What is the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
An SFHA, otherwise known as the one-percent-annual-chance floodplain, is commonly referred to as the 100-year floodplain. However, FEMA and its communities are moving away from this reference because it can easily be misinterpreted to mean that a community will only flood once every one hundred years. In fact, the true meaning of the term is quite the opposite: In any given year, there is actually a one percent chance or greater that an SFHA will experience flooding that equals or exceeds its boundaries. There are geographic areas that have sustained multiple 100-year or one-percent-annual-chance floods within concurrent years. On the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM,) the SFHA is shown as a darkly shaded area labeled as a flood zone containing the letters A or V. FIRMs based upon a Flood Insurance Study may include the demarcation of the regulatory floodway within the SFHA.
Related Questions
- What if my property is located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), but the structure is not? Is flood insurance required?
- Can I buy flood insurance for my property if the property is not in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
- How can a property owner determine if the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
