The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sent letters to New York City residents living in or near the FEMA preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) flood zones. The letter advises residents to understand the risk and to purchase flood insurance if necessary.
Regardless of whether you are in a flood zone or not, it is important to understand the risks and how it may impact you.
Before you can take the right steps to reduce the risk from flooding, you need to know what the risk to your property is. Are you in a high-risk flood zone? Is your flood zone and/or Base Flood Elevation (BFE) changing on the preliminary FIRMs?
Below are some useful links for your ease of reference:
- Address Lookup – Verify your base flood elevation which will help you compare the effective and revised FEMA flood hazard data available for your property.
- Important dates – Be aware of important dates coming up in the mapping process, like public open houses and the appeal period.
- Flood insurance – Protect yourself with flood insurance. If your flood risk has changed on the preliminary FIRMs, contact your insurance agent to understand how these proposed changes may affect your flood insurance policy in the future.
To view frequently asked questions for FIRM, click here.