Is my property in a Flood Zone? With the crazy amount of rain we had on Long Island recently it is an important question to ask.
Below we’ll talk about the different types of flooding and provide some useful information and links to get you on track to figure out how your property could be affected and what to do about it.
Not all water damage is treated equally in the insurance world. While some insurance policies might cover sudden or accidental water damage caused by a burst pipe, this is not defined as a Flood.
According to FEMA, flooding is the most common cause of property damage. Hurricanes and severe tropical storms cause the most flooding. Long Island is subject to coastal flooding, surface flooding, flash flooding, and ground flooding. Coastal flooding occurs when extreme weather and high tides cause sea levels to rise. Surface flooding is caused by heavy rainfall. Flash flooding is a type of surface flooding that happens very quickly and ground flooding is a type of surface flooding that occurs when rain falls over a period of time and saturates the ground.
What is a Flood Zone?
A flood zone is a flood hazard and is identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. In the past, the term “100 Year Flood” was used and it was assumed that that meant a significant flood might happen every 100 years. FEMA now uses the term “base flood” which means that a SFHA will be inundated by a flood event and have a 1% chance of being equal or exceeded in any given year.
These are the 3 categories of flood areas:
- Special Flood Hazard Areas are labeled as Zones A, AO, AH, A1-A30, AE, A99, AR, AR/AE,AR/AO, AR/A1-A30, AR/A, V, VE AND V1-V30.
- Moderate Flood Hazard Areas are labeled as Zones, B or X(shaded). These are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 2% annual chance or 500-year flood.
- Minimal Flood Hazard Areas are outside the SFHA and higher than the elevation of the 2% annual chance flood and are labeled Zone C or X(unshaded).
Helpful Links on Floods
Below is the link to FEMA’s website with access to flood maps and information on managing floodplain risks, etc.
https://www.fema.gov/floodplain-management/manage-risk
Here is a link to the US Geological Survey (USGS) site for flood information, data, and science.
Finally
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Next week we’ll talk about property types.
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