I recently attended a three day course through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and North Carolina Hazard Mitigation. There was a 125 question exam at the end broken into two parts. The first tested rote memory of various agencies, their roles and jurisdictions, and the various legislation and statutes empowering them. A 75% score is required to pass the first part. The second part was a skill assessment where a variety of questions were asked dealing with Elevation Certificates, LOMAs, LOMR-Fs, and flood zone classifications. Students were expected to know the FEMA preferred methods of interpolating data from FIRMs, flood profiles (found in the Flood Insurance Study) to establish a value for the 1% annual chance of flooding (Base Flood Elevation). Part 2 requires an 85% to pass.
It was a surprisingly difficult test, having been designed to maintain a 60% passage rate. The course was worth the $500 for me (24 PDHS) because I now have the knowledge and reference materials necessary to provide flood evaluations competently. In hindsight, I had no business performing this service in the past.
Florida, Texas, Louisiana , California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, are by far the biggest issuers of flood insurance.
Big takeaways that might be helpful for PLSs who only provide flood evaluations infrequently:
1. If the parcel lies within a defined FEMA community and therefore has a Community identification number (CID) contact the NFIP coordinator and ask for help. If they're not available go to the state NFIP then FEMA as a last resort. Joining NFIP reduces the cost of flood insurance for the community but it comes with strings attached. One of those is that Planners issue permits and assist with flood determinations. Have them review your EC or LOMAs or LOMR-Fs instead of just guessing about the, at times, circular language and confusing terminology.
2. Most of the liability to a PLS is in the establishment of LAG and top of lowest floor or structural member. If you have any confusion about this, contact the NFIP coordinator. They're aware that folks build some bizarre structures. Don't guess.
3. Linear interpolation (calculating slope from downstream BFE to the site or structure) between cross sections on a FIRM is a last resort method. Find the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and use the profile to determine the appropriate BFE. In all cases it needs to be the most stringent evaluation. Always round up (no banker's rounding on fives). Use the downstream cross section, which will be a lower number or letter, and scale a distance to the most upstream point on the structure, which includes attached decks touching grade.
4. If I pass and become a CFS, there is almost no benefit other than knowledge. The eLOMA program is clunky but lets any PLS get a fast return on certain forms. A CFS can get an expedited review for LOMAs and LOMR-Fs with a laundry list of caveats. Even with a solid knowledge of NFIP, many documents are reviewed by college grads with little training or expereince and will get kicked back. Note that I said many, and not all or most. There are some exceptionally qualified individuals within the program who work hard to keep people safe.
If you're a PLS in North Carolina, FRIS is the recommended tool and a one stop shop.?ÿ Just go here: NC FRIS, find your site, and click in the shaded regions to get your BFEs (keep in mind that the BFEs correspond to a 10'x10' invisible grid).?ÿ
The FRIS is definitely the way to go. I have also downloaded the GIS Flood Contours from the FRIS and converted them to DWG for the counties I work in. A great source of flood information for NC.
That was a very good post by Murphy.?ÿ Thank you.
What we tend to have out in the boondocks is a case where the designated flood plain manager is actually the head janitor at the courthouse or the City Chief of Police.?ÿ They have no training and no knowledge but are appointed to sign off on paperwork they receive.?ÿ We must go to the State level or FEMA directly to ask questions.
Thanks HC.
I should also add that, though you may not find it in writing, matching the vertical datum to the benchmarks used in the flood study is the preferred method.?ÿ FEMA won't reject NGVD29 converted to NAVD88, but it's unnecessary.
@murphy How does one determine the benchmarks used for the FIS??ÿ The old FIRMs used to have them listed, but they stopped listing them 15 years ago.?ÿ
