SFHA are defined as the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Many also believe that this affects the housing market, as people are less likely to purchase a home in a flood zone due to the high cost of flood insurance – regardless of if the house has ever actually been in a flood. Flood hazard areas identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The addition of more properties to the legal flood zone area by FEMA has raised the ire of many homeowners, since flood insurance is mandatory if you live in a high-risk area and have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender. Also, if a severe storm is in the forecast, prepare ahead of time by putting together a bag of important items, such as water, non-perishable food, medications, clothing, important documents, flashlights and batteries, and a battery-powered or hand-crank radio. To stay safe in the event of a flood or predicted storm surge, it is integral to know your emergency evacuation routes for your area, either in Nassau County or Suffolk County, and to also be able to locate the hurricane shelter nearest you. If a storm occurs at high tide, it can have a much more devastating impact than it would if the storm hit at low tide. Another factor that contributes to the severity of a storm on parts of Long Island is the point at which the storm strikes during the tide cycle. Due to the positioning and low elevation of the North and South Forks, both are also considered vulnerable to flooding in the event of another strong hurricane. The areas that are most susceptible to the highest storm surges are Amityville Harbor, Atlantic Beach, Long Beach, South Oyster Bay, Middle Bay, East Bay, and Montauk Point. The largest flood zones on the Island are found on the south shore of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, with Fire Island being the first area to flood. Though much of Long Island was previously not thought of as being prone to flooding, this was amended by FEMA after Hurricane Sandy revealed the true vulnerabilities of different areas on the Island. According to the Suffolk County Government, just over 220,000 people, or about 15% of Long Island’s 1.5 million residents live in an area that would be considered a flood zone in the event of a Category 4 storm – the most severe hurricane that could hit the area, which would be traveling in a northeast direction up the Atlantic coastline. More information can be found at the FEMA Letter of Map Amendment page.When living on Long Island, it is incredibly important to know where flood zones are located, and to prepare your house if your property falls within one of those zones. This information is then sent to FEMA with the request that the structure be removed from the Special Flood Hazard Area. You would be responsible for hiring a land surveyor to establish the actual elevation at the foundation wall of your dwelling (i.e., Elevation Certificate). If you believe the FIRM map is inaccurate in how it identifies your property, you may seek a "Letter of Map Amendment" (LOMA). Further, the FIRM maps were developed at a large scale and may not accurately describe the details of your specific property. It may be that potions of your property are within the Special Flood Hazard Area, while your home itself is not. An official written interpretation can be issued upon request of the Zoning Officer 58 or through email. The attached map is for illustrative purposes only. A property that is located within the 100-year Flood Plain (or Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)) may be required by the mortgage holder to carry additional flood insurance. In order to determine whether you reside in a storm flood zone, please use the link provided in the resource section below. The City of Canandaigua maintains and interprets the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) (PDF) prepared by FEMA. Suffolk County has mapped the expected flood zones for Category 1 Hurricanes on interactive website maps which also identify the name and location of Emergency Shelters for the flooded areas.
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