Flood zones are areas mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Flood hazard means base flood elevation, design flood elevation, flood hazard area or flood zone.

Base flood elevation (BFE) means the elevation of a flood having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, which is commonly referred to as the “100-year flood” or the “one-percent-annual chance flood.”.

Know your zone and follow evacuation orders. Evacuation zone maps are based on ground elevation and the area’s vulnerability to storm surge. These maps are used for hurricane preparedness and planning.Įvacuation may be necessary due to the risk of storm surge from tropical storms or hurricanes. Storm surge maps display where flooding will occur when an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm is pushed toward the shore by strong winds. NOTE: Federal requirements for flood insurance are only based on the FEMA FIRM, not the Pinellas County flood maps.įind out what the flood hazard and required development standards are BEFORE you develop your plans. As with the high-risk flood zones on FEMA FIRM maps, these floodplain areas are also considered high-risk areas and are subject to specific development regulations. The FIRM is used to determine building and flood insurance requirements.Ĭounty floodplain maps, developed from detailed watershed and coastal studies, also show areas that have a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. High-risk areas have a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. You should check them all to understand what your flood risk is.įEMA flood zone maps, known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), show areas of high and moderate to low flood risk. A home may be located in a non-evacuation zone, yet be located in a high-risk flood zone because of a nearby stream or pond. Flood zones can be low, moderate or high risk.įlood zones, evacuation zones and storm surge are different. They measure different conditions that may not occur at the same time, are determined by different methods and have different purposes. Everyone in Pinellas County is in a flood zone. You can use the MSC to find your official flood map, access a range of other flood hazard products, and take advantage of tools for better understanding flood risk.Anywhere it rains, it can flood. The FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). However, tax districts are considered municipalities for the purpose of FECB funding if the district is established in accordance with CGS Section 7-339a.įederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Maps

FECB monies are not available to private dam owners or private property owners. Section 25-71 of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) establishes the level of State participation in a project.

An example of a non-structural project may include flood warning systems, flood proofing projects or the removal or relocation of severely flood prone residences.įECB funding is provided to towns and cities that apply for assistance on a priority basis. In addition, FECB’s may repair municipal dams or undertake non-structural measures that mitigate flood damages. The Connecticut FECB program provides state financial assistance to municipalities that have an active FECB for preventing potential hazards due to flooding, stream bank erosion or beach erosion. As used in sections 25-84 to 25-94, inclusive, 'flood or erosion control system' means any dike, berm, dam, piping, groin, jetty, sea wall, embankment, revetment, tide-gate, water storage area, ditch, drain or other structure or facility useful in preventing or ameliorating damage from floods or erosion, whether caused by fresh or salt water, or any dam forming a lake or pond that benefits abutting properties, and shall include any easements, rights-of-way and riparian rights which may be required in furtherance of any such system.įlood and Erosion Control Board Program Purpose Such board shall have authority, within the limits of appropriations from time to time made by the municipality, to plan, lay out, acquire, construct, reconstruct, repair, maintain, supervise and manage a flood or erosion control system. The FECB has the following authority as described in Connecticut General Statutes Section 25-85, Establishment of flood or erosion control system: According to the Ridgefield Town Charter, the Conservation Commission also serves as the Flood and Erosion Control Board (FECB).

Ct flood zone map