The most recent FIRM for sections of East Baton Rouge Parish was last revised in June 2012, and most of the FIRMs for other sections of the parish were last revised in 2008. The maps are geographic by particular areas, and one particular parish may have several individual FIRMS within its borders. High flood risk areas are commonly referred to as Special Flood Hazard Areas ('SFHAs'), and are designated with letters 'A' or 'V.' The moderate-to-low-risk zones, commonly referred to as Non-Special Flood Hazard Areas ('NSFAs'), begin with letters 'X,' 'B,' or 'C.' To emphasize how important these classifications are, if the property is in an A or V zone, the owner is typically required to have flood insurance and is subject to stricter regulations than if the property is in an X, B, or C zone. 5 The FIRM is based on a Flood Insurance Study ('FIS') 6 and shows areas of high to moderate to low flood risk. 4 The most recent map developed by FEMA is the Flood Insurance Rate Map or ('FIRM').

The creation of these maps is a part of the NFIP and set the stage for the regulations and insurance requirement by delineating areas prone to flooding and assigning letters to these zones based on flood risk from data gathered through risk assessments and Flood Elevation Studies. Mapping & Hazard IdentificationĪs a result of the August flooding there has been constant discussion of the flood maps or FEMA maps. 3 FEMA is the federal agency that administers the NFIP, which has three important functions-mapping and hazard identification, insurance, and regulations, as summarized below. 2 Therefore, Congress passed the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 establishing the National Flood Insurance Program ('NFIP') to address these problems. In the 1950s and 1960s Congress recognized the economic hardships federal flood disaster assistance had on the 'nation's resources,' and because the only people who were buying flood insurance were the ones who lived in flood-prone areas and were likely to be flooded, it was uneconomic for the private insurance industry alone to make flood insurance available at a reasonable rate. Following is a summary of the development of the FEMA Flood Zone maps and the federal flood insurance program, and an analysis of some of the impacted city and parish ordinances and changes thereto because of the impact of the August flooding. In each of the three situations an understanding of FEMA Flood Zone determinations, the flood insurance programs, and local governmental regulations must be considered, which when taken as a whole can provide for different results in different cities and parishes. Inside the FEMA Flood Zone but with the cost or repairs being 50 percent or more of the market value of the building, in which case the building now must meet the existing floodplain regulations, including the requirement to obtain an elevation certificate certifying the slab elevation as being at or above (depending on the city involved) the base flood elevation before the owner can seek permits from the city ('Situation 3').

Inside the FEMA Flood Zone but with the cost or repairs being LESS than 50 percent of the market value of the building (the 'Substantial Damage Rule'), in which case local government regulations come into play for purposes of permitting and/or inspection, and in which case flood insurance issues come into play (see our previous e-lert dated for local government permitting regulation issues) ('Situation 2') or This e-lert will explain these programs and compliance requirements and the recent developments on the national and local levels, as FEMA and local governments in Louisiana respond to the August 2016 flood event.Ī building (home) that has experienced flooding is in very GENERAL TERMS in one of three major categories: 1 It is:Įither outside the FEMA Flood Zone ('Situation 1') and subject only to local governmental rebuilding requirements as well as insurance provision should the owner have flood insurance or In response to the August 2016 flooding event, there have been several articles about the Federal Emergency Management Agency ('FEMA') regulations, the National Flood Insurance Program ('NFIP'), the base flood elevation requirements relating to a building damaged by flooding, and local government rebuilding requirements. Public Services, Infrastructure, Transportation.

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