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<br /> <br />damage in their jurisdictions, Community response <br />to this requirement generally involves the adop- <br />tion of zoning, building code, and other develop- <br />ment regulations that place various requirements <br />on new construction and on substantial im- <br />provements to existing construction in identified <br />flood hazard areas, Some communities, either in <br />recognition of the benefits of a strong floodplain <br />management program or in response to specific <br />problems, adopt regulations that are considerabiy <br />more restrictive than the minimum NFIP <br />requirements, <br />FEMA establishes "Special Flood Hazard <br />Areas" that depict those areas inundated by the <br />1 DO-year flood as shown in Figure 1,30, <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Figure 1.30 Special Flood Hazard Areas <br /> <br />This "base flood" is a flood that has a one per- <br />cent chance of being equalled or exceeded in any <br />given year. Over a 3O-year period, there is at least <br />a 26 percent chance that this flood will occur. <br />The 1 DO-year flood standard is used by every <br />federal agency in their administration of flood- <br />related programs, This standard has also been <br />adopted by many states and is used ad- <br />ministratively in the operations of their own pro- <br />grams involving floodplain management. <br />The NFIP's flood insurance premium structure <br />has been developed based upon studies of the <br />degree of property exposure to flood hazards, <br />Flood hazard areas are divided into different zones <br />according to the degree of risk, The insurance <br />rates vary according to the zone and, in certain <br /> <br />cases, to the elevatfon of the building in relation <br />to the base flood, Higher rates are charged for <br />buildings subject to greater hazard, This differen- <br />tial rate structure provides a financial incentive for <br />homeowners to reduce their susceptibility to flood <br />damage, <br />The NFIP is administered in two phases: the <br />Emergency Program and the Regular Program, <br />The function of the Emergency Program is to <br />make flood insurance readily available to proper- <br />ty owners throughout flood-prone communities, <br />The operation of the program is simple and direct. <br />The FIA notifies a community that it has been iden- <br />tified as flood prone by providing the community <br />with a Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM), as <br />shown in Figure 1,31, <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />Figure 1.31 Flood Hazard Boundary Map <br /> <br />This map is a preliminary delineation of special <br />flood hazard areas within the community with a <br />definite likelihood of inundation, No elevations are <br />shown, <br />A community receiving such a map may par- <br />ticipate in the program by completing an applica- <br />tion to FIA, Upon approval of the application, <br />limited amounts of insurance become available in <br />that community. The community is required to <br />apply minimal floodplain management regulations <br />based on the FHBM and is encouraged to <br />reasonably use any additional data that may be <br />available from other sources to establish the flood <br />elevations, <br />A community generally enters the Regular Pro- <br />gram after the completion of a detailed technical <br />study of flood hazards, The study includes a deter- <br />mination of elevations of floods of varying inten, <br />sity, including the base flood, areas inundated by <br />the various magnitude of flooding, and flood boun- <br />daries, This information is presented on a Flood <br />Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Boundary <br />and Floodway Map (FBFM), as shown in Figures <br />1,32 and 1,33, <br /> <br />12 <br />