This booklet is intended to acquaint the public with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Despite the highly technical nature of the Program, there has been a deliberate effort to minimize the use of technical terms. This publication is designed for readers who do not need a detailed history or refined technical or legal explanations, but do need a basic understanding of the program and the answers to some frequently asked questions. Readers who need legal definitions should refer to the Standard Flood Insurance Policy and to NFIP and related regulations.
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide technical guidance on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) floodplain management requirements for below-grade parking garages for nonresidential buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAS) shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
Coastal Construction Manual FEMA 55; Pub 08/2011 (Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas (4th ed.))
The 2011 CCM, 4th Ed. (FEMA P-55), is a 2-volume publication that provides a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, designing, constructing, & maintaining homes in the coastal environment. Volume I provides information about hazard identification, siting decisions, regulatory requirements, economic implications, & risk management. The primary audience for Volume I is design professionals, officials, & those involved in the decision-making process. Volume II contains in-depth descriptions of design, construction, & maintenance practices that, when followed, will increase the durability of residential buildings in the harsh coastal environment and reduce economic losses associated with coastal natural disasters. The primary audience for Volume II is the design professional who is familiar with building codes & standards & has a basic understanding of engineering principles.
Provides guidance on the need for, selection of, and use of corrosion-resistant metal connectors for the construction of buildings in coastal areas.
Provides interim guidance on minimum NFIP requirements as well as best practices for crawlspace construction in the Special Flood Hazard Area.
Provides guidance on the NFIP regulations concerning the design and construction of breakaway walls beneath elevated buildings in Coastal High Hazard Areas (Zones V, VE, and VI-V30).
Reduction of flood losses depends on mitigation activities by a variety of those involved in the use of water and land resources. This responsibility falls to a large extent on those who design the built environment, since damage to buildings and their contents is the most common source of monetary loss in a flood disaster.
Flooding in residential areas is bound to happen in flood-prone areas resulting in property damage. This manual is for designers, developers, builders, and others who wish to build elevated residential structures in flood-prone areas.
Provides guidance on the NFIP regulations concerning the installation of elevators below the Base Flood Elevation in Special Flood Hazard Areas (both A and V zones).
The third edition of this document is intended to further aid homeowners in selecting and successfully executing a flood retrofit on their home. Engineering design and economic guidance on what constitutes feasible and cost-effective retrofitting measures for flood-prone residential and non-residential structures are presented. Elevation, relocation, dry floodproofing, wet floodproofing, and the use of levees and floodwalls to mitigate flood hazards are discussed. This edition was updated to be more user-friendly and concise, the overall length of the publication has been shortened.
This technical bulletin discusses building techniques, including the use of fill, that can be used to ensure structures are reasonably safe from flooding.
This bulletin is primarily intended to assist local floodplain management officials with responsibility for administering the community floodplain management ordinance and to assist land surveyors, architects, and engineers who are authorized by law to certify elevation information on the Elevation Certificate. Insurance professionals who use the Elevation Certificate for insurance rating purposes may also find this bulletin useful. The information contained in this Floodplain Management Bulletin is not intended to replace the Instructions section of the Elevation Certificate, but to supplement them.
Floodplain Management Bulletin on Historic Structures FEMA P-467-2; Pub 05/2008
The purpose of this floodplain management bulletin is to explain how the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) defines historic structure and how it gives relief to historic structures from NFIP floodplain management requirements (44 CFR §60.3). This bulletin also provides guidance on mitigation measures that can be taken to minimize the devastating effects of flooding to historic structures.
This document provides technical information for building owners, designers and contractors on wet and dry floodproofing techniques.
Provides guidance on the NFIP regulations concerning watertight construction and the required certification for floodproofed non-residential buildings in Zones A, AE, A1-A30, AR, AO, and AH whose lowest floors are below the Base Flood Elevation.
Provides guidance on the NFIP regulations concerning the required use of flood-damage resistant construction materials for building components located below the Base Flood Elevation in Special Flood Hazard Areas (both A and V zones).
Provides guidance on the NFIP regulations concerning obstructions to flood waters below elevated buildings and on building sites in Coastal High Hazard Areas (Zones V, VE, and V1-V30).
Homeowner's Guide to Retrofitting Second Edition FEMA P-312; Pub 12/2009
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has prepared this guide specifically for homeowners who want to know how to protect their homes from flooding. As a homeowner, you need clear information about the options available to you and straightforward guidance that will help you make decisions. This guide gives you both, in a form designed for readers who have little or no experience with flood protection methods or building construction techniques.
Openings in Foundation Walls and Walls of Enclosures FEMA FIA-TB-1; Pub 08/2008
Provides guidance on the NFIP regulations concerning the requirement for openings in below-Base Flood Elevation foundation walls and walls of enclosures for buildings located in Zones A, AE, A1-A30, AR, AO, and AH.
The overall objective of this document is to assist in the construction of buildings with building utility systems that are designed and built so that the buildings can be re-occupied and fully operational as soon as electricity and sewer and water are restored to the neighborhood.
This guidebook has been written to introduce officials and citizens at the local level to a basic understanding of natural resources in floodplains and to offer suggestions for creating strategies for wisely managing these important areas. As scientific understanding of ecosystems grows, the importance of conserving and restoring the natural resources and functions of floodplains is increasingly recognized. Historically effective floodplain management was recognized as a necessary task to reduce the loss of life and property. However, floodplain areas are now also recognized as having an intrinsic value of their own as a part of the interconnected ecosystem and an influential role in increasing a community's quality of life.
FEMA P-85 has been updated to reflect the requirements of the most current codes and standards and to provide a best practices approach in reducing damages from natural hazards. While the original version of FEMA 85 concentrated on flood and wind events, this version also addresses seismic hazards and recommends several multi-hazard resistant foundation designs. Designs are included for wood-framed foundations, conventional concrete and masonry pier foundations, and ground anchors. The ground anchor foundations are based on results from a series of first-of-its-kind saturated and dry soil anchor tests.