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. . . by the Federal Emecgency Management Agency on Flood Insurance Rate Maps or "FIRMs." If you want to Irnow what parts of your community are at risk of being flooded, your community's FIRM will show the base floodplain for larger watersheds. You can see the FIRM at your local building, planning, or zoning office. The maps do not include the floodplains from smaller watersheds, such as those that drain less than one square mile. In some cases, you should use a higher standard than the base flood. For example, if your community suffered a flood that was bigger than the mapped base flood, you should use the higher flood levels in your planning. (The highest flood recorded is called thejlood of record.) In addition, facilities whose operation is critical to human health and safety, such as a hospital, fire station, power substation, or hazardous materials storage yard, shou Id be protected from the 500-year flood or the flood of record, whichever is larger. Most FIRMs show the 500-year floodplain. Other flood data After you find out what areas would be affected by a flood, and how high the flood waters are predicted to be, you should also look for this information: YOUR COMMUNITY'S FIRM T1le base floodplain is shown as the "Special Flood Hazard Area" on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FlAM) provided To your community by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The base floodplain is designated as an A Zone. In coastal areas, the base floodplain with a wave hazard is designated as a V Zone. The 500-year floodplain is shown as a B Zone and areas above The 500-year flood level are shown as C Zones. On newer maps, the 8 and C zones are called X zones. Even though it is designated as a B, C, or X Zone, an area still may be subject to local drainage problems or flooding from streams or ditches not mapped on the FlAM. . A map of your watershed, · Areas that have been flooded repeatedly, · The amount of warning time that can be expected, . How long the flood-prone area will stay under water (duration), · Velocities, sediment, debris, and other perils that may accompany a flood, · Whether there are any flood protection projects underway, and · Other hazards that affect the area, such as earthquakes, wildfire, or releases from nearby chemical plants. To Find Out More ~ ~ The best source of local flood data may be your municipal or county engineer. This office or the local permit office should have the community's Flood Insurance Rate Map and its accompanying Flood Insurance Study. They also should have copies of other studies that have been done on the local flood hazard. The municipal or county office may be the only place for data on flooding from watersheds that are too small to be mapped by a state or federal agency. Other possible sources of information about your flood problem are: . State Flood Insurance Coordinator (see Appendix A), " State natural resources or water resources agency, 11