CFS Risk Assessment & Mitigation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which document provides the primary federal framework for floodplain risk assessment in the United States?
- Executive Order 11988 on Floodplain Management
- FEMA's Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning guidance (44 CFR Part 201) (Correct answer)
- The Clean Water Act Section 404
- The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968
Correct answer: FEMA's Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning guidance (44 CFR Part 201)
44 CFR Part 201 establishes the requirements for State and local hazard mitigation plans, including flood risk assessment components.
Question 2: A FIRM shows a Zone AE with a Base Flood Elevation of 312 feet. A structure's lowest floor is at 310.5 feet. What is the structure's freeboard deficit?
- 0.5 feet
- 1.0 feet
- 1.5 feet (Correct answer)
- 2.0 feet
Correct answer: 1.5 feet
The BFE is 312 feet and the lowest floor is 310.5 feet, resulting in a 1.5-foot deficit below the BFE.
Question 3: In risk assessment, 'annualized loss' is best defined as:
- The maximum possible loss from a single flood event
- The total loss expected over a 100-year planning horizon
- The expected average loss per year accounting for probability of various flood magnitudes (Correct answer)
- The loss incurred during the last annual flooding season
Correct answer: The expected average loss per year accounting for probability of various flood magnitudes
Annualized loss integrates losses across all flood frequency events weighted by their probability to express average expected annual cost.
Question 4: Which mitigation measure is considered 'wet floodproofing'?
- Installing a flood shield on doorways
- Elevating a structure on piers above the BFE
- Allowing floodwaters to enter a structure with flood-resistant materials used below BFE (Correct answer)
- Constructing a perimeter berm around a building
Correct answer: Allowing floodwaters to enter a structure with flood-resistant materials used below BFE
Wet floodproofing intentionally allows floodwaters to enter a structure, using flood-damage-resistant materials to minimize harm.
Question 5: A community wants to reduce flood risk by restoring a wetland in the floodplain. This approach is best classified as:
- Structural mitigation
- Nature-based solution (green infrastructure) (Correct answer)
- Property acquisition
- Regulatory mitigation
Correct answer: Nature-based solution (green infrastructure)
Wetland restoration is a nature-based solution that uses natural functions to attenuate floodflows and reduce downstream risk.
Question 6: The Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) tool used by FEMA for mitigation projects determines project viability primarily through:
- Net present value of construction costs only
- A ratio of project benefits to project costs (BCR ≥ 1.0 required) (Correct answer)
- Comparison of damages in the last 3 flood events
- The number of structures protected regardless of cost
Correct answer: A ratio of project benefits to project costs (BCR ≥ 1.0 required)
FEMA requires a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of at least 1.0, meaning benefits must equal or exceed costs, for a project to be eligible for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding.
Question 7: Which flood zone designation indicates a 0.2% annual chance flood hazard area (500-year floodplain) on a FIRM?
- Zone A
- Zone AE
- Zone X (shaded) (Correct answer)
- Zone X (unshaded)
Correct answer: Zone X (shaded)
Shaded Zone X on a FIRM represents the 0.2% annual chance (500-year) flood hazard area, which is between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance boundaries.
CFS Risk Assessment & Mitigation 2
Which document provides the primary federal framework for floodplain risk assessment in the United States?