FEMA Preliminary Flood Maps

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) generates flood maps for communities to identify which areas have the highest risk of flooding. These maps are provided to communities in the form of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), which are the basis of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations and flood insurance requirements. Each time FEMA provides a community with updated FIRMs, the community must adopt or amend floodplain management regulations to incorporate the new data and meet any additional requirements that result from any changes in the data. Flood maps were last updated for the Town of Granby in 2008.

In 2018 FEMA hired a consultant, CDM Smith/Compass to assist with a flood risk study of the Farmington River Watershed, which includes the Town of Granby and eighteen other Hartford County communities, to update the current flood maps. The study utilized hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, new topography and aerial imagery, and revised modeling. From this information, preliminary flood maps were created, which are now available for public review.  

Property owners are encouraged to review the preliminary maps at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center online here. If there are any questions about the new maps and the effect on property, the FEMA Mapping and Insurance eXchange (FMIX) Customer Care Center may be contacted at 1-877-336-2627 or online here. Please also refer to the information provided by CDM Smith/Compass, linked here.

It should be noted, property owners may appeal map revisions to FEMA during the 90-day appeal period. While the appeal period has not yet begun, it is expected it will begin in December. The effective date for the new maps is tentatively scheduled for late 2024, early 2025.   

If property owners have any questions about accessing the flood maps, they may contact Abby Kenyon at 860-844-5318.