A discussion on flood risk for Homeowners, business owners, and real estate owners.
Floods can occur anywhere, but some areas are more prone to flooding than others. Are you at risk for flooding? Your home or business may be located in a high flood risk area. Today lets discuss steps that homeowners and business owners can take to protect their properties.
FEMA is the agency that regulates the 100-year floodplain. FEMA regularly updates and publishes maps that depict flood risk. Today lets discuss steps that homeowners and business owners can take to protect their properties. First, lets start with where you can determine your flood risk, and the go to place for this is FEMA’s Map Service Center.
FEMA's site has a couple of ways to locate your flood risk, but an address search is the easiest (the link above will take you straight to the address search. The problem is what to do once you find your property, or more importantly what to do if you disagree with the maps.
FEMA teams up with the state agency ADECA in Alabama to help manage their flood risk. More information can be found here, or this past blog post will help show how to navigate OWRs site.
FEMA offers a number of options to either revise or amend their flood maps (LOMA, LOMR-F, CLOMR, LOMR, MT-1, MT-2, PMR, etc.). The cost and complexity ranges greatly, and will often depend on the status of the effective flood map, so don't hesitate to contact RME to get a quote on any floodplain related map change. Today, lets look into a Letter of Map Revision based on Fill (LOMR-F).
Letter of Map Revision based on Fill (LOMR-F)
A LOMR-F is an official revision, by letter, to an effective NFIP map. The result is a letter from FEMA stating a structure or parcel is elevated on fill above the BFE (base flood elevation, aka 100 year floodplain) and excluded from the floodplain. While this is commonly confused with a LOMR (letter of map revision), there are some differences. The scope for a LOMR-F is often significantly less than a LOMR. While a LOMR-F technically revises the maps, its doesn't change the SFHA in a way that a LOMR will. It should prevent an insurance provider from providing flood insurance (although consideration should be given to keeping it since nearly 25% of flood damage claims happen outside the 100 year floodplain).
A LOMR-F DOES NOT change the BFE (base flood elevation), whereas a LOMR can (and likely does).
A LOMR-F can't reflect any stream crossings, or other development in a floodway.
If all this is confusing, don't worry, you are not alone. I highly recommend contacting a floodplain specialist or someone who has experience in this area.
PS, if you are still with me and wondering about the cover photo, that is Wilson Lock and Dam on the Tennessee River. The tallest lock and dam west of the Rockies at 94 vertical feet. Talk about flood risk.
