Version 1.0
Use this online tool to study flood and wind hazards at your site or to explore how flood maps are
changing in your parish.
Disclaimer
While the floodplain data that is shown on this map is the same, this map is not an official FEMA Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). This Interactive Mapping Tool is not intended for insurance rating purposes
and is for information only. Locating property on the Aerial/Roads Hybrid view is more accurate than
geocoding the address. Please contact your local floodplain administrator for more information or to
view an official copy of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
Note to users with Disabilities
Alternate text does not appear on pages with the maps as the maps convey spatial data and have
various layers of data which can be selected or de-selected individually. For information about a
specific location, the 'Identify Feature Properties' function may be used to click on the map and
generate a information window with details about underlying map layers
Questions about this application?
Send all questions and comments to floodmaps@agcenter.lsu.edu
© LSUAgCenter
You have been redirected to the new LA Floodmaps portal at LSU AgCenter.
Use the guide below to help familiarize yourself with this new system.
If you need the guide again, it can be found in the top-right corner by clicking the Info icon
Update your bookmark (Ctrl + D)
Stop Reminding Me
Please report any issues to FloodMaps@agcenter.lsu.edu
Navigation
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Search
Use this tool to select a parish or to locate an address or coordinates (latitude, longitude).
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Print
Use this tool to capture your map-view and point-data on a printable page. Click “Print†to print
the page or “e-mail†to send a link that will recreate the image.
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Legend
Use this tool to interpret the colors and symbols on the different versions of the flood maps.
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Events
View information about events, meetings and dates related to delivery and finalization of a proposed
FIRM.
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Layers
Use this tool to turn flood maps on and off, adjust transparency, and choose the background map
(Roads, Aerial, or Hybrid). The Layers tool displays all the versions of the FIRM that are in our
system for the selected parish and opens a window to find Community Contacts.
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Points
Use this tool to view information about the points represented by your pins. This information can be
viewed for each pin, also, by clicking on the head of the pin. Point info for flood maps is read
only from digital maps. Additional information for each point is pulled from the US Geological
Survey (LIDAR ground elevation) and the LSU AgCenter (Basic Wind Speed for the residential building
code in Louisiana), and DOTD (Community Contacts)
Flood Maps
The most widely distributed flood map product in the United States is the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FIRMS have been furnished predominantly as paper maps,
which are still being used in many communities. FEMA now provides FIRMS in digital form; these work well
in map-layering systems and enable information from the map to be read electronically. Read
more about how FIRMs are made and used.
Effective FIRM
is the FIRM that is used to rate NFIP flood insurance policies. Older FIRMs were delivered as paper
products; newer FIRMs are delivered as true digital products. For older FIRMs we display a scanned
image of the paper map that has been processed somewhat to improve the alignment of features shown
on the map (such as road intersections) with their position as determined by high resolution
imagery. Use the Legend “FIRM (Scanned paper or gray-scale).†For newer FIRMs we display the data as
it is provided to us by FEMA. Use the Legend “Effective FIRM (Digital).
Preliminary FIRM
is a FIRM presented to a community as part of the production or revision process. FEMA provides the
Preliminary FIRM and the underlying Flood Insurance Study (FIS) to communities for review and
comment, and considers those comments when producing the final product. The Preliminary FIRM becomes
a Future FIRM when FEMA issues a Letter of Final Determination (LFD). The Preliminary and Future
FIRMs are never used for rating flood insurance, but may be used by the community for regulating
development. Preliminary FIRMs present the most up-to-date flood risk information until they are
replaced by their Future FIRM. Use the legend “Proposed FIRM (Digital)â€
Future FIRM
is the FIRM that was delivered to the community as a Preliminary FIRM and, after review and
expiration of comment and appeals periods, has been adopted by the community and/or determined by
FEMA to become the next Effective FIRM. The Future FIRM will become the Effective FIRM on the Study
Effective Date (SED), which is six months after the date of the Letter of Final Determination (LFD).
LFD and SED are shown in the 'Events' tool. The Future FIRM is not used for insurance until the
Study Effective Date; it may be used by the community for regulating development. Future FIRMs
present the most up-to-date flood risk information. Use the Legend “Proposed FIRM (Digital)â€
Historical FIRM
is the FIRM that was retired when the Future FIRM became the new Effective FIRM. Historical FIRMs
that were issued originally as paper products are displayed as scans of the paper map. Historical
FIRMs that were issued as digital products are shown in gray-scale, but remain fully digital. Use
the Legend “FIRM – (Scanned paper or gray-scale). On this site we show only the most recent
Historical FIRM. Earlier historical FIRMs for the community may be available at the FEMA Map Service Center(http://msc.FEMA.gov).
Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE)
is a temporary Base Flood Elevation issued by FEMA after a disaster for use during recovery, while
the FIRM is being revised to reflect risks discovered in the disaster event. ABFEs are never used
for rating insurance. They may be used by the community to regulate some or all development. ABFEs
were issued across coastal Louisiana following hurricanes Katrina and Rita and communities were
required by the state to adopt ABFEs as a regulatory standard for rebuilding or forfeit hazard
mitigation funding. ABFEs are retired by the next revised FIRM.
Credits
1. Ground Elevation
is provided by USGS's elevation web service. If unable to find elevation at the specified
point, the service returns an extremely large, negative value (-1.79769313486231E+308).
2. LRC
(Louisiana Residential Code) Wind Speed as of February 1, 2018 is provided by Applied
Technology Council's Wind Speed Service. This "Ultimate Design Wind Speed" must be used with the
2015 and later versions of the International Residential Code. See wind speed maps for earlier
standards and applicable code versions.
3. Community Contacts
information is maintained and provided by a service of the La Department of Transportation
and Development, Office of Floodplain Regulations.