Building codes require most new and Substantially Improved buildings be at a minimum height of BFE +1’. A building below BFE is a building below the flood level for that site. The BFE is a reference height for building elevations and flood insurance. That BFE number notes the height above sea level flood waters can be expected to rise at a minimum. The "E" denotes this flood zone has an elevation level assigned to it, and is expressed as " AE-6" or " VE-9," with the trailing number indicating the Base Flood Elevation or BFE for that zone. Type "V" and "A" zones appear on flood maps as " AE-#" and " VE-#. As a consequence, building standards are much higher within "V" zones. The "V" stands for "velocity," or breaking waves with a force that’s considerably more damaging. Land close to the shoreline is usually located in type "V" flood zones. These are zones more inland from the coastline, where a static rise in water levels can be expected. In Key West, most buildings/lots are located within type "A" flood zones. So it’s possible to have two 500-year floods in just two or three years. So when someone talks about a 500-year flood, it’s not that such a flood only happens once in 500 years, but that flood waters reached the 500-year flood level which has less than a 0.02% chance of happening during any year. The Shaded X-zone (dark grey) represents the 200 to 400-year floodplain, and the X-zone (teal) is the 500-year floodplain. The regulated floodplain (white) is known as the 100-year floodplain. The two shaded areas on the map show the only "X" and Shaded "X-Zones" within the city (except for Sunset Key). Buildings in these zones aren’t subject to enhanced building codes to prevent flood damage, yet flood insurance is available at a considerable discount. On the map the X-Zone is shaded and labeled "0.02 PCT." X-Zones are areas where the elevation is higher than the minimum expected flood levels. A FIRMette qualifies as an official FEMA flood map document. It’s a paper copy of a smaller user defined portion of a Flood Insurance Rate Map ( FIRM), created online from your computer, with most of the relevant flood zone mapping information you’ll likely need for insurance or permitting purposes Elevation Certificates will likely be needed as well).
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