How did FEMA determine what areas got flooded by Hurricane Rita’s storm surge, and should I be concerned if I think the surge limits are inaccurate?
FEMA used the best data available at the time the recovery mapping was completed to estimate the extent and magnitude of Hurricane Rita’s storm surge. To develop this data layer, surge-only High Water Marks (HWMs) collected by FEMA shortly after the storm were compared to detailed, pre-storm topographic data provided by the State of Louisiana. In some areas, few or no HWMs were available to help guide the mapping; in these cases, surge inundation limits were interpolated from more distant HWMs, with coastal engineering judgment and eyewitness accounts (when available) used to complete the mapping. As a result of these and other data limitations, the mapped Rita surge limits may over- or underestimate the actual coastal flooding that occurred. The ABFEs, not the estimated Rita surge limits or surge heights, are what FEMA is advising be used for rebuilding, so there should be no negative impact on property owners if the Rita limits were over- or underestimated. If property owners have de
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