FEMA’s maps are essential tools for identifying flood risks, but they have significant gaps that limit their effectiveness.

advertisement 07-16-2025 IMPACT Why FEMA’s flood maps often miss dangerous flash flood risks There are areas of the country that flood, some regularly, that don’t show up on the maps as at risk.

What FEMA flood maps miss FEMA's maps are essential tools for identifying flood risks, but they have significant gaps that limit their effectiveness.

In theory, the maps enable homeowners, businesses and local officials to understand their flood risk and take appropriate steps to prepare and mitigate potential losses. But there are areas of the ...

More cabins and buildings at Camp Mystic — the tragic site of more than two dozen deaths in the Texas flood — were at risk of flooding than what the federal government had previously reported ...

The data also highlights critical risks in other areas along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, revealing more than twice as many Americans live in flood prone areas than FEMA's maps show.