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1. What is a floodplain?

Any land that is susceptible to being inundated by water from any source. A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land area from:

• The overflow of inland or tidal waters
• The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source
• The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a normal body of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force of nature, such as:
  • Flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge
  • By some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event

2. What is a floodway and who designates it?

The floodway includes the channel of a river and the adjacent floodplain that state standards specify smaller allowable increases. FEMA requires the community to designate a floodway to avoid the possibility of significantly additional rise in base flood elevations.

3. How do I find out if my property is in a floodplain?

You can request this information in writing (email, fax, or deliver requests) to the County Floodplain Administrator.

To assure we have the correct location, please submit with your request:

• Randall Appraisal District identification number (R-Number)
• Physical address
• Legal description of the property

You may also use the FEMA Map Service Center and Flood Map Store. Digital versions and images of flood maps are now available for viewing and printing from the online FEMA Flood Map Store. The Flood Map Store allows users to create a FIRMette at no cost. A FIRMette is a section of the flood hazard map at 100% scale that can be printed on standard paper sizes.

4. What are the penalties if I don't secure all my permits?

The penalties for not securing all permits are as follows:

• The County may require the removal of the improvements constructed without permits
• You may be fined up to $500 per day of offense (each day constitutes a separate offense)
• You would not be able to occupy or use your building or development until you receive all required permits

5. How are premiums calculated?

A number of factors determine the premium rates for flood insurance coverage. 

They include:

• Age of the building
• Amount of coverage purchased
• Building occupancy
• Design of the building
• Location

Factors for buildings in SFHAs include:

• The elevation

The only buildings in Zones B, C, and X which are eligible for preferred risk coverage at a pre-determined, reduced premium rate are single-family and 1 to 4 family dwellings. For these exceptions, there are certain loss limitations depending on the amount of insurance purchased.

6. What constitutes as substantial improvement or substantial damage?

Substantial improvement means any rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a building when the cost of the improvement equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the building before start of construction of the improvement. 

The term includes buildings which have incurred "substantial damage," or damage of any origin sustained by a building when the cost of restoring the building to its pre-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the building before the damage occurred. Substantial damage is determined regardless of the actual repair work performed.

Substantial improvement or damage does not, however, include any project for improvement of a building to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions. Also excluded from the substantial improvement requirement are alterations to historic structures as defined by the NFIP.

7. How are flood hazard areas and flood levels determined?

Flood hazard areas are determined using:

• Floodplain topographic surveys
• Hydro-logic and hydraulic analysis
• Information obtained through consultation with the community
• Statistical analyses of records of river flow, storm tides, and rainfall

The detailed FIS covers those areas that are subject to flooding from rivers and streams, along coastal areas and lake shores, or in shallow flooding areas, but do not include areas of less than one square mile.

8. What are flood hazard zones and what do they mean?

Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)

The Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) shows areas within the 100-year flood boundary, which are termed "Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs)." 

100 Year Flood

A "100 year flood" does not refer to a flood that occurs once every 100 years, but refers to a flood level with a 1% or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The SFHAs may be further subdivided into insurance risk rate zones. Areas between the 100 year and 500 year flood boundaries are termed "moderate flood hazard areas." The remaining areas are above the 500 year flood level and are termed "minimal flood hazard areas."

Historically, about one-third of claims paid by the NFIP are for flood damage tin areas identified as having only "moderate" and "minimal" risk of flood. Flooding in these often is the result of inadequate local drainage 25 systems, and such flooding sources with small drainage areas are generally not identified on FIRMS. 

Flood Hazard Zones

The SFHAs are subdivided into flood hazard zones (insurance risk rate zones) according to the following criteria:

• Zone A: 
  • Because detailed hydraulic analyses have not been performed, no base flood elevation or depths are shown
  • Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply
  • SFHAs subject to inundation by the 100 year flood
• Zones AE:
  • Base flood elevations are shown within these zones
  • Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply (Zone AE is used on new and revised maps in place of Zones A1-30.)
  • SFHAs subject to inundation by the 100 year flood determined in a Flood Insurance Study by detailed methods
• Zone AH:
  • Base flood elevations derived from detailed hydraulic analyses are shown in this zone
  • Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply
  • SFHAs subject to inundation by 100 year shallow flooding (usually areas of ponding) where average depths are between one and three feet
• Zone AO:
  • Average flood depths derived from detailed hydraulic analyses are shown within this zone
  • Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply
  • SFHAs subject to inundation by 100 year shallow flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain) where average depths are between one and three feet
• Zone X:
  • Flood insurance is available in participating communities but is not required by regulation in these zones
  • However, buildings in these zones could be flooded by severe, concentrated rainfall coupled with inadequate local creates areas of high flood risk within these rate zones
  • These areas have been identified in the community flood insurance study as areas of moderate or minimal hazard from the principal source of flood in the area

9. If a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is believed to be incorrect, what can be done to change it?

Three procedures have been established for changing or correcting a flood map.

They are:

• Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)
• Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)
• Physical map revision

10. What is Letter Of Map Amendment (LOMA)?

A LOMA is the result of an administrative procedure in which the Federal Insurance Administrator reviews scientific or technical data submitted by the owner or lessee of property who believes the property has incorrectly been included in a designated SFHA. A LOMA amends the currently effective FEMA map and establishes that a property is not located in a SFHA.

Although FEMA may issue a LOMA, it is the lending institution's prerogative to require flood insurance as a condition of its own beyond the provisions of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 before granting a loan or mortgage. Those seeking a LOMA should first confer with the affected lending institution to determine whether the institution will waive the requirement for flood insurance if a LOMA is issued. If so, the policyholder may cancel flood insurance coverage and obtain a premium refund.

11. What comprises technical or scientific data?

In general, the scientific or technical data needed to effect a map amendment include certified topographic data and/or hydro-logic and hydraulic analyses to support the request for amendment or revision.

12. What is a Letter Of Map Revision (LOMR)?

A LOMR is an official revision to the currently effective FEMA map.

It is used to change:

• Flood elevations
• Flood zones
• Floodplain and floodway delineations
• Planimetric features

All requests for LOMRs must be made to FEMA through the chief executive officer of the community, since it is the community that must adopt any changes and revisions to the map. A LOMR is usually followed by a physical map revision.