![]() ![]() Over 20% of National Flood Insurance Program ( NFIP) claims are filed for properties in low or moderate risk areas. FEMA gives each zone a letter grade based on the type and likelihood of flooding. However, a low risk of flooding does not mean there is no risk of flooding. Areas with a low to moderate hazard are shown as Zone X. BFEs may differ dramatically within a small area, because waves can diminish in size over a short distance upon encountering obstructions or steep ground. Changes in flood zones and BFEs can have a significant impact on building requirements and flood insurance costs. The areas of minimal flood hazard, which are the areas outside the SFHA and higher than the elevation of the 0.2 percent annual chance, are. On flood maps in coastal communities, Zone AO usually marks areas at risk of flooding from wave overtopping, where waves are expected to wash over the crest of a dune or bluff and flow down into the area beyond.īase Flood Elevations (BFEs) in these flood zones vary along the coast and with distance inland. Moderate flood hazard areas, labeled Zone B or Zone X (shaded) are also shown on the FIRM, and are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2-percent annual chance (or 500-year) flood. This percentage translates to a 26 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage period. Zone AO is used to map areas at risk of shallow flooding during a base (1%-annual-chance) flood, where water with average depths of 1 to 3 feet flows over sloping ground. On FEMAs Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Hazard Boundary Map, the federal agency classifies Zone A as a Special Flood Hazard Area, which has a 1 annual risk of a major flood, also known as the base flood or 100-year flood. Zone AE indicates areas that have at least a 1%-annual-chance of being flooded, but where wave heights are less than 3 feet. These practices are intended to improve the chance of a home safely weathering a flood event. To address the added wave hazard, more stringent building practices are required in Zone VE, such as elevating a home on pilings so that waves can pass beneath it, or a prohibition to building on fill, which can be easily washed away by waves. ![]()
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