Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning Program
Stored: Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning Program
| Type | Program |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Organization | Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| Top Organization | Department of Homeland Security |
| Creation Legislation | National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 |
| Website | Website |
| Purpose | The Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning Program produces flood hazard maps and risk assessment tools to help communities understand and mitigate flood risks, supporting the National Flood Insurance Program. It aims to enhance resilience by providing accurate, up-to-date floodplain data for planning, insurance, and disaster preparedness. |
| Program Start | 2010 |
| Initial Funding | $400 million (Map Modernization precursor, FY 2003-2008) |
| Duration | Ongoing |
| Historic | No |
Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning Program (Risk MAP) is a federal initiative led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security, focused on creating and updating floodplain maps and flood risk products across the United States. The Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning Program produces flood hazard maps and risk assessment tools to help communities understand and mitigate flood risks, supporting the National Flood Insurance Program, while aiming to enhance resilience by providing accurate, up-to-date floodplain data for planning, insurance, and disaster preparedness. Notable features include its production of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for over 22,000 communities as of 2025, its shift to a watershed-based approach since 2010, and its integration of non-regulatory products like flood depth grids, serving over 80% of the U.S. population with digital flood data.
Goals
- Deliver high-quality flood hazard maps and risk data to guide community flood risk management and insurance decisions.
- Strengthen local capacity to mitigate flood risks through tailored planning and outreach, targeting reduced flood losses.
- Incorporate current and future flood hazards, including climate change impacts, into mapping efforts over time.
Organization
The Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning Program is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), specifically through its Risk Management Directorate. FEMA collaborates with state and local governments, tribal nations, and Cooperating Technical Partners (CTPs)—such as universities and regional agencies—to collect data, conduct engineering studies, and produce maps. Funding is provided through FEMA’s annual budget under DHS appropriations, supplemented by NFIP fees, with $262 million allocated in FY 2024 for mapping activities. The program’s leader is the FEMA Administrator, currently Deanne Criswell as of 2025.
History
Risk MAP was launched in 2010, evolving from FEMA’s Map Modernization Program (2003–2008), authorized under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, which established the NFIP and mandated flood mapping. Map Modernization digitized older paper maps, while Risk MAP shifted to a watershed approach, adding risk assessment tools like HAZUS loss estimates. Key milestones include mapping over 1.2 million miles of streams by 2020 and initiating coastal flood studies for 100% of populated U.S. coastlines by 2015. The program continues to update maps, with plans to incorporate climate science and address data gaps noted in GAO critiques from 2023.
Funding
Initial funding stemmed from the $400 million allocated to Map Modernization from FY 2003–2008, transitioning to Risk MAP in 2010 with annual appropriations—$262 million in FY 2024—plus NFIP revenue. Funding supports mapping, studies, and outreach, with no end date, though GAO reports suggest it’s insufficient to fully modernize all maps quickly. Additional funding has been proposed to address climate-related updates.
Implementation
Risk MAP is implemented through a multi-step process: data collection (topography, hydrology), engineering analysis (Flood Insurance Studies), and map production (FIRMs), started in 2010 with ongoing updates. It uses a watershed-based approach, partnering with communities to tailor products like FIRMs and depth grids, rolled out via 90-day appeal periods and final map issuance. It has no fixed end date, tied to FEMA’s NFIP mission.
Related
- National Flood Insurance Program
- Flood Inundation Mapping Program
- Cooperating Technical Partners Program
External links
- https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps
- https://msc.fema.gov/portal
- wikipedia:Federal Emergency Management Agency