JCP Reports - Hazard Information

Hazard Information - Floods

By JCP Geologists

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) offers property owners in participating communties the opportunity to insure against flood damage. Furthermore, as a safeguard against substatial losses, the Federal Government mandates that lenders require such insurance for properties within Special Flood Hazard Zones. Because flood insurance may be required, it is mandatory to disclose if a property lies within a Special Flood Hazard Zone, as mapped by the NFIP. Special Flood Hazard Zones are addressed in the JCP Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement.

What Is A Flood Zone?

As Brokers and Agents are well aware, the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides flood hazard information as well as flood insurance. Any property owner or renter is eligible to buy flood insurance as long as their community is participating in the NFIP.

Federal Law mandates that Federally connected lending institutions require flood insurance on loans involving buildings on property located partially or wholly within a Special Flood Hazard Zone. Brokers and Agents must disclose this to potential buyers.

NFIP Definition of a "Flood"

A flood is too much water in the wrong place, however, the NFIP has adopted a broader "flood" definition:

Temporary partial or complete inundation of normally dry areas caused by rapid runoff or overflow from lakes, rivers, or tidal waters.
Mudslides directly caused by floods. However, the NFIP definition of a "mudslide" is very restrictive. Essentially, the definition includes only dirty water.
The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result waves or currents during a flood.
Sewer (drain) backup if caused by a flood.

Flood Hazard Areas and Maps

NFIP defines Special Flood Hazard Areas using two types of Flood Maps. These maps are issued for both individual communities and unincorporated county areas.

Flood Hazard Boundary Maps (FHBM)- These are the initial maps issued for an area and contain outlines of Special Flood Hazard Areas, but do not contain flood elevation information. Each map is numbered, and letter suffixes at the end of the Community Panel Number designate the revision of the map with "A" the first version, "B" the second etc.

FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)- These maps are published once flood risk zones and base flood elevations are determined. Once these are published, the community is eligible for increased amounts of insurance. FIRM's show the areas in which flood insurance is required as a loan condition. These maps can be revised at any time. A community may also drop out of the NFIP making their maps obsolete. When a community elects to drop out, flood incurance is no longer available through the NFIP for that particular area.

The Special Flood Hazard Areas on both FHBM and FIRM's are shaded zones identifying areas which have a 1% chance of being flooded in any given year from severe storms (this is the so called "100 Year Flood"). On FIRM's, these areas are designated by Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, M, V, V1-30, and VE. "A" Zones are those areas which might expect flooding without wave action, whereas "V" Zones might expect wave action with flooding. The numbers after Zones A and V 1-30 are codes representing the difference between anticipated "10" and "100" Year flood water levels.

A community's Flood Plain Management Ordinance requires that new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas be built so that the lowest floor elevation of the building is equal or above the anticipated flood level. Basements are considered to be the lowest floor. Structures may also be "floodproofed" in these areas making them impermeable to water. For this reason, some buildings which are shown on the maps to be in a Special Flood Hazard Zone may not be. A local topographic high point may also raise certain properties above the anticipated flood level within a hazardous flood zone. In these cases, an Elevation Certificate from a surveyor can be obtained and the flood insurance requirement might be modified.