#Fema flood zone interactive map how to
#Fema flood zone interactive map free

Moderate- to low-risk areas are shown on flood maps as zones beginning with the letters 'B', 'C' or 'X' ( or a shaded X).

The risk of flooding is reduced, but not completely removed.

Non-Special Flood Hazard Areas are moderate-to-low risk areas.

There is at least a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage in high-risk areas.Īll home and business owners in high-risk areas with mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders are required to buy flood insurance.

They are shown on the flood maps as zones beginning with the letters 'A' or 'V.'.

Special Flood Hazard Areas are high-risk areas.

#Fema flood zone interactive map free

FIRMs are available to the public free of charge through the FEMA Flood MapService Center at.FEMA uses FIRMs to help determine what you should pay for flood insurance.Please visit to view an interactive map of Cambridge that uses modeling based on climate change assessments.Flood maps, known officially as Flood Insurance Rate Maps, show areas of high- and moderate- to low-flood risk.Ĭommunities use the maps to set minimum building requirements for coastal areas and floodplains lenders use them to determine flood insurance requirements. Just because your property isn't officially location in a SFHA on these maps, does not mean it isn't subject to flooding. An active river gauge can help determine the extent of flooding when an extreme event is occurring. Following are links to the gauges that monitor the Charles River and the Alewife Brook in Cambridge. To learn more about National Flood Insurance Reform, please visit: or visit to learn about the state's Flood Hazard Management Program.Ĭurrent River Elevations: a river gauge monitors water surface elevation of a river, brook, or other source of water.

#Fema flood zone interactive map how to

Residents are encouraged to visit to learn more about the risks of flooding, why flood insurance is needed, how to buy a policy and more. If you have difficulty locating your property please call 61 and we will be able to help locate your property. To determine if your property is located within the SFHA (100-year floodplain) please go to the City of Cambridge Interactive Floodplain Map and click on your property. Residents are encouraged to contact their insurance agent or visit FloodSmart.Gov to learn more about how and where to get a policy. Lower cost flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is available in low- to moderate-risk areas and you may also qualify for the even lower cost Preferred Risk Policy (PRP). While flood insurance in these areas is optional, maintaining coverage is recommended by FEMA as the flood risk has only been reduced, not removed. The Zone X area is the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 0.2% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not provide coverage for damage due to flooding.Īreas outside of the SFHA shown on the FIRM as “X” are not required to purchase flood insurance. If you do not have a mortgage, FEMA still recommends that you purchase flood insurance, but you are not obliged to do so. The SFHA is the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, and shown on the FIRM as “AE”.

These maps indicate whether properties are in areas of high, moderate or low flood risk. Property owners who have a federally backed mortgage, or plan to refinance with a federally backed lender, are required to purchase flood insurance if their home is shown in a high-risk flood area known as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on the DFIRMs. These maps were most recently updated in June of 2010.

Fri: 8:30AM - 12PM Floodplain InformationįEMA FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS EFFECTIVE June 4, 2010Īs part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) nationwide Map Modernization Program, the City of Cambridge is required to make Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) available to property owners as a resource in determining if they are required to carry flood insurance on their property.