the most current digital FIRM maps accepted and approved by FEMA.

Everyone is in a Flood Zone, Not Everyone in a Special Flood Hazard Area.Įvery property is mapped within a flood zone of some kind.

Fema flood zone designations explanations