Flood zones and evacuation zones are different. A structure not in an evacuation zone may still be at risk for flooding. Residents are encouraged to learn if they live in a flood zone, evacuation zone, or both.

Flood Zones

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps flood zones for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Zones are categorized by their risk for flooding and represented by letters on a map. Areas of special concern are those identified as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) on FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). An area designated as a Special Flood Hazard Area will have a greater frequency – and a greater annual probability – that a flood will occur. For example, a parcel in Zones A and AE will have a 1 percent annual chance of flooding, or a 26 percent chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. The same can be said for Zones V and VE along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. These zones are also known as high risk zones. Areas of moderate to low risk – referred to as Zone X – comprise the majority of the County, and are identified as areas between the limits of the 100-year and 500-year floods. But just because your parcel is not within a high risk zone does not mean that your parcel will not flood.

Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) will generally show a community’s base elevations and flood zones. These maps are continually being updated due to changes over time. To get an accurate determination for your parcel, please contact your insurance company or local floodplain manager. By law, all homes carrying a mortgage in a high risk zone must be covered by flood insurance.

For more information on Flood Zones in unincorporated Flagler County, please call (386) 313-4009 or email planningdept@flaglercounty.org.

Flood Insurance

Flood losses are not usually covered by normal homeowner’s insurance policies. The National Flood Insurance Program makes federally backed flood insurance available to residents and business owners. Flood damage covered under the policy – whether or not a federal disaster declaration is made – will be reimbursed per the policy limits, which can include structural damage or the loss of contents. Even if your parcel is not within a Special Flood Hazard Area, the purchase of flood insurance is advisable: the annual premium is minimal compared to the benefit if a covered loss occurs.

Evacuation Zones

Current evacuation zones were created by modeling hurricane storm surge. Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides. This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with the normal high tide, resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some cases. The National Hurricane Center uses ground elevation and historical vulnerability data to model potential storm surge. The County’s evacuation zones are labeled A through F to coincide with the potential storm surge.

Availability of Flood Zone Information

If you want to know if your parcel is in the Special Flood Hazard Area for unincorporated Flagler County, you can go online at the Flagler County Property Appraiser’s web site (www.flaglerpa.com): once the address is verified and the parcel record is displayed, click on the ‘View Map’ hyperlink below the Parcel Summary header. When the map is displayed, click the ‘FEMA FIRM’ box in the Layer List menu on the left. At the top of the menu on the left is a tab for the Legend, and you can toggle between the Layer List and the Legend as needed. You can also find the official Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) for your property through the FEMA Map Service Center and access a range of other flood hazard products, and take advantage of tools for better understanding flood risk.

The Planning and Zoning Department also provides Flood Zone Information, and may be able to provide copies of Elevation Certificates (EC) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Letters of Map Amendments (LOMA) for existing structures. Please contact us with your floodplain questions at (386) 313-4009, by fax at (386) 313-4109, or email at planningdept@flaglercounty.org. We also have copies of FEMA Elevation Certificates on all buildings constructed or substantially improved within the unincorporated area of Flagler County in the floodplain since January 2012. We also have historic flood zone maps dating back to 1986.

Flood Information Documents