FAQ for Hingham Residents on FEMA Flood Map Changes

The Town of Hingham has posted an information sheet on frequently asked questions about the changes to FEMA flood maps.

Below are a couple examples from the presentation. Click here for the full presentation. 

1. What is a floodplain?

A floodplain is an area of land where water collects, pools and flows during the course of natural events. Such areas are classified as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) and are located in a 100-year flood zone. These are areas where the National Flood Insurance Program's floodplain management regulations must be enforced and where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies for federally backed bank mortgages.

2. What is the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)?

The NFIP is a Federal program created by Congress to mitigate future flood losses nationwide through community-enforced building and zoning regulations and to provide access to federally backed flood insurance protection for property owners. The NFIP 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.

Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government that states that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management regulation to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses.

3. What is a Flood Insurance Rate Map?

Flood Insurance Rate Maps or FIRMs, are used to determine the flood risk to your home or business. The low and moderate-risk zones are represented on the maps by the letter "X" or an "X" that is shaded. The inland high-risk zones will be labeled with designations such as "A", "AE", "AO" or "AH", and coastal high- risk zones that have additional risk from storm surge will be labeled "V" or "VE".

FEMA recently updated FIRMs for the Town of Hingham through its Map Modernization Project. Map Modernization efforts account for changes in water flow and drainage patterns that take place over time due to surface erosion, land use and natural forces. The new maps were formally adopted by the Town of Hingham in 2012 and replace the previous 1986 maps in their entirety.