Flooding Preparedness

National Flood Insurance Program - Official site
http://www.floodsmart.gov

American Red Cross – Are you ready for a flood?
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/readyflood.pdf

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
http://www.fema.gov

What is the "100-year flood"?

The term "100-year flood" is misleading. It is not the flood that will occur once every 100 years. Rather, it is the flood elevation that has a 1- percent chance of being equaled or exceeded each year. Thus, the 100-year flood could occur more than once in a relatively short period of time. The 100-year flood, which is the standard used by most Federal and state agencies, is used by the NFIP as the standard for floodplain management and to determine the need for flood insurance. A structure located within a special flood hazard area shown on an NFIP map has a 26 percent chance of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30 year mortgage.
 

 If your home is in the 1% annual chance floodplain it has a 26% chance of getting flooded over a 30-year period. This means it is about five times more likely to get damaged by flood than by a severe fire.