CFM Exam Study Guide Correct 100%

Riverine, Coastal, and Shallow Flooding - ANSWER What are the three most common types of flooding? Flash Flooding - ANSWER Which type of flooding has accounted for the most flood-related deaths? Meander - ANSWER A curve or turn in a river channel? Storm Surge - ANSWER What is the major cause in coastal flooding? Underwater earthquakes or volcanoes - ANSWER What causes a tsunami? 1. Closed Basin Lakes 2. Uncertain flow paths 3. Dam breaks 4. Ice jams 5. Mudflows - ANSWER List the five types of special flood hazards covered in FEMA 480. Recreational benefits, scientific and historical benefits, Ecosystem benefits, and they protect communities from flooding. - ANSWER List three benefits that a floodplain contributes to your community 1. Development alters the floodplain and the dynamics of the flooding 2. Buildings and infrastructure are damaged by periodic flooding - ANSWER What two problems result from floodplain development? It can accelerate flooding on properties at the end of the wall - ANSWER What is one of the problems with constructing seawalls to protect buildings from flooding or erosion? 1. Hydrodynamic forces 2. Hydrostatic forces 3. Soaking 4. Debris impact 5. Sediment and contaminants - ANSWER What are the 5 main causes of flood damage? 3 - ANSWER Standing water as little as _____ feet deep can collapse the walls of a frame house. Disruption of public utilities, Electrocution, contamination of water supplies, fire, dirty ponds, mold, contaminated air ducts, mental health problems - ANSWER What are some of the safety and health hazards that accompany floods? Structural flood control projects - ANSWER Prior to the 1960's what was the primary way to reduce flood losses? A decision-making process that aims to achieve the wise use of the nations floodplains. - ANSWER What is the unified national program for floodplain managements definition of floodplain management? 1. To reduce the loss of life, disruption, and damage caused by floods 2. To preserve and restore the natural resources and functions of floodplains - ANSWER What are the two primary goals of floodplain management? 1. Hilly areas with steep slopes and narrow valleys 2. Urban areas with large amounts of impervious surfaces and storm sewers 3. Areas downstream of dams or subject to ice jams - ANSWER What areas are conducive to flash flooding? No. Riverine erosion can move stream channels and undercut structures. - ANSWER Is erosion only a threat in coastal areas? Where storm water runoff collects in depressions and cannot drain out. - ANSWER What is ponding? Filling reduces the floodplains ability to store excess water, sending more water downstream and causing floods to rise to higher levels. - ANSWER What does filling in a floodplain do? Yes, it may remove a natural barrier that protects inland properties - ANSWER Does moving sand and sand dunes affect flooding? Moving, Standing - ANSWER Hydrodynamic forces are caused by _____ water and hydrostatic forces are caused by ____ water. Wood, gypsum board, furniture and upholstery, carpeting, mattresses, books, electrical appliances, gas engines - ANSWER List three materials or house hold items that are particularly susceptible to flood damage by soaking. 1. Regulations to prohibit development in high-hazard areas 2. Building codes requiring flood resistant construction for new buildings in flood prone areas 3. Acquisition and relocation of buildings in high hazard areas 4. Modifying or retrofitting existing buildings 5. Installing flood warning systems 6. Controlling storm water runoff 7. Provide self-help advice to property owners - ANSWER What are examples of non-structural flood protection measures 1. Modify human susceptibility to flood damage 2. Modify the impact of flooding 3. Modify flooding itself 4. Preserve and restore natural resources - ANSWER What are the Unified National Program for Floodplain Managements four main floodplain management strategies? The National Flood Insurance Act created the National Flood Insurance Program to: 1. Transfer the costs of private property flood losses from the taxpayers to floodplain property owners through the flood insurance premiums. 2. Provide 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. - ANSWER What are the objectives of the NFIP? 1. Mapping 2. Insurance 3. Regulations - ANSWER What are the three basic parts of the NFIP? 1. Communities, states amd federal agencies for regulating new floodprone construction 2. Insurance agents use them when 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 - ANSWER Who uses NFIP maps? 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 buildings subject to little or no flood damage. - ANSWER What should happen to buildings in NFIP communities over time? They vary from state to state, but can include cities, towns, villlages, townships, counties, parishes, special districts, states and indian nations with the statutory authority to enact and enforce regulations. - ANSWER What type of governmental bodies are considered to be communities by the NFIP? The ten regional offices. - ANSWER Which FEMA office works directly with communities? An arrangement whereby private insurance companies write and service NFIP flood insurance policies under their own name - ANSWER What is the Write Your Own program? 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 - ANSWER When a community applies to join the NFIP, what must it submit? 1. Flood insurance will not be available. 2. Existing flood insurance policies cannot be renewed. 3. No federal grants or loans for development 4. No federal disaster assistance 5. No federal mortgage insurance or loan guarantees 6. Federally insured lending institutions must notify applicants there is a flood hazard area and the property is not eligible for federal disaster relief. - ANSWER What are the sanctions if a community does not participate in the NFIP? Premium income. The NFIP has been self-supporting since 1986. - ANSWER Where does most of the money come from to pay the expenses of the NFIP? More than 19,000 - ANSWER How many communities currently participate in the NFIP? A building built before the effective date of the community's flood insurance rate map. - ANSWER What is a Pre-Firm building? Yes. Buildings built in accordance with the community's regulations have a lower risk of flooding and can be insured at lower rates. - ANSWER Is there any relation between how a community regulates new construction and flood insurance rates? 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 - ANSWER List two things your community committed itself to when it joined the NFIP? False. Flood insurance rates and coverage rules are set by FEMA's Federal Insurance Administration - ANSWER Insurance companies set flood insurance rates and coverage rules. True/false 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. - ANSWER What can FEMA do to encourage a community to adequately enforce its floodplain management regulations? The same as for nonparticipation. Suspension means the community is no longer a participant in the NFIP. - ANSWER What are the sanctions if a community is suspended from NFIP? Flood Prone Area and Flood Risk Zones - ANSWER As directed by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, FEMA conducts flood studies in order to determine ____ and ____. 1% chance - ANSWER The base flood is a flood that has a ____ of occurring in any year. 100 - ANSWER The base flood is also called the ____ year flood False - ANSWER The 100 year flood will occur only once every 100 years. T/F? True - ANSWER A 100 year flood could occur two times in one year? T/F True - ANSWER The 100 year flood might not occur in a 200 year period. T/F? True - ANSWER The base flood could occur two consecutive years in a row? Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) - ANSWER On NFIP maps, the 100 year floodplain is called the _____ Base Flood Elevation - ANSWER BFE is the acronym for ____. 1. The FIS- Flood Insurance Study Report 2. The FIRM - Flood Insurance Rate Map 3. The Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, Which is included in studies prepared before 1986 (Since 1986, floodways are shown on the FIRM) - ANSWER What are the components of a flood insurance study? Hydrology/Hydraulics - ANSWER For the purpose 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. discharge - ANSWER The rate at which runoff flows downstream is called the flood ____. Stream discharges usually will increase as a consequence to the increase in urbanization within a community or upstream of it. - ANSWER What probable effect does increase in urbanization within a community or upstream of it have on the stream discharges within that community? 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 therefor may increase the flood water level upstream of the construction. - ANSWER What consequence on flood water level of a stream would usually occur when a bridge is constructed over a stream? Elevation Reference/Bench - ANSWER To locate the true elevations at a site, surveyors have established ____ marks also known as ____. Shape - ANSWER Cross sections describe the ____ of a floodplain. cross sections - ANSWER Flood profiles are developed by plotting the flood elevations at the ____ and connecting the plotted points. topographic/contour - ANSWER To make a floodplain map, the base flood elevations are plotted on a ____ map or a ____ map. Floodway - ANSWER 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. One foot - ANSWER 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? Storms that bring air pressure changes and strong winds that pile water up against the shore - ANSWER What causes storm surge? When waves hit the shore, water moves with such force that it keeps traveling inland higher than the Stillwater flood level. - ANSWER What is wave runup? Transects - ANSWER Instead of cross sections, coastal flood engineers survey ____. Still water elevations / wave runup - ANSWER The BFE for coastal studies are the ____ plus the ____. coastal high hazard / V - ANSWER The most hazardous part of the coastal floodplain is the ____ area, which is shown on the map as the ____ zone. shallow flooding is distinguishable from riverine or coastal flooding because it occurs in areas where there is no channel or identifiable flow path. - ANSWER What differentiates shallow flooding from riverine flooding? Approximate Studies - ANSWER Flood studies that do not identify the BFEs are called ____. Old format FIRM/FBFM or FLoodway Map