ODNR Division of
Soil & Water Resources
2045 Morse Road, B3
Columbus, Ohio
43229-6693

(614) 265-6610
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Flood Maps & Flood Insurance Studies

  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the National Flood Insurance Program, and publishes flood maps and supporting flood insurance studies for over 700 communities in Ohio for the purpose of identifying areas at risk of the 1-percent-annual-chance flood, or base flood.  In Ohio. ODNR, Division of Soil and Water Resources is the State Coordinator of the National Flood Insurance Program.  In terms of local floodplain management programs, possession and use of the appropriate FEMA floodplain map(s) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) is a participation requirement for all communities in the National Flood Insurance Program.

How do you obtain flood maps?

   The three main sources are: FEMA Map Service Center, ODNR State (NFIP) Coordinator and local floodplain management offices. Cities, villages and counties that participate in the NFIP have established map repository sites usually located in local planning, zoning, building or engineering offices. A list of local community floodplain management offices is available by clicking here.

 
Digital versions and images of many communities flood maps are now available for viewing and printing from the on-line FEMA Flood Map Store at: http://msc.fema.gov/. This on-line store provides paper, scanned images on CD-ROM, and downloads of maps. The Flood Map Store allows users to create a FIRMette at no cost. A FIRMette is a section of the flood hazard map at 100% scale that can be printed on standard paper sizes (81/2 x 11, 81/2 x 14, and 11 x 17). A FIRMette is accepted by FEMA as a copy of the effective FIRM panel. Instructions for creating a FIRMette can be found on the Map Service Center or by clicking here. 

Because the Map Service Center maintains thousands of flood maps, you will need to provide specific information about the map(s) you want to order, such as the name of the community and the county it lies in, or the six-digit community number. If you need additional help call 1-877-FEMA MAP.
For more mapping resources, check out the references section.

What do flood maps show?

The hazard area or, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), shown on the flood map is known as the 100-year floodplain. It is more precisely defined as the floodplain associated with a flood that has a 1-percent annual chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100-year flood is not a flood event that happens once in a hundred years, rather a flood event that has a one percent chance of occurring every year. Flood maps may include:
  • Major highways, secondary roads, lakes, railroads, streams and other waterways
  • Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) identified on the FIRM as zones A, AE, AH, AO, AR,V, VE or A99
  • Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) or depths (BFE is the calculated elevation of the 100-year flood.)
  • Areas subject to inundation by the 500-year flood.

Flood Insurance Risk Zones

  •   Zone A- corresponds to the 100-year, or 1% annual chance, floodplain determined by approximate methods. Detailed hydraulic analysis is not performed for such areas, and no Base Flood Elevation or depth is shown for this zone.
  • Zone AE and A1-A30 corresponds to 100-year, or 1% annual chance, floodplain that is determined in the Flood Insurance Study by detailed methods. Usually, BFEs derived from detailed hydraulic analysis are shown at select intervals within this zone. 
  • Zone AH corresponds to areas of the 100-year, or 1% annual chance, shallow flooding with a constant water-surface elevation (usually areas of ponding) where average depths are between 1 and 3 feet. BFEs derived from detailed hydraulic analysis are shown at select intervals within this zone.
  • Zone AO corresponds to areas of the 100-year, or 1% annual chance, shallow flooding (typically sheet flow on sloping terrain) where average depths are between 1 and 3 feet. Average flood depths derived from detailed hydraulic analysis are shown within this zone.
  • Zones B, C and X correspond to areas outside the 100-year or 1% annual chance floodplains, areas of 100-year sheet flow flooding with average depths less than 1 foot, areas of 100-year stream flooding where contributing drainage areas are less than 1 square mile, or areas protected from the 100-year or 1% annual chance flood by levees. No BFEs or depths are shown within these zones.