How FEMA Flood Maps Helped a Man Evacuate Safely

BATON ROUGE, La. – FEMA flood-insurance rate maps identify areas subject to flooding and establish various zones in a community on which to base premiums. But they can do something else: help first responders, government officials and others prepare for an oncoming deluge.

It was these maps that kept an older gentleman from being trapped during the floods of August. William Wilson grew concerned as the rains fell heavily in the area around his southern Louisiana home, between the Amite River and Jones Creek. Wilson’s son, Houston landscape architect Kirk Wilson, routinely uses FEMA flood maps in his work. He knew the maps might be critical in assessing his father’s looming problem.

“My dad called to tell me that local authorities expected the Amite to crest at 46 feet, higher than the devastating 1983 flood, and he feared his home would be inundated.”

Kirk Wilson, who vividly remembered the devastating ‘83 floods from his childhood, shared his father’s concerns. He told his dad to go online to the Louisiana State University’s AgCenter’s online map center. They studied the maps, with Kirk guiding his father through the data by phone.

He explained to his father how to determine his property’s Base Flood Elevation (commonly called BFE). Once they had that number, the Wilsons looked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s projections for the rising waters. “So we estimated the crest would be 36 feet, two feet higher than dad’s BFE,” said Wilson.

Wilson warned his father that while the house itself might not be in danger, his evacuation routes would almost surely be under water. A small, narrow bridge over Jones Creek was William’s only route to higher ground. Kirk told his father he was certain the bridge would be flooded and impassable, urging him to get out as soon as possible. The elder Wilson took the advice. The floodwaters lapped up just short of the house; the bridge was swamped.

Anyone can call FEMA’s Map Information Exchange and talk to an expert (877-336-2627, open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., EST). The specialist will explain the basics of reading and interpreting maps. The website is www.msc.fema.gov/portal. The LSU AgCenter website is www.lsuagcenter.com (scroll down to “flood maps”).