flood zone research for florida

Florida Flood Zone Map Now Available on the MoversAtlas MoveMap!

The MoversAtlas team has been hard at work over the past few months and we are now excited to announce that the move map now has a flood zone map for the state of Florida! The new flood zone feature can be turned on by going to the MoveMap page and then clicking on the Heat Maps section on the left hand side and then turning on the flood zones radio button. Once you have the flood zones turned on you will see an overlay of four different shades of color appear on the map, red being the highest risk and light blue being the lowest risk and then yellow indicating unstudied areas.

flood zones in florida

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The biggest deal with flood zones(besides the possibility of your house being filled with water) are that they are typically reported back to insurance companies and even if it’s not in a high hazard zone the rates can still be much higher than other areas. The flood zones on the MoveMap are geographic areas that FEMA has defined the different level of flood risks.

If you have been in the state of Florida for a while you are probably familiar with the many marshes, wetlands, everglades and other low areas that are wet just about year around. With that said you should remember that the entire state is right at sea level and to a point there are reasons why that some flood zones are important but some do not necessarily need to be worried about.

Flood zones or hazard areas are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). In essence the SFHA are defined as the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 1-percent annual chance flood is also known as the “100-year” flood, subsequently the .2 percent is known as the “500-year” flood.

The SFHAs are labeled Zone A, Zone AO, Zone AH, Zones A1-A30, Zone AE, Zone A99, Zone AR, Zone AR/AE, Zone AR/AO, Zone AR/A1-A30, Zone AR/A, Zone V, Zone VE, and Zones V1-V30. Moderate flood hazard areas are labeled Zone B and X (shaded) and low are Zones C and X (unshaded) along with Zone D which are undetermined risk areas but still could flood or have higher insurance premiums.

The highest flood zone area is known as a “V-Zone” which is typically first row beach front, this is obvious due to the high winds, possible waves and low areas.

“A” zones are the next most volatile which are subject to rising waters or near lakes and rivers. These areas are also known as high risk and require flood zone insurance coverage. Each letter and numbering distinguish different requirements for building construction and your surroundings.

We hope this information will give you better knowledge of the flood risk of your home, neighborhood, and its surrounding areas. We encourage you to use the new flood zone feature when searching for a new home in Florida so you can have an idea of the risks and potentially higher insurance premiums before you buy your new house! Also, make sure to check out all the other great information and tools on MoversAtlas.com to help make your home search easier!

Should You Worry About Your House Being in a Flood Zone?

Flood zones are land areas identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Each flood zone describes that land area in terms of its risk of flooding. To identify a community’s flood risk, FEMA conducts a Flood Insurance Should you worry about your house being a in a flood zone?Study. This study includes statistical data for river flow, storm tides, hydrologic/hydraulic analyses, and rainfall and topographic surveys. All of this information is used to create what is known as FIRMs (Flood Insurance Rate Maps). This is used to not only rate areas in terms of flood risk but also to determine the resulting flood insurance rates.

The important thing to remember however is that everyone lives in a flood zone-it’s just a matter of knowing whether you are in a more dangerous zone or a relatively low-risk zone. Another thing to remember is that buying a home in a flood zone (depending on the level) does not necessarily mean that it will flood…it is only a measure of the likelihood of the event.

Now to describe and define the three types of flood zones: In high-risk areas, there is at least a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. In moderate-to-low risk areas, the risk of being flooded is reduced but not completely removed. In these areas, it is not necessary to have flood insurance for your home but it is still recommended. There are also undetermined-risk areas. No flood-hazard analysis has been conducted in these areas, but a flood risk still exists.

So the question remains, should you worry about your home flooding? Floods are reportedly the most common natural disaster in the US and everyone can experience one in their home-owning career. Floods are not just limited to coastal areas or as a result of tropical storms. The unthinkable scenarios such as heavy snows melting, flash floods, Dams/levees (as in New Orleans during Katrina), or construction and development can all lead to flooding. Thus, everyone should think about and consider getting some type of flood insurance, especially if you live in a moderate to high-risk area. It is very important when moving to look up your area’s flood map and to adequately assess whether or not flood insurance is something you want to consider. The answer to the question is yes, you should be concerned enough to do some preliminary research and make an informed decision.

Now having armed you with this knowledge, go forth and learn more about flood zones…but only if you really want to!

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.