Updated 08/20/2021
How To Read a Flood Insurance Rate Map Tutorial
Federal Emergency Management Agency
FloodSmart: The official site of the NFIP
FEMA – Floodplain Management Publications
CRS (Community Rating System) Flood Protection Information
- FEMA 347, May 2000 Above the Flood: Elevating Your Floodprone House
- FEMA F-084, December 2020 Answers to Questions About the National Flood Insurance Program
- FEMA P-55, Volume I, August 2011 Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, 4th Edition (2011)
- FEMA P-55, Volume II, August 2011 Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, 4th Edition (2011)
- FEMA-54, March 1984 Elevated Residential Structures
FEMA F-083, 2008 Mandatory Purchase of Flood Insurance Guidelines –No Longer Available: Document was Rescinded- FEMA-257, October 1994 Mitigation of Flood and Erosion Damage to Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas
- FEMA P-348, November 1999 Protecting Building Utilities from Flood Damage
- FEMA-268, June 1996 Protecting Floodplain Resources, 2nd Ed.
- FEMA P-85, November 2009 Protecting Manufactured Homes from Floods and Other Hazards, 2nd Edition
- FEMA-511, June 2005 Reducing Damage from Localized Flooding
Additional information on the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System
- FEMA FIA-15, 2017 CRS Coordinator’s Manual
- 2021 Addendum to the CRS Coordinator’s Manual, 2017 Edition
- CRS (Community Ratings System) Resources
- CRS (Community Ratings System) Training and Videos
The following contains links to information on flood maps, flood insurance and flooding preparation.
Most links have the named documents available online.
The documents may also be searched by FEMA publication number or resource title at Search.gov
A small number of documents marked with an asterisk [*] are only available in hardcopy.
Documents on flood maps and studies:
- FEMA Flood Hazard Mapping Annex
- FEMA-265, July 1995 Managing Floodplain Development in Approximate Zone A Areas – A Guide for Obtaining and Developing Base (100 yr) Flood Elevations
- FEMA Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP)
Documents on flood insurance:
- FEMA-F-084, March 2011 Answers to Questions about the National Flood Insurance Program
FEMA-F-083, September 2007Mandatory Purchase of Flood Insurance Guidelines– No Longer Available: Document was Rescinded
Documents on protecting a building:
- FEMA P-347, May 2000 Above the Flood: Elevating Your Floodprone House
- FEMA-213, August 2018 Answers to Questions About Substantially Improved/Substantially Damaged Buildings
- FEMA P-55, Volume I, August 2011 Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, 4th Edition (2011)
- FEMA P-55, Volume II, August 2011 Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, 4th Edition (2011)
- [*]
FEMA-114, December 1, 1986 Design Manual for Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures - FEMA-54, March 1984 Elevated Residential Structures
- FEMA P-259, January 2012, Third Edition Engineering Principles and Practices of Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures
- FEMA-102, May 1986 Floodproofing Nonresidential Structures
- FEMA-P 312, Third Edition, June 2014 Homeowner’s Guide to Retrofitting: Six Ways to Protect Your House from Flooding
- FEMA-257, October 1, 1994 Mitigation of Flood and Erosion Damage to Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas
- FEMA P-348, February 2017 Protecting Building Utilities From Flood Damage, Edition 2
- FEMA P-85, Second Edition, November 2009 Protecting Manufactured Homes from Floods and Other Hazards
- FEMA, September 26, 2014 Reducing Flood Losses Through the International Codes: Coordinating Building Codes and Floodplain Management Regulations, 5th Edition ( October 2019)
- Red Cross Flood Safety
Documents on community floodplain management or flood hazard mitigation:
- FEMA-15, December 1, 1981 Design Guidelines for Flood Damage Reduction
- FIA-18, June 1992 Floodplain Management in the United States: An Assessment Report, Volume 2: Full Report
- FEMA-364, September 2000 Planning for a Sustainable Future: the Link Between Hazard Mitigation and Livability
- FEMA-116, February 1, 1987 Reducing Losses in High Risk Flood Hazard Areas—A Guidebook for Local Officials
- FEMA-248, June 1994 A Unified National Program for Floodplain Management
Documents on natural and beneficial floodplain functions:
- FEMA-268, June 1996 Protecting Floodplain Resources – A Guidebook for Communities
- EPA EPA Wetlands Fact Sheets
[*] There are three video tapes in FEMA’s “Best Build” series:
- Best Build 1: Constructing a Sound Coastal Home
- Best Build 2: Construction in a Riverine Floodplain
- Best Build 3: Protecting a Flood-prone Home
These U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood proofing publications can be found on the following website: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Project-Planning/nfpc/
- Flood Proofing Systems & Techniques: Examples of flood proofed structures in the United States, December 1984
- Flood-Proofing Regulations, EP 1165 2 314, 1995
- Flood Proofing Performance—Successes & Failures, December 1998
- Flood Proofing Techniques, Programs and References, May 2000
- Raising and Moving The Slab-On-Grade House, 1990
- A Flood Proofing Success Story along Dry Creek at Goodlettsville, Tennessee, April 1995
- Flood Proofing: How to Evaluate Your Options: Decision tree, July 1993
- Flood Proofing Technology in the Tug Fork Valley, April 1994
- Local Flood Proofing Programs, February 2005