LSU AgCenter offers online interactive flood maps

As hurricane season approaches, Louisiana residents can turn to the LSU AgCenter website for tools to determine if they live in a flood zone and how to prevent storm damage. Among the resources are interactive flood maps, which have recently been updated with new features.
The AgCenter’s portal displays the Flood Insurance Rate Maps, or FIRMs, of the National Flood Insurance Program, which show areas most at risk of flooding in storms and are used to calculate flood insurance rates. Users can enter their address to see the maps overlaid on aerial photos and to see if they live in a flood zone, said Pat Skinner, AgCenter disaster recovery and mitigation specialist.
The portal also provides ground and flood elevation data that can be compared to the predicted elevation of nearby rivers or storm surges to estimate the likely depth of flooding at a specific location, Skinner said.
A recently-added feature is a “What Does This Mean?” button that appears after entering a location on the webpage. Users can click the button to read more information about the map, flood hazard zone and implications for flood insurance and building a house.
“These maps can be helpful in building or remodeling a home, especially if you’re using federal mitigation dollars,” Skinner said.
Skinner’s team has also integrated information from the community level, such as local permitting requirements and information on the status of map updates.
“The maps help consumers understand their flood risk, but in doing that they also help some communities keep flood insurance premiums down,” Skinner said.
The maps have proved useful for property owners as well as floodplain managers, local officials, insurance agents and realtors, Skinner said. Because users can view past and current flood maps on the webpage, they can see how flood risks change over time. Preliminary maps are available for some parishes, too, offering insight on future regulations.
“People can use the portal to compare their flood zone on the current map to what it will be when the newer map is adopted,” Skinner said. “In the early stages of review, they can advise their local government of potential problems that can be fixed before the maps become final. In the later stages of review, they can prepare for the coming change.”
Users can reach the portal by going to www.LSUAgCenter.com and clicking the “Flood Maps” link under “Features” on the homepage. A guide on how to properly use the maps when waters are rising is also available in the portal.