National Flood Insurance Program

Establishment

The United States Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP is a Federal program enabling property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance as a protection against flood losses in exchange for State and community floodplain management regulations that reduce future flood damages. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between communities and the Federal Government. 

If a community adopts and enforces a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risk to new construction in floodplains, the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as financial protection against flood losses. This insurance is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to reduce the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods.

Douglas County has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993.

Services

The Engineering Division maintains Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) in the Department. The following information is available:

• The base flood elevation (if provided on the FIRM)
• The community number
• The date of the FIRM
• The elevation datum used on the FIRM
• The FIRM flood zone
• The panel number and suffix

Personnel are available to provide this information to citizens who own property, desire to sell, or desire to purchase property in Douglas County during regular office hours.

Participation

Because Douglas County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, any property owner in Douglas County is eligible to purchase FEMA flood insurance regardless of whether or not the property is located in a floodplain. Property owners should be aware that most homeowner’s policies do not cover flood damage to one’s home, and, if you feel that your home might be affected by flood waters, you may want to consider purchasing flood insurance. 

Your local insurance agent can arrange FEMA flood insurance for you. If your property appears to lie within a delineated floodplain as shown on the FIRM, please be advised that flood insurance may be a requirement if there is a Federally-backed mortgage on the property.