Print this page Ensuring that Structures Built on Fill, Are Reasonably Safe from Flooding
Jeffrey Havelin, P.E.
Course Outline
This (two-hour) course is based on the FEMA construction guidelines for ensuring that structures built on fill are reasonably safe from flooding.
FEMA identifies and maps flood hazard areas nationwide by conducting flood hazard studies and publishing Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These flood hazard areas, referred to as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), are based on a flood having a 1-percent probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (also referred to as the 100-year flood or Base Flood).
When permitted under applicable Federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations, earthen fill is sometimes placed in an SFHA to reduce flood risk to the filled area. Under certain conditions, when engineered earthen fill is placed within an SFHA to raise the surface of the ground to or above the BFE, a request may be submitted to FEMA to revise the FIRM to indicate that the filled land is outside of the SFHA. When such revisions are warranted, FEMA usually revises the FIRM by issuing a Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F). After FEMA has revised the FIRM to show that the filled land is outside the SFHA, the community is no longer required to apply the minimum NFIP floodplain management standards to any structures built on the land and the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements no longer apply.
This course is based entirely on the FEMA Technical Bulletin (10-01) Ensuring That Structures Built on Fill In or Near Special Flood Hazard Areas Are Reasonably Safe From Flooding.
This course includes
a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding
of course materials.
Learning
Objective
This course will specifically review "Reasonably Safe From Flooding" guidelines for Buildings, and will cover the following topics:
- Basement construction, engineered option;
- Basement foundation, in fill placed above BFE;
- Basement foundation, with lowest opening at BFE;
- Crawlspace foundation;
- Fill, placed to remove land from the SFHA;
- Fill, proper placement of;
- Freeboard, recommendations;
- Professional certification;
- "Reasonably safe from flooding," defined;
- "Reasonably safe from flooding," NFIP regulations concerning;
- Slab-on-grade foundation;
- Stem wall foundation; and
- Sump pump, requirements
for simplified basement construction.
Intended
Audience
This
course would be very informative for engineers or architects who are involved
with the construction industry.
Course Content
This course is based entirely on the FEMA Technical Bulletin (10-01) Ensuring That Structures Built on Fill In or Near Special Flood Hazard Areas Are Reasonably Safe From Flooding
The link to the course materials is as follows:
Please
click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document
for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first
save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save
Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
