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Ensuring That Structures Built on Fill Are
Reasonably Safe From Flooding
Jeffrey Havelin, P.E.
Overview
This
(two-hour) course is based on the FEMA construction guidelines for ensuring that
structures built on fill are reasonably safe from flooding.
FEMA
identifies and maps flood hazard areas nationwide by conducting flood hazard
studies and publishing Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These flood hazard
areas, referred to as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), are based on a flood
having a 1-percent probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year
(also referred to as the 100-year flood or Base Flood).
When permitted under applicable Federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and
regulations, earthen fill is sometimes placed in an SFHA to reduce flood risk to
the filled area. Under certain conditions, when engineered earthen fill is
placed within an SFHA to raise the surface of the ground to or above the BFE, a
request may be submitted to FEMA to revise the FIRM to indicate that the filled
land is outside of the SFHA. When such revisions are warranted, FEMA usually
revises the FIRM by issuing a Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F).
After FEMA has revised the FIRM to show that the filled land is outside the SFHA,
the community is no longer required to apply the minimum NFIP floodplain
management standards to any structures built on the land and the mandatory flood
insurance purchase requirements no longer apply.
The
student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of sixteen (16) questions at the end of this course
to earn PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained
This course will specifically
review “Reasonably Safe From Flooding” guidelines for Buildings, and will cover the following
topics:
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Basement construction, engineered option
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Basement foundation, in fill placed above BFE
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Basement foundation, with lowest opening at BFE
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Crawlspace foundation
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Fill,
placed to remove land from the SFHA
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Fill,
proper placement of
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Freeboard, recommendations
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Professional certification
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“Reasonably safe from flooding,” defined
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“Reasonably safe from flooding,” NFIP regulations concerning
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Slab-on-grade foundation
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Stem
wall foundation
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Sump
pump requirements for simplified basement construction
Course
Click on the following PDF
attachment and
review FEMA Technical
Bulletin (10-01) Ensuring That Structures
Built on Fill In or Near Special Flood Hazard Areas Are Reasonably Safe From
Flooding, publication
number FIA-TB-10 prior to taking a quiz for credit. You will be quizzed on the
attached document
on its entirety.
Ensuring That Structures Built on Fill...(876 KB)
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To obtain PDH credits for this course, you will need to take a quiz for
credit. Click on the link below.
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