Clients do not always present the most ideal sites for their proposed development or redevelopment. A variety of public safety and environmental challenges may create additional considerations in the design and planning of any given project, particularly in floodplains.
The basis for floodplain management in the United States is the set of regulations found in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and these are supplemented by a variety of technical guidance documents. The federal rules serve as the basis for local community floodplain management ordinances, which can be more stringent than the federal guidelines. Most states add a layer of flood control regulations.
Representative guidance documents supplement this discussion of a range of considerations for site development in regulated floodplains. We will include the distinction between what is technically possible by design and what is required by insurance.
Upon completion of this course, the participant should expect to be able to:
• Recognize the effects of various flooding types on construction design
• Apply FEMA’s technical guidance documents for sound floodplain construction design
• Make sound decisions regarding elevation and siting construction in floodplain
