What Is a FIRM?
A FIRM is a product of the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for a community and is available in paper form and digital form.
• Flood hazards have been mapped by FEMA for approximately 20,000 communities in the United States, most commonly on FIRMs.
• FIRMs delineate Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) — land areas subject to inundation by a flood that has a 1-percent probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (hence, the terms “1-percent annual chance flood” and “100-year flood”). SFHAs are shaded on the FIRM and are divided into different flood hazard zones, depending on the nature and severity of the flood hazard.
Why Are FIRMs Important?
• FIRMs show the limits of mapped flood hazard areas in a community.
• The insurance zone designations shown on FIRMs are used in the determination of flood insurance rates and premiums.
• The 100-year flood elevations and flood depths shown on FIRMs are the minimum regulatory elevations on which community floodplain management ordinances are based.
• The information shown on FIRMs can affect the design and construction of new buildings, the improvement and repair of existing buildings, and additions to existing buildings.
For more information download this guide
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