I downloaded the firmette for a project last week. No flood zone indicated. But wait... There is a swamp and large creek close by. I downloaded the firmette for that project again the next day. That could bite someone if they weren't paying attention. Beware.
Really good to be aware of this. I had this happen to me, although it wasn't just a day's difference - I submitted an ALTA and the following week a revision was made.
I don't have to cite flood zones very often, usually just for ALTAs, but when I do, I note the day on which the FEMA Map Service Center was accessed. Sort of like citing when the field work was completed. Always a good idea.
I always have issues with the zones not loading over the weekends. I always zoom out to show areas I am certain that are flood hazard areas to ensure the information is loading, or I download the firm panel and not the firmette. Another tool I use is the kmz file in Google Earth, but if that isn't loading, it's due to the FEMA site not loading the data.
