That means that the FEMA SFHA maps that get instituted are very rarely the same as the initial risk identified in the area. However, these models do not exist for the entire country, and their output also undergoes a series of adjustments and revisions based on local stakeholder feedback. The initial FEMA SFHA models are made for individual communities and are generally very high-quality, have been built to explicitly understand the risks to a standard 1-in-100 or 1-in-500 year flood event, and have been developed over many years to identify community flood risk based on local historical context. A property's FEMA zone designation is estimated on Flood Factor. The FEMA SFHA models are currently the most popular flood-risk identification tool and are widely used by government, research, and private companies as a way to understand flood risk, price insurance premiums, and prepare for potential hazards. To date, the standard national comparison for flood risk is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). This combination of precision and national scope allows for a more comprehensive flood risk tool than is currently available. Adding to the full picture of flood risk, the model also recreated more than one hundred coastal and inland flood events over a 20-year period (2000-2019) to provide estimates of past flooding likelihoods. By combining these resources, the model represents flooding from multiple risks, such as rain, river, tidal, and storm surge flooding, while also integrating current and future environmental considerations all at a property level. The methods used to create the First Street Foundation Flood Model bring together a number of resources and techniques already developed as inputs to understanding one’s flood risk. Individuals can search their address on Risk Factor to find their property’s flood risk as well as their FEMA zone. It is most powerful when used in conjunction with FEMA flood maps and other available state and local flood risk resources, and should be viewed as complementary to FEMA flood maps, which need to be used for building and permitting purposes. Flood Factor uses publicly available flood risk information that shows how risk will accumulate and change over time. Flood Factor calculates flood risk on the property level, accounts for changing climate conditions, and considers the risk of flooding due to high-intensity rainfall.Īs a result, Flood Factor shows a more nuanced, property-specific flood risk, as opposed to a binary in-or-out of floodplain analysis from FEMA maps. FEMA determines flood risk on the community level, their risk projections capture risk from a single 1-in-100 or 1-in-500 event from storm surges and overflowing rivers and streams. While the findings of these models do not diverge starkly across the US, in some areas Flood Factor may show more or less flood risk than FEMA, simply because of differences in the methodologies employed. Your FEMA zone and Flood Factor® are independent risk assessments. Flood Factor may show a higher risk because it accounts for flooding from rain and the effects of climate change. FEMA and Flood Factor are different risk assessments.
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