A__

additional information	User-provided information that can help National Flood Research find the exact location of the property.
address	This refers to the postal mailing house number, street, and direction of street (if applicable).
appraiser	A person licensed and sworn to estimate the value of real estate.
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B__

baud ___________	A unit of speed in data transmission usually equal to one bit per second.
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C__

census tract	A number that has been assigned by The Bureau of Census which identifies a geographical area.
command	To carry out an action, usually used in programming.
community name	Identifies the mapped community, the community type (e.g., town, city, county and state in which the community is situated).
community number	A six-digit NFIP identification number for the mapped community.
compliance	In association with flood issues, To act in accordance with the local or federal floodplain regulations.
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E__

encroachment	Construction, placement of fill, or similar alteration of topography in the floodplain that reduces the area available to convey floodwaters.
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F__

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)	A federal agency that directs the NFIP.
flood	"Flood" is defined in the Standard Flood Insurance Policy, in part, as: A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from overflow of inland or tidal waters or from the usual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
Flood Hazard Area / Floodplain / Floodprone Area	Land area subject to inundation by water from any flooding source.
Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FIRM)	Floodplain management map issued by FEMA that depicts, based on detailed analyses, the boundaries of the 100-year and 500-year floods and the 100-year floodway.
Flood Insurance Study	Engineering study performed by FEMA to identify flood-prone areas, insurance risk zones, and other flood data within a community.
floodplain	A plain bordering a river and subject to flooding.
Floodplain Management	The operation of a program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including, but not limited to, emergency preparedness plans, flood control works, and floodplain management regulations.
Floodplain Management Regulations	Zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purposes ordinances and other applications of police power.
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H__

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA)	HMDA makes available to the public information that helps to show whether financial institutions are serving the housing credit needs of their neighborhoods and communities. It also helps government officials make public sector investments and indicates to private investors the neighborhoods where their efforts are needed. Finally, HMDA data helps to identify possible discriminatory lending patterns and assist regulatory agencies in enforcing compliance with anti-discrimination statutes.
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L__

Letter Of Map Amendment (LOMA)	A LOMA is the result of an administrative procedure in which the Federal Insurance Administrator reviews scientific or technical data submitted by the owner or lessee of a property who believes the property has incorrectly been included in a designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). A LOMA amends the currently effective FEMA map and establishes that a property is not located in a SFHA.
Letter Of Map Revision (LOMR)	A LOMR is an official amendment to the currently effective FEMA map. It is used to change flood zones, flood delineations, flood elevations, and planimetric features. All requests for LOMRs must be made to FEMA through the chief executive officer of the community, since it is the community that must adopt any changes and revisions to the map. A LOMR is usually followed by a physical map revision.
Life Of Loan (LOL)	This is a service that National Flood Research provides for completed flood-zone determinations to be tracked for FIRM changes during the time that its loan is in a lender's servicing portfolio.
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M__

mandatory purchase requirements	The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 mandates the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of receipt of federal or federally related financial assistance for acquisition and/or construction of buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) of any community. The purchase of flood insurance on a voluntary basis is frequently prudent even outside of SFHAs.
metes & bounds	a complex and out dated form of property description, this type of description is often used when the property is in a rural area. This method uses measurements from anything between local landmarks to a surveyors readings based on degree and angle measurements.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)	The US Office of Management and Budget has established a numeric code usually referring to an area containing a city with a population of at least 50,000 or an urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more and a total metropolitan population of at least 100,000 (75,000 in New England). For HMDA reporting, the term "MSA" can also refer to a larger Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA), which represents a major component of a larger metropolitan area with a population of more than one million. MSA codes are only applicable to property addresses which are located in MSAs.
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N__

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)	A federal program enabling property owners to purchase flood insurance. The NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the federal government which states that if a community will implement measures to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas, the federal government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses which do occur.
National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD)	The national standard reference datum used for establishing elevations, formerly referred to as Mean Sea Level (MSL) of 1929. NGVD is the reference datum used on most FIRMs.
Non-Special Flood Hazard Area (NSFHA)	FEMA has designated this area as being of Non-Special Flood Hazard Area. Flood insurance is usually not required for a loan on a property address in an NSFHA.
non-participating community	This in a community that does not participate in the NFIP. Flood insurance in not available to these non-participating communities. Non-participation may be the result of suspension, withdrawal, or failure to join the program initially.
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P__

parcel number	An identification number, characters or series of numbers and characters that identifies a parcel of land. Parcel numbers are also identified as tax ID, plat number and APN.
probation	This is the formal notification to a community that its floodplain management program compliance does not meet NFIP criteria. It is an action authorized under federal regulations.
program	The type of NFIP program in which a community participates. The community participates in one of the five programs: Emergency, Regular, Not In Program, Sanctioned and Suspended.
regular program	The regular program is the phase of a community's participation in the NFIP when more comprehensive floodplain management requirements are imposed and higher amounts of insurance are available based on risk zones and elevations determined in the flood insurance study of the community. The Flood Insurance Rate Map is used in this phase of the NFIP participation.

R__

regulatory floodway	Channel of stream plus any adjacent floodplain areas that must be kept free of encroachment so that the 100-year flood discharge can be conveyed without increasing the BFE (Base Flood Elevation) more than a specified amount.

S__

sanctioned community	A community that has been identified as having Special Flood Hazard Areas but which is not participating in the NFIP as the result of suspension, withdrawal, or failure to join the program after the initial emergency phase. Flood insurance is not available in sanctioned communities.
Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA)	A Special Flood Hazard Area as designated on a FIRM. Flood Insurance is usually required for a loan on a property located within a SFHA. This area has a 1% chance of being flooded in any given year. Over a thirty year period (the time period of most mortgages) there is at least a 26% chance that such an area will be flooded.
suspension	Suspension of a participating community (usually after period of probation) occurs when the community fails to solve its compliance problems. The community is provided written notice of the impending suspension and granted 30 days in which to show cause why it should not be suspended. Suspension is imposed by the Federal Insurance Administrator. If suspended, the community becomes non-participating and flood insurance policies cannot be written or renewed. Policies in force at the time of suspension continue in force for the policy term or until the anniversary date of three-year policies (written only by Write Your Own companies).

T__

tract	A geographic area that has been defined by the Bureau of the Census and assigned a number.

Z__

zip code	The five-digit postal code required when entering an address.
zone	One of many NFIP zones, refer to "Flood Zone Types".