Floodplain maps and studies
FEMA produces Flood Insurance Studies and FIRM. These resources describe flood hazards based on the best available science and information available. They serve as the basis for determining when floodplain development and insurance requirements apply to structures. You can request copies of all FIRM panels and flood insurance studies maintained by the City.
Access FEMA floodplain maps online to find all flood hazard mapping products created under the National Flood Insurance Program.
Floodplain Management Plan
As a key element of Salem's
Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan, the
Floodplain Management Plan identifies flood hazards throughout the community, evaluates the problems caused by those hazards, reviews possible mitigation activities, and creates an action plan to mitigate those flood hazards. The plan is also integral to the City's participation in FEMA's Community Rating System, which reduces annual flood insurance premiums citywide.
Services and information
The City provides a wide range of floodplain information and services to the community including maps, boundary verification, and flooding data. Some of the services the City provides are:
- Establishing if the property is located within the FEMA mapped SFHA
- Verifying Flood Insurance Rate Map information for the property, including zone, panel number, and effective map dates
- Providing base flood elevation and flood depth data for property, if available
- Determining natural floodplain function areas that should be protected, such as wetlands
- Providing regulatory floodplain development provisions that apply to a property
- Maintaining the flood damage history for specific properties, if available
Staff is available to make
site visits to review flood, drainage, and sewer problems as well as to provide local watershed information and describe how flooding occurs in areas around the city.