FEMA Issues Latest Update to Flood Risk Analysis and Mapping Standards
FEMA Issues Latest Update
to Flood Risk Analysis and Mapping Standards
FEMA’s Federal Insurance and
Mitigation Administration updated the Guidance and Standards that it uses in
its flood mapping and risk analysis efforts.There are six revised standards,
three new standards and one rescinded standard in this maintenance cycle in
addition to a number of updated guidance and technical reference documents.
Several of these updates to Risk
MAP guidance and technical references begin implementing recommendations from
the Technical Mapping Advisory Council’s 2015 recommendations. TMAC-related
updates include requirements for reporting the accuracy of elevation data used,
and guidance on selecting engineering models. FEMA also enhanced the
standards and guidance development process and updated FEMA Policy #FP
204-078-1 to address the TMAC recommendation to consider the cost of
implementation for new requirements and address the costs consistently.
The updated standards address
requirements for emergency operation plans for levee accreditation, clarify
requirements for incorporating Letters Of Map Revisions into map updates,
update requirements for processing Physical Map Revisions update Notice to
Users requirements, update requirements for flood risk product automation,
update distribution requirements for Flood Insurance Study reports, and
formalize several standards for removal of the special flood hazard area
designation by letter consistent with current practice.
FEMA conducted a public review of
the draft standards earlier this year, and regularly updates these guidance and
technical reference documents to ensure ongoing improvements in its flood
mapping and risk analysis efforts. The actual standards and related guidance
are available at www.fema.gov/guidelines-and-standards-flood-risk-analysis-and-mapping.
The posting of guidance documents and technical references to the FEMA.gov sitewilltake
a few more weeks until all the publishing reviews are completed.