Input Your Address To Find FEMA Advisory Base Flood Elevation
FEMA releases search engine allowing residents to learn more about base flood elevation
New "Advisory Base Flood Elevations" are available on this interactive map from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which the agency says should provide a post-Hurricane Sandy picture of flood risk as residents rebuild.
Residents can input an address and see what the advisory base flood elevation is specific to that location, as FEMA updates its site.
The interactive map aims to equip residents "with more precise information about the flood risk they face, allowing them to make more informed decisions to reduce their personal risk to life and property," announced FEMA in a recent statement.
However, the figures are "advisory" and many towns are processing the advisories and have yet to pass local ordinances adopting them since FEMA released the data Dec. 15.
With a storm surge and continued flooding along waterfront areas after Hurricane Sandy, the advisory base flood elevation hopes to answer the question: "How high is high enough?" to avoid flooded homes.
As many destroyed homes are rebuilt, homeowners may use the base elevation to decide the height of lifts and pillars that property should be built on to avoid flooding issues.
The ABFE site's information aims to prove helpful to residents, landowners and town planners as it has "information to understand where flood risk exists and to decide whether to build to higher elevations based on what has been learned from Sandy," according to FEMA.
More resources are available on FEMA's ABFE page for New Jersey and New York.
GeorgieGirl
8:29 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
A good tool but it some improvements to it would be nice if the map legend included descriptions for the various codes on the map and also to add layers that would estimate the effect of the different category storms. I doubt a Cat 1 would show the same as a Cat 3 or 5.
Jackthebear
10:54 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
The tool I would like to see added would be current elevation on land of my home. My home is in the 9' at 1% and 13' at 0.2% but what elevation am I starting from? I believe my home ( on a slab) to be at 6' which would mean raising it 7' to equal the advisory map data. But that's what my neighbor told me. I would like to be able to confirm that without hiring a surveyor.
JerseyVet
11:31 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
the elevation of your property is on your land survey.
foggyworld
3:15 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013
Then check your land survey because our house on 10' pilings was stated on the survey to be a three story house when it is actually only two but those are elevated and closed in by a breakaway wall with vents and a drainage system. There are mistakes all over the paperwork attached to this house.