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Post-Katrina ABFEsDuring rebuilding or reconstruction that can follow a flood disaster, local authorities must decide where and how structures will be rebuilt. Federal guidelines can assist the local community as it rebuilds, but the reconstruction process is mandated by local requirements. Building permits for individual home construction or repair are issued by community officials as per local regulations.After Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Gulf Coast states in 2005, FEMA developed Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) standards for rebuilding in the affected areas that approximate 1-percent-annual-chance wave crest elevations. These are sometimes referred to as Advisory Flood Elevations (AFEs) or "Katrina Recovery Maps."  ABFEs extend farther inland than the Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) shown on the pre-Katrina Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The Katrina Recovery Maps also show the approximate inland extent of storm surge inundation experienced during Hurricane Katrina. Since Katrina exceeded the Base Flood Elevation in most locations (as determined by updated flood frequency analyses), the extent of Katrina storm surge penetration generally lies inland of the ABFE limit. However, where the Katrina impact was less extreme (very near the eye where hurricane winds are reduced, to the left of the eye where the peak winds blow offshore rather than onshore, and far to the right of the eye where the winds weaken), the Katrina surge penetration lies seaward of the ABFE limit. FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working together with the latest technology to produce new FIRMs that accurately identify local flood risks. Until FEMA produces updated FIRMs for those areas that now have ABFEs, communities are encouraged to use the new standards to regulate reconstruction and new construction. |
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Last updated on June 1, 2007
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