August 21, 2000 

 

MEMORANDUM FOR: Doug Bellomo, P.E., Project Officer 

Eastern Studies Team 

 

 Bill Blanton, Project Officer 

Central Studies Team 

 

Mike Grimm, Project Officer 

Western Studies Team 

 

[Original Signed] 

 

FROM: Matthew B. Miller, P.E., Chief 

 Hazards Study Branch 

 

SUBJECT: Procedure Memorandum No. 14 - Use Policy for Coastal BFEs 

 

Background: In areas affected by wave action, the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) portrays 
BFEs as whole foot values that could differ from the actual flood elevation at any given point by as 
much as .5 foot. For example, a coastal flood zone shown as elevation 10 could contain a range of 
elevations from 9.5 to 10.4. 

 

Issue: Riverine flood hazard analyses allow for precise elevation determinations using the Flood 
Profiles and accompanying data tables present in the Flood Insurance Study report. The inherent 
generalities associated with mapping wave height flood elevations leaves a certain amount of 
ambiguity in the determination of flood elevations to one tenth of a foot in coastal flood hazard 
zones. 

 

Final Procedure: The following approved additions to the FIS report and FIRM must be 
implemented immediately to provide clarification on the usage and interpretation of coastal BFEs. 

 

Addition to the Flood Insurance Study Report

 

Insert the following paragraph immediately after the introductory paragraph in Section 3.2 
(Hydraulic Analyses). Note that the introductory paragraph should also provide clarifying 
information on the usage and interpretation of riverine BFEs in accordance with Procedural 
Memorandum No. 3 issued on October 4, 1999. 

 

• Users of the FIRM should also be aware that coastal flood elevations are provided in the 
Summary of Stillwater Elevations table in this report. If the elevation on the FIRM is higher 
than the elevation shown in this table, a wave height, wave runup and/or wave setup component 
likely exists, in which case, the higher elevation should be used for construction and/or 
flooodplain management purposes. 








Addition to the Flood Insurance Rate Map 

 

In the NOTES TO USERS section of the FIRM border, the existing coastal BFE note will be replaced by 
the following note (with the variable datum reference shown below in italics) to all FIRMs not yet 
sent to print at the Government Printing Office. For DFIRMs, this can be added in the NOTES TO 
USERS section; for manual FIRMs, the note may need to be placed in a box near the NOTES TO USERS 
section, depending on space availability in the FIRM border area. Samples of each format will be 
provided at a later date. 

 

Coastal BFEs shown on this map apply only landward of 0.0' NGVD. Users of this FIRM should be 
aware that coastal flood elevations are also provided in the Summary of Stillwater Elevations table in 
the Flood Insurance Study report for this community. Elevations shown in the Summary of Stillwater 
Elevations table should be used for construction, and/or floodplain management purposes when they 
are higher than the elevations shown on this FIRM 

 

 

 

 

CC: See attached distribution list 

 

Attachment 

 

 




bcc: 

 

Office Chron MT-TS-HS 

 

TEC D&D:SRK:SRK 

 

MT-TS-HS 

Bellomo 


Distribution List 

 

FEMA Technical Services Division (electronic distribution only) 

• Mike Buckley 
• Matthew B. Miller 
• Frederick H. Sharrocks Jr. 
• Katie Hayden 
• Doug Bellomo 
• Mike Grimm 
• Phil Myers 
• Bill Blanton 
• John Magnotti 
• Mark Crowell 
• Sally Magee 
• Max Yuan 
• John Gambel 
• Helen Cohn 
• Cynthia Croxdale 
• Agnes De Coca 
• Anne Flowers 
• Cecilia Lynch 
• Kathy Miller 
• Jay Scruggs 





Federal Insurance Administration 

• Joe Coughlin 





Program Assessment and Outreach Division 

 

• Donna Dannels 





Program Support Division 

• Bob Shea 
• Bill Lesser 





FEMA Regional Offices 

• Kevin Merli, Region I 
• Michael Dabney, Region II 
• Thomas Majusiak, Region III 
• A. Todd Davison, Region IV 
• Stuart Rifkind, Region V 
• Frank Pagano, Region VI 
• Bob Bissell, Region VII 
• Steve Olsen, Region VIII 
• Sally Ziolkowski, Region IX 
• Carl Cook, Region 


 




Flood Map Production Coordination Contractors 

• Zekrollah Momeni (Dewberry & Davis) 
• Albert Romano (Baker Engineers) 
• Vince DiCamillo (PBS&J