Frequently Asked Questions

To be removed from the floodplain on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, a structure must be on land that is not subject to flooding by the 100-year flood. Remember, more severe floods can and do happen, so even if your home is found to be on high ground, it may still be damaged by an extreme flood event.

If your lot or building site is on natural ground that is higher than the Base Flood Elevation shown on the FIRM, then you may request a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). To support your request, you will have to get a surveyor to determine the elevation of the ground next to your building and complete an Elevation Certificate. If the ground is higher than the Base Flood Elevation, then FEMA will issue a LOMA. With a LOMA, your lender may choose to not require flood insurance.

If your home was built on fill that was placed after the FIRM was prepared, you may request a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F). As with a LOMA, you will need to get an Elevation Certificate completed by a land surveyor. If the filled ground is higher than the Base Flood Elevation, and if you do not have a basement, then FEMA may issue a LOMR-F, and your lender may choose to not require flood insurance.

The term 100-year flood is misleading. It is not the flood that will occur once every 100 years. Rather, it is the flood elevation that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded each year. Thus, the 100-year flood could occur more than once in a relatively short period of time.

The 100-year flood, which is the standard used by most federal and state agencies, is used by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as the standard for floodplain management and to determine the need for flood insurance. A structure located within a special flood hazard area shown on an NFIP map has a 26%chance of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30-year mortgage.

The flood hazards shown on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) maps are based on the best information available at the time the maps were prepared. In many areas, hydraulic and hydrologic studies were conducted to reflect the long-term projection of flood risk. Because of the infrequent occurrence of flood events and the relatively short history of the NFIP, Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) are not based solely on the past flooding occurrences. The fact that a flood hasn't occurred within memory doesn't mean one won't happen soon.

The 100-year flood is a relatively rare event (1% chance in any given year), but structures located in the floodplain have a significant chance (26%) of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30-year mortgage. For these reasons, flood insurance is required as a condition of receiving federal or federally backed financial assistance.

The difference between the lowest-floor elevation (including basement) of your structure and the 1% annual chance flood elevation is used to determine the insurance rating.

Note: Only buildings are insurable, other structures are not.

The term 100-year flood is often incorrectly used and can be misleading. It does not mean that only one flood of that size will occur every 100 years. The term is a statement of probability that scientists and engineers use to describe how one flood compares to others that are likely to occur.

Today, we use the phrase 1% annual chance flood. What it means is that there is a 1% chance of a flood of that size happening in any year. Over a 100-year period, it has a 63.5% chance of occurring. Even more surprising is that over a 30-year period (typical mortgage period) the 1% annual chance flood has a 26% chance of occurring.

To answer your question about why you need flood insurance, you would need to look very carefully at what caused the flood and how high the water near your home rose. Because rainfall amounts are different when a storm moves across an area, a 100-year flood may occur in some places but not others. There are many factors that can add to flooding, including trash and debris in ditches and culverts, saturated ground, aging infrastructure and numerous other circumstances.

If a lending institution is federally regulated or making federally backed loans, it must review the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) maps to determine if the building is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA.) The SFHA is the area that is expected to be inundated by a 1% annual chance flood. If the bank makes such a determination, it must require the borrower to purchase flood insurance.

If you disagree with the lending institution's determination, you may request that FEMA review the lender's determination. FEMA will then review the information that the lending institution used and issue a letter that states whether they agree with the determination. Your request must be postmarked no later than 45 days after the lending institution notifies you of the flood insurance requirement, and the submittal must be complete. The request must include all of the information and fees listed in the Letter of Determination Review (LODR) information sheet. If your request is postmarked after the 45-day limit has expired, or if FEMA does not receive all of the information within the 45-day limit, they will not review the determination and the flood insurance requirement stands.

FEMA's responses to these requests are called LODRs, and offer two basic dispositions: (1) the lender's determination stands or (2) it is overturned. FEMA's determination is based on the technical data submitted. If the lender's evidence is inconclusive or the request is incomplete FEMA can disagree with the lender's determination. FEMA's response does not amend or revise the NFIP map for your community. It only states that FEMA agrees or disagrees with your lender's determination.

Occasionally, a lending institution may require insurance if it determines that a part of your lot is in the SFHA. The NFIP does not insure land. However, even if you submit evidence that your building is out of the floodplain, the bank may still decide to require insurance on your building.

You can contact your insurance agent or call your community's building permit office. Not only can they tell you if they participate in the NFIP, but they can tell you if you have to get permits before building in a special flood hazard area, or before you add to, improve, or repair damage to an existing floodplain building.

Elevation Certificates must be prepared and certified by a land surveyor or engineer, who is authorized by commonwealth, state, or local law to certify elevation information. Community officials who are authorized by local law or ordinance to provide floodplain management information may also sign the certificate.

Buildings in special flood hazard areas shown on FIRMs may be damaged when flooding occurs. Some buildings flood frequently, while others get damaged by only the more severe events.

If your home is in the 1% annual chance floodplain, it has a 26% chance of getting flooded over a 30-year period. This means it is about five times more likely to get damaged by flood than by a severe fire.

You can usually get flood insurance by contacting your regular homeowner’s insurance agent. FEMA and others recommend that everyone in special flood hazard areas buy flood insurance. If you buy a home or refinance your home, your mortgage lender or banker may require flood insurance. Even if not required, it is a good investment, especially in areas that flood frequently or where flood forces are likely to cause major damage.

Your community may require permits for remodeling, improving, expanding or rebuilding your building. In order to reduce long-term flood damage, the NFIP requires that buildings that are substantially improved or substantially damaged become compliant. This means if the cost of the improvements or repairs is more than 50% of the market value of the building, you will have to make the new building compliant with the current code rules for floodplain construction. Usually this means elevating the foundation above the predicted flood level. If you carry a flood insurance policy and have major flood damage, you may be eligible for up to $15,000 more to help pay for the cost of this work.