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The proposed Supplemental Flood Zone (SFZ) is a unique product that utilizes historic flood data to map estimated flooding during recent storms. This SFZ product and methodology is different than Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) probability-based Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The Horry County SFZ is an estimation of flood level and extent during Florence using field data, while FEMA FIRMs represent a modeled probability of future flooding. The SFZ can be simply informational or can be used for planning, emergency management, and/or regulation. The SFZ was created by Western Carolina University (WCU) as a part of resilience planning for Horry County, South Carolina.

The primary objectives of this mapping exercise were to utilize field-collected, post-storm data of flood elevations from Hurricane Florence within Horry County to: 1) delineate a SFZ independent of the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, that approximates the actual extent of flooding during Florence (the storm of record); and 2) create subzones within the SFZ, each with an adjusted Base Flood Elevation (BFE) based on the flood elevations recorded during Florence.

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