# Ask the Certified Floodplain Manager **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-certified-floodplain-manager/415113 "2007-08-10T07:22:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-certified-floodplain-manager/415113/1 "2007-08-10T07:22:19Z")
(this pertains to the US) In my 20-year career my focus has been on hydrology & hydraulics; the study of rainfall and runoff. I’ve been fortunate to participate in the mapping of our nation’s floodplains. Athough the NFIP was created through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, many folks are unaware of what floodplain mapping is all about. Common fallacies: “My house flooded, so I can’t get flood insurance.” As long as your community participates in the NFIP, _any_ property owner can buy flood insurance. “My house is not in a mapped floodplain, so I can’t buy flood insurance.” See above. Any property in an NFIP community can be covered. “I’ve never seen this creek flood. Why am I in a flood zone?” The zones are mapped for the 1% chance flood; That is, the flood which has a 1% chance of occuring in any given year (commonly called the 100-year flood). “We had a 100-year flood last year. It will be 99 years before that happens again.” This is why I prefer the term “1% chance flood”. That 1% chance is there EVERY year. FEMA estimates that a person living in the 1% chance floodplain has a 24% chance of experiencing that flood within 30 years (average mortgage life). What else would you like to know? 🙂 --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-certified-floodplain-manager/415113)._