At the conclusion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Distinguish between different flood map formats
• Identify National Flood Insurance Program jurisdictions
• Differentiate between an Index and Map Panel
• Recognize standard elements found on most flood maps

To get the most learning value out of this course, you may want to refer to the FEMA 258 Guide to Flood Maps as you navigate this course.

Select FEMA 258 Guide to Flood Maps to download the file. It is available at https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=30130

From the beginning of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), improvements to format and design have been incorporated into new flood maps. These changes are intended to make flood maps easier to use and better meet users' needs.

Due to these differences in format and design we will refer to the set of Panels that make up a geographic area as a flood map.

To control costs, FEMA includes design improvements in flood maps as new maps are produced. These improvements occur on a community-by-community basis. As a result, flood maps are not exactly the same in all communities. They may differ in format and content. These formats include:

• Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM)
• Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM)/Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
• Countywide Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
• Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM)
• National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL)

Each map format will be discussed on the following screens.

An early format is the Flood Hazard Boundary Map. These were especially common in rural communities.

All flood hazard areas were identified by approximately detailed study methods. FEMA converted many of these maps to official FIRMs by sending a notification letter to the community without conducting a more detailed study.

Printed Flood Hazard Boundary Map

The Flood Hazard Boundary Map is easy to recognize as it consists of one or more 11"x17" pages and a cover sheet that includes an Index and a legend.

For maps created before 1986, the information explained in the FIS report is supported and graphically represent by a set of maps that include the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and the Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps (FBFMs).

Pre-1986 FIRMs that are still the current effective maps for a community are intended for use by Insurance Agents and Lenders since they only contain rounded BFE’s. The mirror FBFM panels are for use by Floodplain Administrators (FPAs) and other floodplain professionals to manage floodplain development.

FPAs and other floodplain professionals may be unaware of the existence of the FBFMs and inadvertently use just the pre-1986 FIRMs for floodplain management purposes. This may result in violations of the community’s floodplain management regulations. Development has been accidentally permitted in the floodway without meeting regulatory standards because the floodway is depicted on the pre-1986 FBFM and not depicted on the pre-1986 FIRMs.

If your flood maps are dated 1986 or later, the flood maps you are most likely to work with will be the FIRMs that include the Floodways, unless you are using historic FIRM/FBFM maps when reviewing development permitted during the time those maps were effective.

For maps created before 1986, the FIS included both a set of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and a separate set of Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps (FBFMs). FIRMs and FBFMs graphically represent the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and support the information explained in the FIS report.

Pre-1986, FIRMs were for use by Insurance Agents and Lenders. The separate FBFM panel was for use by Floodplain Administrators (FPAs) and other floodplain professionals to manage floodplain development. FPAs and other floodplain professionals were often unaware of the existence of the FBFMs and inadvertently used the FIRMs for floodplain management purposes.

This resulted in violations of the community’s floodplain management regulations. Because the floodway was depicted on the pre-1986 FBFM and not depicted on the pre-1986 FIRMs, development was being accidentally permitted in the floodway without meeting regulatory standards. If your flood maps are dated 1986 or later, the flood maps you are most likely to work with will be the FIRMs that include the Floodways.

In 1985, all information from the FBFM was combined with the FIRM to produce one panel. This allowed Insurance agents, Lenders, FPMs and other floodplain management professionals to use one map product.

If your flood maps are dated 1986 or later, the flood maps you are most likely to work with will be FIRMs.

Flood Hazard Boundary maps (FHBMs) are printed on a much smaller 11"x17" sheet of paper than the FBFM or FIRM map panels which measure about 2’x3'.

A FIRM or FBFM map set contains one or more of the 2’x3’ panels. These panels are folded like a highway map (known as a “Z” fold map). Each flood map panel has a legend printed on it.

When a community’s map set contains more than one panel, it will be accompanied by a flood map Index panel.

FEMA further modernized flood maps with the introduction of the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) - An interactive flood map that can be accessed, viewed, downloaded and used on a computer screen.

Digitization also allowed flood data to be linked into other databases, typically via a Geographic Information System (GIS). This linkage allows the flood layer to be displayed with other digital products such as aerial photography and improved topographic data such as Digital Elevation Models. DFIRM data can also be used to tie in Flood Insurance Study data and allow easier access to information such as hydrologic and hydraulic models, flood profiles, and floodway data tables.

FEMA’s current Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning program allows for the enhancement of DFIRMs to include additional risk assessment tools and community outreach support. Additional enhancements depend on community needs, available data, and funding. A review of needs and available data leads to recommendations concerning which options to exercise.

Printed FIRM and FIRMette

When printed on a plotter, DFIRMs have large panels, about 2’x3’.

FIRMettes are easy-to-print, at-scale portions of the digital FIRM. The FIRMette contains the legend, scale, north arrow plus key information from the title block of the original full-size FIRM panel.

FEMA was able to develop a web service and software that allows users to select the portion of the DFIRM they want to print as a FIRMette. Users also select the size to printed page. Printing to a standard 8 ½”x11” “letter” size page is one of the options for printing FIRMettes.

In lesson 6, you will learn how to access a DFIRM on FEMA’s Map Service Center (MSC) website and print a FIRMette.

FEMA continues to make enhancements that expand access to flood data through dynamic maps using the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) available at https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-hazard-layer-nfhl address. These improvements simplify access and make flood hazard information easier to use.

The National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) is a geospatial database that contains current effective flood hazard data. The NFHL is made from effective flood maps and Letters of Map Change (LOMCs) delivered to communities. NFHL digital data coverage is not nationwide but it covers over 90 percent of the U.S. population. New and revised data is continuously added. If you want to explore the current digital effective flood hazard data in a map, the best tool to use is the NFHL Viewer. From the NFHL Viewer, you may view, download, and print flood maps at the scale of your choice for a specific location.

The NFHL viewer link is in the second paragraph of the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) webpage available at https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-hazard-layer-nfh address. A list of the types of data available in the NFHL and information about other ways to access the NFHL may be found in the NFHL GIS Services User Guide available at https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1510944498802-158ae747182fa5f8b5418ea72fe5f219/NFHL_GIS_Services_Flyer.pdf address.

The coverage of flood maps can include all of these jurisdictions: Counties/Parishes/Boroughs, Tribes, Territories and municipalities.

For standard identification purposes, FEMA assigns a six-digit Community Identifier (CID) to all active participants in the NFIP. Flood maps may contain flood hazard information on one or multiple communities, identified by CID on the Map Panels.

Some older flood map sets may only cover one community. If that community is the unincorporated part of a county, flooding information is shown only for the areas under the jurisdiction of the county government. This means you will not find flooding information for incorporated areas (e.g. tribes, towns and cities) on the flood map panels produced for the unincorporated areas of a county. Separate flood map sets were prepared that contain flood map panels for these incorporated areas.

More recently, FEMA transitioned to producing Countywide flood maps. These flood map sets show flooding information for all of the geographic areas of a county, parish or borough, including tribes, and incorporated municipalities. The State of Louisiana divides jurisdictions into Parishes and the State of Alaska divides their districts into Boroughs. Since these are administratively equivalent to Counties, we will use the general term “Countywide flood maps” when discussing these products in this course.

When a flood map panel includes multiple communities, a list of the affected communities, by name and Community Identification number (CID), is listed on the title block of that panel.

To determine the geographic coverage of your community’s flood map you can visit FEMA's Map Service Center at https://msc.fema.gov, email FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com or call 1-877-FEMA-MAP (1-877-336-2627) to consult a Flood Map Specialist.

The Index serves as a guide to map sheets found on a flood map. When flood maps show a large geographic area, FEMA divides the map area into sections called Panels. The Index is provided to indicate what areas of the map are shown on each map panel.

Due to variations in content found on flood maps, separate formats exist for FHBMs and FIRMs.

The next lesson, How to Read a Flood Map Index, has more information on the variations. When determining flood hazard potential for an area, you should first consult the Index to determine which flood map Panel contains your area of interest.

The flood map for your Community may include one or more individual maps. Each map is called a Map Panel. When a flood map contains multiple Panels, that simply means that the flood map for your community will not fit on one page. The number of Panels depends on the community size and the scale(s) of the Panels. The Index is used to determine which Panel should be utilized to obtain flood hazard information for a specific location.

Scroll down to see slideshow navigation and captions.

Printed flood maps have several basic elements. Every printed flood map will include:

• title block
• legend
• body
• basic symbols

Other elements that appear on flood maps vary based on format and content.

The title block contains the community name, the Panel number (page number on the FHBM), date, and other information necessary to identify the flood map Panel.

The Legend provides information for identifying the flood risk zones and floodways on the flood map.

Scroll down to see slideshow navigation and captions.

Note: Floodways are not calculated in all riverine flood studies.

The body of a flood map displays the map contents.

On an Index, the body will usually only display primary features like major roads, corporate limits and other landmarks that help to identify general locations in addition to the map panel boundaries.

On a Panel, the body will show more detail than what is shown on the Index, including secondary roads, stream crossings, and flood hazard information.

In addition, every map set regardless of format, will contain a typical set of elements.

These items are typically found on National Flood Insurance Program flood maps regardless of the format or the area covered by the flood map.

• Community Name
• Community ID (CID) or Countywide ID (CWID)
• List of Communities
• Political Jurisdictions (Corporate Limit or County Line)
• Notes to Users and Inset Notes
• North Arrow and map scale
• Panel Limit Line
• “*Panel-not-Printed” Note (when no Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) have been identified)

Additional items may be found on specific flood maps depending upon the format and geographic area. These items will be discussed later in this tutorial.

The title block on a map Index or map Panel displays the name of the mapped community, the community type (e.g. town, city,), the county, borough or parish, and the state.

When the mapped community is a county, borough or parish, the words "Unincorporated Areas" may appear below the name. This indicates the incorporated areas (municipalities) in the county, borough or parish are not covered by this flood map.

When the flood map covers the entire geographic area of the county, the words "and Incorporated Areas" may appear after the county, borough or parish name. These are known as Countywide Maps.

Community Number (CID):

The community number is part of the Map Panel number. It is a six-digit identification number assigned to the mapped community. This number is also referred to as the community identification number. You need to use the community number when you ask questions about a flood map for an individual community or search for a map. The community number will be the first six-digits of the Map Number.

Example:

• Map Number 4806620001
• The Community number is the first 6 numbers followed by the panel number(s)
• Community Number: 480662

Countywide Number (CWID):

Countywide flood maps will have a five-digit identification number followed by the letter C. You need to use this countywide number when searching for or asking questions about a specific countywide flood map set.

Example (Image):

• Map Number 99009C0000
• Countywide number is the first five digits followed by C.
• 99009C

Note: When a flood map panel includes multiple communities, a list of the affected communities, by name and CID or CWID, is listed on the title block of each panel.

When a flood map panel includes multiple communities, a list of the affected communities, by name and CID or CWID, is listed on the title block of each panel.

The Corporate Limit or County Line identifies the jurisdictional limits of the community's regulatory authority over land development and building construction.

Note: In some states, an incorporated community may exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction (shown as ETJ on maps) over land development and building construction in areas beyond its corporate limits. Where appropriate, these limits are shown and labeled on the Index and on the appropriate map panel.

Inset Notes identify areas shown on their own separate panel or indicate when a Panel includes special areas on the map.

This arrow orients the flood map to north.

Note: On older map sets the north arrow may not be oriented to the top of the map panel.

You have just completed Lesson 2. In this lesson you learned about:

• Flood map formats, including:
• Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM)
• Pre-1986 Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM /Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM)
• Post-1986 Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
• Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) and FIRMette
• How FEMA continues to make enhancements that expand access to flood data through dynamic maps using the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL)
• Flood map coverage (jurisdictions) which includes:
• Counties/Parishes/Boroughs
• Tribes
• Territories
• Municipalities.
• The difference between Map Indexes and Map Panels
• Basic elements of every printed flood map include a title block, legend, body, and basic symbols.
• Typical Flood Map elements, including:
• Community Name
• Community ID (CID) or Countywide ID number (CWID)/Map number
• Listing of communities
• Political Jurisdictions (Corporate Limit or County Line)
• Notes to User and Inset Notes
• North Arrow and Map Scale