NFIP Overview
Abilene participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and has adopted and administers floodplain development requirements within the 100-year floodplain. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and provides flood insurance at reasonable costs to homeowners and businesses in Abilene. Most structures built or substantially improved within the 100-year floodplain are required to be floodproofed either by elevating the building or designing the building to resist flood damage. The ultimate goals of the program are:
- to provide (in some cases require) flood insurance;
- to avoid loss of property and life due to flooding;
- to retain open spaces and cropland;
- to mitigate the releasing of pollutants into watercourses; and
- to allow the natural stormwater detention function of the floodplain to be intact.
Requirements, Applications, Codes and Resources
Structures within the 100-year floodplain must be floodproofed to 1 foot above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). Most improvements within the floodplain require the homeowner to provide a certified elevation survey and a floodplain development permit. Once construction is completed, a post-construction elevation survey is required to document that the improvements are properly floodproofed. The following documents provide greater detail on the program and requirements.
