General Comments On Flood Mapping Residual Risk Areas Behind Levees

LEVEE ASSESSMENT MAPPING PROCESS (LAMP)
ASFPM COMMENTS—FINAL

GENERAL COMMENTS ON FLOOD MAPPING RESIDUAL RISK AREAS BEHIND LEVEES

As a matter of national policy, the NFIP must view levees and dams as temporary features that have temporary effects on the nation’s floodplains. A levee which is designed to contain a given flood, such as the 100-year flood, will be overtopped by a larger flood and the damage from the larger event will be exceptionally larger if no mitigation measures apply behind the levee, and the federal taxpayer ends up footing the bill if flood insurance is not required. Even well designed, constructed and operated levees have the probability of overtopping or failing, with catastrophic consequences. As such, and since the NFIP pays claims for these larger flood events, those areas should be mapped, development standards required, and flood insurance required, with the expected damages considered in premium rates.

Read entire LAMP comments here [.pdf]