WELCOME

Welcome to the home page for the Louisiana Mapping Project (LaMP). The LaMP effort is being undertaken by Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of its ongoing nationwide effort to update and modernize flood hazard maps. The LaMP effort will result in homeowners, business owners, State and local government officials, and other citizens of 15 parishes in Louisiana receiving more accurate flood hazard and risk information. Click here to view a map of the affected Louisiana parishes.

New FEMA Flood Maps: What Makes Them The Best?

An intensive five-year mapping project guided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reached an important milestone. Updated preliminary flood hazard maps have now been provided to all Louisiana coastal parishes. The new maps, known as Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), are based on the most technically advanced flood insurance study ever performed for Louisiana, followed by multiple levels of review. They provide an up-to-date, accurate picture of coastal Louisiana flood risks. (more)

PRELIMINARY FLOOD MAP RELEASE BEGINS

“Open House” type Public Meetings

After a major effort to update the surge inundation methodology used on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, FEMA is now releasing “Preliminary” Flood Insurance Rate Maps to the southern Louisiana Parishes. As the maps are released, the LaMP team will engage in an intensive effort to help citizens in the affected parishes determine the impact of the new flood data on their individual situations.  “Open House” type public meetings are being conducted in every parish to inform business and home owners about their options regarding the new preliminary maps.  These meetings are being conducted by the parish and community governments with support from FEMA, the LaMP Team, the Corps of Engineers, the study contractors, and others.  These “Open House” meetings are being advertised by the parish and community governments in local newspapers, radio and television announcements

Community Coordination Meeting

Each delivery of the new Preliminary Maps to individual parishes and communities is being announced by a press release.  An interactive version of the Preliminary maps as well as the current  Effective Maps and any available Advisory Base Flood Elevation Maps are being posted on this website. (example) 

Delivery of the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps is the first step in an open process designed to elicit interaction between the communities and the FEMA map makers. Ample time is given for the communities to understand the proposed maps and to submit Appeals or Protest.  Upon release of the preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate maps (DFIRMs), the Parish and all incorporated communities will have approximately 30 days to review the preliminary information. During that time the FEMA Regional Office will coordinate a date and time to formally present the study results during a Community Coordination Meeting.

Appeals and Protest Period

Approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the Community Coordination Meeting, FEMA will place notification of Proposed Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) in the local newspaper and on FEMA’s website at: https://www.floodmaps.fema.gov/fhm/Scripts/bfe_srch.asp?state=LA . There will be two publications in the local newspaper(s) within a 10-day period immediately following the notification to the community.

THE FEMA MAP MODERNIZATION EFFORT

Well before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, FEMA embarked on a nationwide effort to update flood hazard maps in floodprone communities across the U.S. This multiyear Presidential initiative, begun in 2003 with the support of the U.S. Congress, is referred to as Flood Map Modernization, or Map Mod. The Map Mod effort is undertaken by FEMA as the federal agency responsible for implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). For more information on the NFIP, please click here.

FLOOD RECOVERY DATA

In July 2005, FEMA initiated a study for the majority of the Louisiana coastal parishes as part of the Map Mod effort. This study was necessary because the flood hazard and risk information shown on many FIRMs was developed during the 1970s, and the physical terrain had changed significantly. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, FEMA expanded the scope of this study to include all of coastal Louisiana.

The magnitude of the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita reinforced the urgency to obtain additional flood recovery data for the coastal zones of Louisiana. More detailed analysis was possible because new data were obtained after the hurricanes including information on levees and levee systems, new high-water marks, and new hurricane parameters.

During an initial post-hurricane analysis, FEMA determined that the flood elevations shown on the FIRMs for many Louisiana communities referred to as Base Flood Elevations, or BFEs were too low. Therefore, FEMA created recovery maps showing the extent and magnitude of Hurricane Katrina’s and Rita’s surge, as well as information on other storms over the past 25 years. The advisory flood data shown on the recovery maps for the Louisiana-declared disaster areas show high-water marks surveyed after the storm; flood limits developed from these surveyed points; and Advisory Base Flood Elevations, or ABFEs. The recovery maps and other advisory data were developed to assist parish officials, homeowners, business owners, and other affected citizens with their recovery and rebuilding efforts. The maps and data are available for review through a dedicated portion of the FEMA Website. To review the recovery data and maps, please click here for Katrina data and click here for Rita data.

For additional information about Flood Recovery Data, click here.

THE LaMP EFFORT

As part of the LaMP effort, in cooperation with private engineering firms and local and regional government partners, FEMA will present detailed coastal flood hazard and risk information on the new DFIRMs and in the reports that accompany them. These reports are called Flood Insurance Study reports, or FIS reports.

The new storm surge modeling and detailed coastal flood hazard analyses for the 15 Louisiana parishes along the Gulf Coast are being conducted by the New Orleans District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, and will be incorporated into the new DFIRMs and FIS reports. The LaMP effort is significant and important for citizens, businesses, and government officials in Louisiana for the following reasons:

• The new flood data and resulting DFIRMs will show the extent to which areas of the parishes including individual properties are at risk of flooding.
• The new DFIRMs will help homeowners and business owners understand their current flood risk and enable more informed financial decisions about protecting their property.
• The new DFIRMs will aid the insurance agents and lenders who are responsible for implementing the insurance requirements of the NFIP.
• The new DFIRMs will allow community planners, local officials, engineers, builders and others to make important determinations about where and how to build new structures and developments to maximize the safety of citizens.

Thank you for visiting the LaMP Website. Please take some additional time to visit and become familiar with all pages of the LaMP Website. Your feedback is crucial to our success, and we welcome your comments and suggestions. If you would like to provide feedback or have a question, please click here and complete the form provided.