FLOODPROOFING

LIVING SPACE
Dry floodproofing:
Using waterproof membranes or other
UTILITIES sealants to prevent water from entering
the structure through the walls or wall
ELEVATION
penetrations.
FOUNDATIONS
Installing watertight shields over the
windows and doors (and anywhere below
FLOOD ZONE the level that needs flood protection).
Installing measures to prevent sewer
A Quick Guide to
All homes in flood zones should
backup. UNDERSTANDING
Reinforcing walls to withstand floodwater
adhere to the following: pressures and impacts generated by floating FLOOD ZONES
debris.
Drainage collection systems and sump Base Flood Elevation (BFE):
Must be properly anchored to Elevation of flooding, including wave height,
resist flotation, collapse, and lateral pumps to control interior water level, collect
seepage, and reduce hydrostatic pressure on having a 1% chance of being equaled or
movement. slab and walls. exceeded in any given year (a.k.a. “base
Building materials shall be resistant to Anchoring the structure to resist flotation, flood” and “100-year flood”). The BFE is
flood damage. collapse, and lateral movement. the basis of insurance and floodplain
Building shall be constructed by management requirements and is shown
method and practices that minimize Wet floodproofing: on FIRMs.
flood damage. Design Flood Elevation (DFE): Regulatory
Utilities, including electrical, heating, Permanent or contingent measures are
applied to a structure and/or its contents flood elevation adopted by a local
ventilation, plumbing, air-conditioning community. Typically, the DFE is the
that prevent or provide resistance to damage
equipment (including ductwork) from flooding by allowing flood waters to BFE plus any freeboard adopted by the
shall be designed and/or located so automatically enter and exit the structure. community. If a community regulates to
as to prevent water from entering or Under NFIP, wet floodproofing is limited to minimum NFIP requirements, the DFE is
accumulating within the components. specific situations in A Zones. Communities identical to the BFE.
may allow wet floodproofing only though
More specific NFIP requirements are Freeboard:
the issuance of a variance.
functions of the flood zone. The vertical difference between the lowest
floor of a building and the BFE, usually
expressed in feet. It can be thought
of as a factor of safety to compensate
[email protected] for the fact that flood levels may reach
/ 646.470.9545
phone higher that the BFE. Since freeboard is
determined/enforced by the community,
fax / 646.496.9130 we recommend an additional 2 feet of
www.theelevatedstudio.org freeboard to accommodate for predicted
sea level rise for 2050.
 TYPES OF ZONES HOW CAN I FIND MY FLOOD ZONE?
Zone V: Portion of the Special Flood
Hazard Area (SFHA) that extends from
GO TO:
offshore to the inland limit of a primary www.region2coastal.com
frontal dune along an open coast, and
any other area subject to high-velocity
wave action from storms or tsunamis.
“What is my BFE Address?”
Coastal A Zone: A subset of Zone A.
Specifically, that portion of the SFHA
landward of Zone V (or landward of a
coastline without a mapped Zone V) in
which the principal source of flooding is
coastal storms, and where the potential Insert Address
base flood wave height is between 1.5 ex: 901 Boulevard,
Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
and 3.0 feet. Click “Get Details”

Zone A: Portion of the SFHA in which

the principal source of flooding is runoff Your BFE = EL 7, Zone AE
from rainfall, snowmelt, or coastal storms
where the potential base flood wave
height is between 0.0 and 3.0 feet.

Zone X: Includes shaded and unshaded WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Zone X. The flood hazard is less severe
here than in the SFHA.
In ALL zones: Residential buildings Zone V: Dry floodproofing is not
MUST be elevated to or above the BFE. allowed for non-residential buildings.
New buildings must be located
Zone A: Lowest floor including landward of the reach of the mean
basement must be elevated to or above high tide. The bottom of the lowest
the BFE. Enclosures below elevated horizontal structural member of the
buildings must have flood openings. lowest floor is elevated to or above the
Nonresidential buildings may be BFE. Areas below elevated buildings
elevated or dry floodproofed. are either free-of-obstructions or
enclosed with lattice or breakaway
walls.