Even if you live in the mountains, you are at risk of dealing with flood damage, but some areas are riskier than others. Knowing how your Scottsdale, AZ home is marked helps you prepare yourself and your family better in case of a flooding event. While our flood insurance agents at Homeowners Insurance Group can help you determine whether your home is in a high-risk flood area or not, it is essential that you know how to check this yourself.
How to read the flood map
If you can read a flood map, it becomes easier to determine where your home stands and the risk level to help you prepare early. If your home is in a low-risk area, the flood map will typically mark it as an ‘area of minimal flood hazard’ in the geographic area. If it is in a high-risk area, it will be marked as a ‘special flood hazard area.’
The FEMA flood map
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a tool that you can use to check the level of risk. This map service shows you the information you need to make smart choices such as floodways, flood zones, and your risk level. There is also other helpful infrastructural information about features like coastal barriers, levees, and base flood line.
Flood zones
Flood zones are labeled from A, B, C, D, etc. Insurance providers across Arizona use these labels to identify the flood risk level and appropriately set flood insurance terms and rates.
Keep track of changes.
If you check your flood risk level today, come back after a few years and check again. With so much construction work going on, changes in floodplains, topography, and zone designations may be inevitable.
Knowing your level of flood risk helps you prepare yourself for a possible flooding event. For more information, feel free to contact the Homeowners Insurance Group in Scottsdale, AZ today!
