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Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps

Maricopa County, AZ
Population: 2,122,101
Program Year: 2006

Abstract:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) updates and maintains flood maps for over 19,000 communities in the United States. These maps identify which areas lay within the boundaries of a floodplain and indicate in which areas it is safe to build. Constantly changing flood hazards and the tremendous amount of work involved in keeping these maps current results in a large portion of the maps being outdated and inaccurate. FEMA has encouraged participation of local agencies in the flood mapping process through use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Maricopa County is one of the first counties in the nation to undertake this challenge and produce over 300 digital flood insurance maps (DFIRM) for use by county residents. These DFIRM were produced in-house and involved the cooperation of multiple county agencies to generate a common base map and to ensure compliance with federal cartographic mapping standards. These maps are all available online, facilitating use by county residents and enhancing public education of flood hazards.

For more information regarding individual programs, please contact the county contact person listed. For more information about NACo's Achievement Award program, please contact Kathryn Murphy