Beware Out of Date Flood Maps

Bloomberg believes that outdated FEMA flood maps could be one reason why less than one in four homes in Hitchcock, Texas had flood insurance when Hurricane Harvey hit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn't updated the food maps in the area since the early 1980's. This may have led local residents to have a false sense of the likelihood of floods in their neighborhood. Hitchcock is not the only town in the United States with an outdated flood map.

Bloomberg's FEMA's Faulty Flood Maps includes an interactive map which allows you to view the 'effective date' for FEMA flood maps. A choropleth layer provides an overview of the age of FEMA's flood maps by location across the United States. If you zoom in labels appear on the map revealing the actual date when the flood map in that area was last updated.

FEMA says that decreases to its funding is a large reason why so many flood maps are out of date.