Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a high-risk flood zone? If I'm in a 100-year floodplain, does that really mean it will flood only once every 100 years?
2. Why has the federal government designated these flood zones?
3. How are flood zones determined?
4. What are the flood zones?
5. I don't think my property is in the flood zone. How do I get it changed?
6. What is a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)? How does it differ from a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)?
7. How will a LOMA help me? How long will it take to get one?
8. What is the Federal Emergency Management Agency?
9. What is the National Flood Insurance Program?
10. What do "Pre-FIRM" and "Post-FIRM" mean?
11. What does "Base Flood Elevation" mean?

1. What is a high-risk flood zone? If I'm in a 100-year floodplain, does that really mean it will flood only once every 100 years?

A high-risk flood zone is called a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). It's also known as the one-percent-annual-chance floodplain, commonly referred to as the "100-year floodplain." This term is often misunderstood.

If you live in a 100-year floodplain, it does not mean that your community will only flood once every one hundred years. It means that in any given year, there is actually a 1% chance or greater that a flood zone will experience flooding that equals or exceeds its boundaries.

There are geographic areas that have sustained multiple "100-year" floods for several years in a row. In fact, your home has a 26% chance of being damaged by a flood during the course of a 30-year mortgage, compared to a 9% chance of being damaged by a fire (Source: www.fema.gov - FloodSmart Facts & Statistics). On the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), the 100-year floodplain zones are shown as darkly shaded areas labeled with the letters "A" or "V."

2. Why has the federal government designated flood zones?

Historically, most private insurers have been unwilling to write flood insurance policies because of "adverse selection"-usually the only people who purchased the insurance were property owners who knew they were going to be flooded. As a result, most homeowners looked to the government to assist them in the event of a flood.

Following a series of disastrous floods in the United States, for which taxpayers spent billions on relief funds, the federal government decided the best way to protect homeowners and taxpayers was to start requiring the purchase of flood insurance. Thus, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was born, and the federal government created Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) to show the levels of flood risk for different communities across the United States. These FIRMs were created through careful hydrological and engineering studies to identify specific flood-prone areas, known as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). The federal government now mandates that any time a federally-insured lender, like a bank or a savings and loan, makes a loan on a property located in a SFHA, the lender must make sure the property has appropriate flood insurance.

3. How are flood zones determined?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) compiles the results of extensive flood studies, and publishes "Flood Insurance Rate Maps" (FIRM). There are over 100,000 of these maps, organized by community (city, town, or a subsection thereof), and they indicate the areas which are likely to flood and mark them on the maps according to the anticipated frequency and severity of flooding.

4. What are the flood zones?

Zones that begin with "A" or "V" are high-risk flood zones, and the purchase of flood insurance is federally mandated on loans secured by properties located in communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Zones "C," "B," and "X" have a lower risk of flooding and the federal mandatory purchase requirements do not apply.

The following list describes the flood zone designations:

High Risk Flood Zones

A - Areas subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. Because no detailed hydraulic analyses have been performed on these areas, no base flood elevations are shown.

AE, A1-A30 - Areas subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. Base flood elevations are shown as derived from detailed hydraulic analyses. (Zone AE is used on new and revised maps in place of Zones A1-A30).

AH - Areas subject to a 1% or greater chance of shallow flooding in any given year. Flooding is usually in the form of "ponding," with average depths between one and three feet. Base flood elevations are shown as derived from detailed hydraulic analyses.

AO - Areas subject to a 1% or greater chance of shallow flooding in any given year. Flooding is usually in the form of sheet flow, with average depths between one and three feet. Average flood depths are shown as derived from detailed hydraulic analyses.

AR - Areas subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year, which results from a temporary increase in flood hazard because a flood control system that provided protection is no longer providing the same level of protection.

A99 - Areas subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year, but which ultimately will be protected by completion of a flood protection system under construction. No base flood elevations or flood depths are shown.

V - Areas along coasts subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year, with additional hazards associated with velocity wave action. No detailed hydraulic analyses have been performed on these areas, and therefore no base flood elevations are shown.

VE, V1-V30 - Areas along coasts subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year with additional hazards associated with velocity wave action. Base flood elevations are shown as derived from detailed hydraulic analyses. (Zone VE is used on new and revised maps in place of Zones V1-V30).

Non-Mandatory Flood Zones

D - Areas of undetermined flood hazard where flooding is possible.

X, C - Areas of minimal flood hazard from the principal source of flood in the area and determined to be outside of the 0.2%annual chance floodplain. (Zone X is used on new and revised maps in place of Zone C.).

X (shaded), X500, B - Areas of moderate flood hazard from the principal source of flood in the area; areas subject to a 0.2%annual chance flood (500 year flood); areas protected by levees from the 1% annual chance flood; areas of future conditions 1% annual chance flood. (Shaded Zone X is used on new and revised maps in place of Zone B.)

None - Areas of undetermined flood hazard that do not appear on a Flood Insurance Rate Map or Flood Hazard Boundary Map where flooding is possible.

5. I don't think my property is in the flood zone. How do I get it changed?

Although FEMA makes every effort to reflect floodplains accurately, the property owner or lessee may choose to go through FEMA's Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process and apply for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR).

Since the application process can be very complex and time-consuming, we responded to our customers' requests and developed our Elevation Certificate and Flood Map Changes Service to assist them.

Please note that your lender cannot waive the federal flood insurance requirement until a LOMA or LOMR-F is issued stating that the building is outside of the high-risk flood zone. Also, be aware that your loan documents give your lender the right to require the purchase of flood insurance even if the federal requirement is removed, although it's rather unusual that they do this. Even if that were the case, a LOMA or LOMR-F could reduce your insurance premium by potentially making your property eligible for a low-cost Preferred Risk Policy.

6. What is a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)? How does it differ from a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)?

There are two basic types of Letter of Map Change (LOMC):

• A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) application is used when a property is elevated above the base flood level through a natural hill or rise in elevation that was not reflected on the flood map.
• A Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) application is used when the property is raised above the base flood level by fill dirt. FEMA requires a $425 fee to review applications based on fill.

7. How will a LOMA or LOMR-F help me? How long will it take to get one?

A LOMA or LOMR-F can remove the federal flood insurance requirement. Once you receive a LOMA for your property, you can submit it to your mortgage company and ask to have the flood insurance requirement removed, and you can submit it to your insurance agent to potentially have your flood insurance premium re-rated with a lower cost.

The LOMA or LOMR-F process usually takes 6-8 weeks.

8. What is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)?

The mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from disasters. In 1979, through an executive order of President Carter, FEMA was created as a separate federal agency responsible for coordinating national hazard mitigation and recovery efforts. In March 2003, FEMA became part of the newly formed Department of Homeland Security under the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Today, FEMA manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA continues to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. It also initiates proactive mitigation activities and trains first responders.

9. What is the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)?

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the main source of flood insurance coverage in the United States. The NFIP is managed by FEMA and contains three components: flood insurance, floodplain management, and flood hazard mapping. Participation in the NFIP is determined by whether the community adopts and enforces floodplain management ordinances in exchange for the protection of federal flood insurance availability to its citizens. Over 20,000 "participating communities" across the United States voluntarily participate in the NFIP.

Congress authorized the NFIP in 1968 as part of the National Flood Insurance Act, making federal flood insurance available to property owners for the first time. Prior to moving under the sponsorship of FEMA in 1979, the NFIP was part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

10. What do "Pre-FIRM" and "Post-FIRM" mean?

For insurance rating purposes, the date of construction or date of substantial improvement (the date the permit was issued provided that construction begins within 180 days of the permit date) is utilized to determine if a building is considered "Pre-FIRM" or "Post-FIRM."

A building is considered Pre-FIRM if the start of construction or substantial improvement was on or before December 31, 1974, or before the effective date of the community's initial Flood Insurance Rate Map. Therefore, a Post-FIRM building is one with a date of construction, or substantial improvement, after December 31, 1974, or on or after the effective date of the community's initial Flood Insurance Rate Map.

11. What does "base flood elevation" mean?

The easiest way to define Base Flood Elevation is that it's the estimated level to which the flood waters are expected to reach. FEMA uses this estimated level to determine flood risk in your area. But that doesn't mean that flood waters can't exceed the BFE. Technically speaking, the BFE is the level at which there is a 1% chance in any given year that flood waters will reach or exceed that particular level.