Glossary

100-year flood

The flood having a 1% or greater chance of occurring any given year.

500-year flood

The flood having a 0.2% or greater chance of occurring any given year.

Base Flood

A flood having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year; also referred to as the 100-year flood.

Base Flood Elevation (BFE)

The elevation shown on the FIRM that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a 1% chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year. BFE is not depth of flooding. To determine depth of flooding, you would need to subtract the elevation at the location of interest from the BFE.

Closed Basin Lake

A natural lake from which water leaves primarily through evaporation or sinkholes and whose surface area exceeds or has exceeded one square mile at any time in the recorded past.

Community Number

A 6-digit designation identifying each NFIP community. The first two numbers are the state code. The next four are the FEMA-assigned community number. An alphabetical suffix is added to a community number to identify revisions in the Flood Insurance Rate Map for that community. Leon County's Community Number is 120143.

Community Rating System (CRS)

A program developed by FEMA to provide incentives for those communities in the National Flood Insurance Program that have gone beyond the minimum floodplain management requirements to develop extra measures to provide protection from flooding.

Elevation Certificate (EC)

A certificate that verifies the elevation data of a structure on a given property relative to the ground level. The Elevation Certificate is used by local communities and builders to ensure compliance with local floodplain management ordinances and is also used by insurance agents and companies in the rating of flood insurance policies.

Erosion

The collapse, undermining, or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water. Erosion is a covered peril if it is caused by waves or currents of water exceeding their cyclical levels which result in flooding.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The federal agency under which the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is administered. In March 2003, FEMA became part of the newly created U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Flood

A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is the policyholder's property) from one of the following:

Overflow of inland or tidal waters

Unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

Mudflow

Collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or similar body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels that result in a flood as defined above.

Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)

An official map of a community, on which FEMA has delineated both the Special Flood Hazard Area's (SFHAs), the Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.

Floodplain

Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source.

Floodplain Management

The operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including but not limited to, emergency preparedness plans, flood control works, and floodplain management regulations.

Floodproofing

Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures, which reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitation facilities, or structures with their contents.

Freeboard

An additional amount of height above the Base Flood Elevation used as a factor of safety (e.g., 3 feet above the Base Flood) in determining the level at which a structure's lowest floor must be elevated or floodproofed to be in accordance with State or community floodplain management regulations.

Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)

An amendment to the currently effective FEMA map which establishes that a property is not located in a Special Flood Hazard Area. A LOMA is issued only by FEMA.

Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)

An official amendment to the currently effective FEMA map. It is issued by FEMA and changes flood zones, delineations, and elevations.

Lowest Adjacent Grade

The lowest point of the ground level immediately next to a building.

Mandatory Purchase

Under the provisions of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, individuals, businesses, and others buying, building, or improving property located in identified areas of special flood hazards within participating communities are required to purchase flood insurance as a prerequisite for receiving any type of direct or indirect federal financial assistance (e.g., any loan, grant, guaranty, insurance, payment, subsidy, or disaster assistance) when the building or personal property is the subject of or security for such assistance.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

A federal program enabling property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding. This insurance is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods.

Out-As-Shown Determination

An alternative outcome of the FEMA letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) review process stating that a specific property is located outside the Special Flood Hazard Area as indicated on the Flood Hazard Boundary Map or the Flood Insurance Rate Map.

Panel

Panel number is numerical designation used to identify the FIRM Map associated with a given area. The first six digits of the Panel number is the community number.

Panel Date

This is the date recorded in the FEMA database, which is associated with the given Panel Number.

Repetitive Loss Structure

An NFIP-insured structure that has had at least two paid flood losses of more than $1,000 each in any 10-year period since 1978.

Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) Properties

NFIP-insured buildings that, on the basis of paid flood losses since 1978, meet either of the loss criteria described on page SRL 1. SRL properties with policy effective dates of January 1, 2007, and later will be afforded coverage (new business or renewal) only through the NFIP Servicing Agent's Special Direct Facility so that they can be considered for possible mitigation activities.

Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)

A FEMA-identified high-risk flood area where flood insurance is mandatory for properties. An area having special flood, mudflow, or flood-related erosion hazards, and shown on a Flood Hazard Boundary Map or a Flood Insurance Rate Map.

Substantial Damage

Leon County Code of Laws defines substantial damage as damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred. This term also includes "repetitive loss" structures.

Substantial Improvement

Substantial improvement is defined by the Leon County Code of Laws as any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cumulative cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the "start of construction" of the improvement. This term includes structures that have incurred "substantial damage" regardless of the actual repair work performed. This term does not, however, include any repair or improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of State of Florida or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications, which have been identified by the local code enforcement official prior to the application for permit for improvement, and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions. This term does not include any alteration of a historic structure, provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a historic structure.

Zone

A geographical area shown on a Flood Hazard Boundary Map or a Flood Insurance Rate Map that reflects the severity or type of flooding in the area.

Addtional Resources

• FloodSmart.gov Glossary
• National Flood Insurance Program Terminology Index