A Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is an area identified by the United States

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

(FEMA) as an area with a special flood or

mudflow A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a significa ...

, and/or flood related erosion hazard, as shown on a flood hazard boundary map or flood insurance rate map. Areas within the SFHA are designated on the flood insurance rate map as Zone A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, AH, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/AH, AR/AO, AR/A1-A30, V1-V30 or V. Land areas that are at high risk for flooding are called special flood hazard areas (SFHAs), or floodplains. These areas are indicated on flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs). In high-risk areas, there is at least a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage.

References

Flood insurance Federal Emergency Management Agency Floodplains of the United States {{US-gov-stub