When FEMA Maps Defy Physics

Posted by SURV1969 

I have a client whose property is 16 feet above his neighbor's property (which is out of the flood zone A), to the east and about 18 feet above his neighbor's property to the west...  He is about 20 feet higher than the end of his road, which happens to be near the head of the stream and out of the A zone. The flood depth upstream from his house is 6 feet deep, while the flood depth downstream from his house is 8 feet deep.   Depth at his house is about 18 feet deep.  His house is on the highest ground (natural) around. There is no BFE and the maps are so screwed up that the "simple" methods of determining a BFE is not allowed. In Ohio hydrology is engineering and I'm not an engineer. It seems like some dugged-out hippie-type draft dodger during the 70'd (when the maps were made), "zigged", when he (she) should've "zagged", as such that instead of following the correct contour, the line was drawn to go about 14 feet up the hill. As I understand it, without a BFE, there's little that can be done . . . or is this really so?

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