HOW DID FEMA DETERMINE WHAT AREAS WERE FLOODED BY HURRICANE RITA’S STORM SURGE? SHOULD I BE CONCERNED IF THE MAPPED SURGE INUNDATION DOES NOT EXACTLY MATCH WHAT FEMA SHOWS ON THE RECOVERY MAPS?
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, inundation limits were interpolated from more distant HWMs, with coastal engineering judgment and eyewitness accounts (when available) used to complete the mapping. Because of inherent variability in HWM elevations, the scarcity of available HWMs in some areas, and small-scale variations in topography, the extent of the surge inundation shown on the Rita Recovery Maps may over- or underestimate the actual coastal flooding that occurred. Thus, the information on the maps should be considered approximate and may be subject to change as additional data become ava
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