Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I get aerial photos?

A. Adding aerial photos to your account is easy! All you have to do is log in, click on the account maintenance icon, (located in the bottom of the search by address screen), and check off Birdseye Geocoding (located just above change user info icon).

Q. Where does the flood data come from?

A. The data comes directly from First American Flood Data Services product insuring accurate and current FEMA regulation revisions.

Q. What flood information does Flood Insights provide?

A. Flood Insights provides:

1. FEMA information: Community names, panel numbers, panel suffixes, flood zones and map revision dates.
2. First American Flood Data Services identifiers: Unique codes for areas where FEMA provides no codes.

Q. But I still don't get all the map panel information for some properties, why?

A. These Communities or areas with missing panel information are not, for a number of different reasons, "Regular" participants in FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program. Depending on which information field is missing, blank information fields can tell you about a Communities FEMA status and/or its flood risk.

Examples:

(1) No Panel Suffix

• Most of FEMA's earliest maps (Flood Hazard Boundary Maps) were issued without suffixes. Some FHBM maps are still in use today.

(2) No Panel Number or Suffix and Zone is "X"

• NSFHA - No Special Flood Hazard Area. These are communities that have been surveyed and found to have no risk of flood. FEMA gives them community numbers and Zone X designation. FEMA issues no maps for these NSFHA communities.

(3) No Panel Number or Suffix and Zone is "N"

• These communities do not participate in FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program. First American identifies these "Out of Program" communities with a Zone "N"designation.

(4) No Panel Number or Suffix, Community Number contains an "X" and Zone is "Z"

• Unclaimed Areas - Resulting from discrepancies or inconsistencies between community boundaries. When any one community does not claim this area, First American Flood Data Services identifies these areas with their Special Community Code containing one or more "X" and a Zone "Z" designation.

(5) No Panel Number, Suffix and the Zone Community Code uniquely contains one or more "X"'s

• FEMA Exempt - Military Bases, National Parks, Indian Reservations, etc. These areas are exempt (i.e. not surveyed, no maps) from FEMA rules. FEMA issues no Community, Panel or Zone designations for these areas. First American Flood Data Services identifies these areas with their Special Community Code containing one or more "X" but shows it with a Zone "N" designation.

Q. How do I use the zoom options on the map?

A.On the results page, you have several options for map manipulation: zoom in, zoom out and zoom level. To zoom in and obtain a closer view of your property and the surrounding area, click the Zoom In radio button and click on the map. The Flood Insights redraws the map at a zoom level half of the previous level, for example if the originating zoom level is 20 miles and Zoom In is performed the resulting level of zoom is at 10 miles. Zooming out is performed in the same manner as zooming in. The zoom level is increased by half, for example if the originating zoom level is 20 miles and Zoom Out is performed the resulting level of zoom is at 40 miles. You may manually set the zoom level by clicking the Zoom Level radio button and entering a mileage value in the field. Click on the map to activate the zoom.

Glossary of Flood Terms

Flood Zone Definitions and Legend Descriptions

Availability

Questions? Contact Customer Service at 800.746.7797 (9:00am - 5:00pm EST) PLEASE HAVE YOUR USERNAME AVAILABLE TO EXPEDITE THE CALL!

FLOOD INSIGHTS — Determinations From Your Desktop

 

Curious about Flood Data? Ask Professor Flood!