Flooding is one of the most common and recurrent hazards to impact New York State. All too often, homeowners, renters, and businesses find out that flood damage is not covered by traditional insurance policies after a flood event occurs. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and provides federally backed flood insurance to property owners, renters, and businesses and encourages communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations designed to reduce future flooding impacts.
Communities that participate in the NFIP must implement floodplain management regulations that meet or exceed the NFIP's minimum requirements. These regulations guide land use and construction in floodplains to reduce flood damage and protect residents. In New York, NFIP participation is mandatory for all communities with mapped flood risk. The information produced through this BLE process can help communities in the Upper Susquehanna and Chenango Watersheds form a more complete picture of their flood risk. Utilizing this information in conjunction with local floodplain management regulations will help minimize future flood damage and make communities more resilient.
Flood risk changes over time. Changes in rainfall, new development, additional data, and more precise modeling techniques provide a better understanding of flood risk, which can then be used to make communities safer.
Learn additional background on BLE (What Is BLE?)
Discover how to use BLE for floodplain management (How Can You Use BLE Data?)
Find out about FEMA’s Risk MAP Program (What Is Risk MAP?)
Explore Floodplain Management and Funding Resources (Training & Funding Resources)
Share insurance resources with your community members so they can understand the options that are available to them.
Help your community members obtain NFIP policies and work with them to meet requirements