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The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FEMA and its partners develop and provide flood hazard data and maps in support of the NFIP. Recently, FEMA led an unprecedented effort to update these flood hazard maps, known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) into a digital format. This FEMA-led effort to create digital versions of the FIRMs is referred to as Map Modernization (Map Mod). FEMA is building on the Map Mod effort by implementing its Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) Strategy. New flood studies/mapping projects undertaken as part of the Risk MAP Program build upon data developed under Map Mod to continually improve the flood hazard and risk information provided to communities.

Watershed Approach

The HUC 8 maps depict watersheds that use an 8-digit hydrologic unit basis (HUC-8) and are used by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in their watershed and natural resources program. FEMA is using these HUC 8 maps as a basic reference as they develop a watershed approach for flood mapping and mitigation planning as part of the Risk MAP strategy.

To read more about how the NRCS uses watersheds and the watershed approach in their programs, click here to read a fact sheet from NRCS.

To view a map of HUC 8 watersheds in Region IX, click here.

Production and Technical Services The BakerAECOM Regional Support Center in Region IX (RSC 9), located near the FEMA Regional Office in Oakland, is providing production and technical services for risk identification, hazard risk assessment and mitigation planning, outreach, and other services to assist FEMA with the implementation of Risk MAP.

The objective of the county- and study-specific studies/mapping projects being conducted by the BakerAECOM team is to develop Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports, and to provide related risk assessment and mitigation planning support services. All processes and deliverables will be completed in accordance with FEMA’s Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partner (G&S) and Procedure Memorandums (PMs) in effect as of the date that the studies/mapping projects were undertaken.

RSC 9 will produce DFIRMs and FIS reports either as a countywide revision or as a revision to select map panels within Counties, referred to as a Physical Map Revision (PMR). The DFIRMs will reference the elevation data to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). (Refer to PM 41 for exceptions.)