Recommended Practices—Flood Prone Regions

Flooding can be the most serious consequence of a hurricane as was recently the case for the Gulf Coast (Katrina) and New York/New Jersey (Sandy). Moreover, flooding and severe damage can occur quite a distance from where a hurricane or tropical storm initially makes landfall, as was seen in Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, and Vermont with storms Irene and Lee. However, hurricanes are certainly not the only cause of flooding. In many communities, flooding can be a frequent occurrence when rapid winter snow melt combines with substantial rain events. Thus, buildings in coastal regions as well as low lying areas adjacent to rivers and streams can be susceptible to significant property damage. Given that upstream development and land-use changes can alter flood elevations at a given site, it is recommended to err to the conservative when it comes to the risk of flooding.