Are Indianapolis & Fort Wayne, Indiana flood zones?

[Andri Artayudianto]

HI BP, are Indianapolis & Fort Wayne, Indiana flood zones?

[Bob Razler]

Hello @Andri Artayudianto .  Luckily flood zones are not plotted on such large areas.  They are very local.  Each waterway is analyzed and its flood zone plotted.  Also, there are various flood zones, not just in or out, so you need to understand which zones impact your property.

FEMA publishes flood maps for the USA and you can look up the area where your property is located. If you are near a stream you will see an "outline" around that stream that maps the flood zones. If you have multiple streams or rivers, their flood zones may overlap during certain rain events.

Also, another issue that many people don't know is that you can apply to have a flood map revised to remove your property with the proper backup. For example, let's say that during a 100 yr rain event (chance of happening once every 100 years) the water level near your home reaches an elevation of 100 ft above sea level (generally use a datum referred to as NGVD). If your home sits on a hill and is at 115 ft above sea level, there is a good chance that the FEMA map did not account for this local elevation anomaly and it shows you in the flood zone. You can get a land surveyor to fill out a certification of your elevation and apply for a map revision.

Of course, you don't want it removed from the flood zone if it actually is in the zone....you want the insurance.

Here is a link to the FEMA map site. You can enter an address and see the map and any amendments.

https://msc.fema.gov/portal

Good Luck!

Bob