Flood Hazard Map

Purpose

Flood hazard areas identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). SFHA are defined as the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 1% annual chance flood is also referred to as the base flood or 100-year flood.

Hazard Areas

Provided is a list of the flood hazard areas and their definitions:

Flood Hazard Map
  • AE Zone: (Rising water flood zone; Wave height less than 3 feet) Areas subject to inundation by the 1-%-annual chance flood event determined by detailed methods. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are shown. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements and floodplain management standards apply.
  • AO Zone: Area of shallow flooding with a 1% or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of 1 to 3 feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable, where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
  • A Zone: (Rising water flood zone) Areas subject to inundation by the 1-%-annual-chance flood event generally determined using approximate methodologies. Because detailed hydraulic analyses have not been performed, no Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) or flood depths are shown. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements and floodplain management standards apply.
  • Coastal A Zone: This new flood transition zone lies between the VE (wave height greater than 3 feet) and AE (wave height less than 3 feet) flood zones has been added to the new FIRMs. This transition zone is designated on the FIRMs by a line identified as a Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA) (wave heights between 1.5 and 3 feet).
  • VE Zone: (Wave action flood zone; Wave height greater than 3 feet) Areas subject to inundation by the 1-%-annual-chance flood event with additional hazards due to storm-induced velocity wave action. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) derived from detailed hydraulic analyses are shown. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements and floodplain management standards apply.
  • X - 500-year flood Zone: Moderate flood hazard areas, labeled Zone X (shaded) are also shown on the FIRM, and are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2-%-annual-chance (or 500-year) flood.
  • X - Outside 500-year flood Zone: The areas of minimal flood hazard, which are the areas outside the SFHA and have higher than a 0.2-%-annual-chance flood, are labeled Zone X (unshaded)