CERTIFIED FLOODPLAIN MANAGER CORRECT
EXAMS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔What are the objectives of the NFIP? - ✔✔The National Flood Insurance Act created
the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to:
1. Transfer the costs of private property flood losses from the taxpayers to floodplain
property owners through flood insurance premiums.
2. Provide floodplain residents and property owners with financial aid after floods,
especially smaller floods that do not warrant federal disaster aid.
3. Guide development away from flood hazard areas.
4. Require that new and substantially improved buildings be constructed in ways that
would minimize or prevent damage in a flood.
✔✔What are the three basic parts of the NFIP? - ✔✔1. Communities, states, and
Federal agencies use them as the basis for regulating new flood prone construction
2. Insurance agents use them rating flood insurance policies
3. Lenders and Federal agencies use them to determine when flood insurance must be
purchased as a condition of a loan or financial assistance
✔✔What should happen to buildings in NFIP communities over time? - ✔✔Over time,
exposure to flood damage should be reduced, as the older pre-FIRM buildings are
replaced by post-FIRM buildings. Eventually a community should have only post-FIRM
building's subject to little or no flood damage.
✔✔What types of governmental bodies are "communities" by the NFIP? - ✔✔These
governmental bodies vary from state to state, but can include cities, towns, villages,
townships, counties, parishes, special districts, states, and Indian Nations with the
statutory authority to enact and enforce regulations.
✔✔Which FEMA office works directly with communities? - ✔✔The ten Regional Offices
,✔✔What is the Write Your Own Program? - ✔✔An arrangement whereby private
insurance companies write and service NFIP flood Insurance policies under their own
name.
✔✔When a community applies to join the NFIP, what must it submit? - ✔✔1. A
resolution of intent to "maintain in force...adequate land use and control measures" and
to cooperate with FEMA.
2. Its adopted floodplain management ordinance
✔✔What are the sanctions if a community does not participate in the NFIP? - ✔✔1.
Flood insurance will not be available. No resident will be able to purchase a flood
insurance policy through the NFIP.
2. If the community withdraws or is suspended, existing flood insurance policies will not
be renewed.
3. No Federal grants or loans for development may be made in identified flood hazard
areas under programs administered by Federal agencies such as HUD, EPA, and SBA.
4. No Federal disaster assistance may be provided to repair insurable buildings located
in identified flood hazard areas for damage caused by a flood.
5. No Federal mortgage insurance or loan guarantees may be provided in identified
flood hazard areas. This includes policies written by FHA, VA, and others.
Federally insured or regulated lending institutions, such as, banks and credit unions,
must notify applicants seeking loans for insurable buildings in flood hazard areas that:
1. There is a flood hazard
2. The property is not eligible for Federal disaster relief.
✔✔Where does most of the money come from to pay expenses of the NFIP? -
✔✔Premium income. The NFIP has been self-supporting since 1986.
✔✔How many communities currently participate in the NFIP? - ✔✔More than 19,000
✔✔What is a "pre-FIRM" building? - ✔✔A building built before the effective date of the
community's Flood Insurance Rate Map.
✔✔Is there any relation between how a community regulates new construction and
flood insurance rates? - ✔✔Yes. Buildings built in accordance with the community's
regulations have a lower risk of flooding and can be insured at lower rates.
✔✔List two things your community committed itself to when it joined the NFIP. - ✔✔1.
Issuing or denying floodplain development/building permits
2. Inspecting all development to assure compliance with the local ordinance
3. Maintaining records of floodplain development
4. Assisting in the preparation and revision of floodplain maps.
5. Helping residents obtain information on flood hazards, floodplain map data, flood
insurance, and proper construction measures.
,✔✔Insurance companies set flood insurance rates and coverage rules. True or False? -
✔✔False. Flood insurance rates and coverage rules are set by FEMA's Federal
Insurance Administration.
✔✔What can FEMA do to encourage a community to adequately enforce its floodplain
management regulations? - ✔✔1. If the community is in the Community Rating System,
it can reclassify it to a Class 10 (no insurance premium discount).
2. The community can be put on probation.
3. The community can be suspended.
✔✔What are the sanctions if a community is suspended from the NFIP? - ✔✔The same
as for nonparticipation (see question 6, Learning Check 2). Suspension means the
community is no longer a participant in the NFIP.
✔✔As directed by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, FEMA conducts flood
studies in order to determine _______ and ________. - ✔✔floodprone areas, flood risk
zones
✔✔The base flood is a flood that has a _______ of occurring in any year. - ✔✔one
percent chance
✔✔The base flood is also called the _____ year flood. - ✔✔100
✔✔Determine whether the following statements are true or false.
· A 100-year flood will occur only once every 100 years -
· A 100-year flood could occur two times in one year. -
· The 100-year flood might not occur in a 200-year period.
· The base flood could occur in in two consecutive years in a row. - ✔✔FALSE, TRUE,
TRUE, TRUE
✔✔On NFIP maps, the base floodplain is called the _____________. (4 words). -
✔✔Special Flood Hazard Area
✔✔BFE is the acronym for ____________(three words). - ✔✔base flood elevation
✔✔What are the components of a Flood Insurance Study? - ✔✔· The FIS - Flood
Insurance Study report
· The FIRM - Flood Insurance Rate Map
· The Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, which is included in studies prepared before
1986 (Since 1986, floodways are shown on the FIRM)
✔✔For purposes of a riverine flood study, _________ is the study of the distribution and
circulation of water in the environment, and ___________ is the study of fluids in motion
and how water will flow through the channel. - ✔✔Hydrology, Hydraulics
, ✔✔1. The rate at which runoff (an amount of water) flows downstream is called the
flood _________. - ✔✔discharge
✔✔What probable effect does increase in urbanization within a community or upstream
of it have on the stream discharges within that community? - ✔✔Stream discharges
usually will increase as a consequence to the increase in urbanization within a
community or upstream of it.
✔✔What consequence on flood water level of a stream would usually occur when a
bridge is constructed over a stream? - ✔✔A hydraulic analysis is always required to
determine the effect of any bridge construction over a stream. However, construction
over a stream is considered an obstruction to the flow and therefore may increase the
flood water level upstream of the construction.
✔✔To locate the true elevations at a site, surveyors have established ___________
marks also known as ______ marks. - ✔✔elevation reference, bench
✔✔1. Cross sections describe the ________ of the floodplain. - ✔✔shape
✔✔What is the datum used for your FIS, FIRM, and profiles? - ✔✔Depends on the
community. Check the Legend or Key to your FIRM
✔✔Flood profiles are developed by plotting the flood elevations at the _____________
and connecting the plotted points. - ✔✔cross sections
✔✔To make a floodplain map, the base flood elevations are plotted on a _________
map or a _______ map. - ✔✔topographic, contour
✔✔The _________ is defined as the stream channel and that portion of the adjacent
floodplain that must remain open to permit passage of the base flood. - ✔✔floodway
✔✔A floodway analysis conducted to the minimum NFIP standard allows the fringe to
be obstructed until the base flood level is increased by how much? - ✔✔one foot
✔✔What causes storm surge? - ✔✔Storms that bring air pressure changes and strong
winds that "pile" water up against the shore.
✔✔What is wave runup? - ✔✔When waves hit the shore, water moves with such force
that it keeps traveling inland higher than the Stillwater flood level.
✔✔Instead of cross sections, coastal flood engineers survey __________. -
✔✔transects
EXAMS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SET A+
✔✔What are the objectives of the NFIP? - ✔✔The National Flood Insurance Act created
the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to:
1. Transfer the costs of private property flood losses from the taxpayers to floodplain
property owners through flood insurance premiums.
2. Provide floodplain residents and property owners with financial aid after floods,
especially smaller floods that do not warrant federal disaster aid.
3. Guide development away from flood hazard areas.
4. Require that new and substantially improved buildings be constructed in ways that
would minimize or prevent damage in a flood.
✔✔What are the three basic parts of the NFIP? - ✔✔1. Communities, states, and
Federal agencies use them as the basis for regulating new flood prone construction
2. Insurance agents use them rating flood insurance policies
3. Lenders and Federal agencies use them to determine when flood insurance must be
purchased as a condition of a loan or financial assistance
✔✔What should happen to buildings in NFIP communities over time? - ✔✔Over time,
exposure to flood damage should be reduced, as the older pre-FIRM buildings are
replaced by post-FIRM buildings. Eventually a community should have only post-FIRM
building's subject to little or no flood damage.
✔✔What types of governmental bodies are "communities" by the NFIP? - ✔✔These
governmental bodies vary from state to state, but can include cities, towns, villages,
townships, counties, parishes, special districts, states, and Indian Nations with the
statutory authority to enact and enforce regulations.
✔✔Which FEMA office works directly with communities? - ✔✔The ten Regional Offices
,✔✔What is the Write Your Own Program? - ✔✔An arrangement whereby private
insurance companies write and service NFIP flood Insurance policies under their own
name.
✔✔When a community applies to join the NFIP, what must it submit? - ✔✔1. A
resolution of intent to "maintain in force...adequate land use and control measures" and
to cooperate with FEMA.
2. Its adopted floodplain management ordinance
✔✔What are the sanctions if a community does not participate in the NFIP? - ✔✔1.
Flood insurance will not be available. No resident will be able to purchase a flood
insurance policy through the NFIP.
2. If the community withdraws or is suspended, existing flood insurance policies will not
be renewed.
3. No Federal grants or loans for development may be made in identified flood hazard
areas under programs administered by Federal agencies such as HUD, EPA, and SBA.
4. No Federal disaster assistance may be provided to repair insurable buildings located
in identified flood hazard areas for damage caused by a flood.
5. No Federal mortgage insurance or loan guarantees may be provided in identified
flood hazard areas. This includes policies written by FHA, VA, and others.
Federally insured or regulated lending institutions, such as, banks and credit unions,
must notify applicants seeking loans for insurable buildings in flood hazard areas that:
1. There is a flood hazard
2. The property is not eligible for Federal disaster relief.
✔✔Where does most of the money come from to pay expenses of the NFIP? -
✔✔Premium income. The NFIP has been self-supporting since 1986.
✔✔How many communities currently participate in the NFIP? - ✔✔More than 19,000
✔✔What is a "pre-FIRM" building? - ✔✔A building built before the effective date of the
community's Flood Insurance Rate Map.
✔✔Is there any relation between how a community regulates new construction and
flood insurance rates? - ✔✔Yes. Buildings built in accordance with the community's
regulations have a lower risk of flooding and can be insured at lower rates.
✔✔List two things your community committed itself to when it joined the NFIP. - ✔✔1.
Issuing or denying floodplain development/building permits
2. Inspecting all development to assure compliance with the local ordinance
3. Maintaining records of floodplain development
4. Assisting in the preparation and revision of floodplain maps.
5. Helping residents obtain information on flood hazards, floodplain map data, flood
insurance, and proper construction measures.
,✔✔Insurance companies set flood insurance rates and coverage rules. True or False? -
✔✔False. Flood insurance rates and coverage rules are set by FEMA's Federal
Insurance Administration.
✔✔What can FEMA do to encourage a community to adequately enforce its floodplain
management regulations? - ✔✔1. If the community is in the Community Rating System,
it can reclassify it to a Class 10 (no insurance premium discount).
2. The community can be put on probation.
3. The community can be suspended.
✔✔What are the sanctions if a community is suspended from the NFIP? - ✔✔The same
as for nonparticipation (see question 6, Learning Check 2). Suspension means the
community is no longer a participant in the NFIP.
✔✔As directed by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, FEMA conducts flood
studies in order to determine _______ and ________. - ✔✔floodprone areas, flood risk
zones
✔✔The base flood is a flood that has a _______ of occurring in any year. - ✔✔one
percent chance
✔✔The base flood is also called the _____ year flood. - ✔✔100
✔✔Determine whether the following statements are true or false.
· A 100-year flood will occur only once every 100 years -
· A 100-year flood could occur two times in one year. -
· The 100-year flood might not occur in a 200-year period.
· The base flood could occur in in two consecutive years in a row. - ✔✔FALSE, TRUE,
TRUE, TRUE
✔✔On NFIP maps, the base floodplain is called the _____________. (4 words). -
✔✔Special Flood Hazard Area
✔✔BFE is the acronym for ____________(three words). - ✔✔base flood elevation
✔✔What are the components of a Flood Insurance Study? - ✔✔· The FIS - Flood
Insurance Study report
· The FIRM - Flood Insurance Rate Map
· The Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, which is included in studies prepared before
1986 (Since 1986, floodways are shown on the FIRM)
✔✔For purposes of a riverine flood study, _________ is the study of the distribution and
circulation of water in the environment, and ___________ is the study of fluids in motion
and how water will flow through the channel. - ✔✔Hydrology, Hydraulics
, ✔✔1. The rate at which runoff (an amount of water) flows downstream is called the
flood _________. - ✔✔discharge
✔✔What probable effect does increase in urbanization within a community or upstream
of it have on the stream discharges within that community? - ✔✔Stream discharges
usually will increase as a consequence to the increase in urbanization within a
community or upstream of it.
✔✔What consequence on flood water level of a stream would usually occur when a
bridge is constructed over a stream? - ✔✔A hydraulic analysis is always required to
determine the effect of any bridge construction over a stream. However, construction
over a stream is considered an obstruction to the flow and therefore may increase the
flood water level upstream of the construction.
✔✔To locate the true elevations at a site, surveyors have established ___________
marks also known as ______ marks. - ✔✔elevation reference, bench
✔✔1. Cross sections describe the ________ of the floodplain. - ✔✔shape
✔✔What is the datum used for your FIS, FIRM, and profiles? - ✔✔Depends on the
community. Check the Legend or Key to your FIRM
✔✔Flood profiles are developed by plotting the flood elevations at the _____________
and connecting the plotted points. - ✔✔cross sections
✔✔To make a floodplain map, the base flood elevations are plotted on a _________
map or a _______ map. - ✔✔topographic, contour
✔✔The _________ is defined as the stream channel and that portion of the adjacent
floodplain that must remain open to permit passage of the base flood. - ✔✔floodway
✔✔A floodway analysis conducted to the minimum NFIP standard allows the fringe to
be obstructed until the base flood level is increased by how much? - ✔✔one foot
✔✔What causes storm surge? - ✔✔Storms that bring air pressure changes and strong
winds that "pile" water up against the shore.
✔✔What is wave runup? - ✔✔When waves hit the shore, water moves with such force
that it keeps traveling inland higher than the Stillwater flood level.
✔✔Instead of cross sections, coastal flood engineers survey __________. -
✔✔transects
