Flood Protection

Flood Basics

What is a "flood?" For flood insurance purposes, "a flood is a general and temporary condition where two or more acres of normally dry land or two or more properties are inundated by water or mudflow."

The City of Daytona Beach is committed to doing what is environmentally and fiscally responsible to reduce the hazard of flooding to our residents and business owners. Under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) that are used to determine areas that are more prone to flooding. These maps show the areas that are expected to be covered with water when 11 inches of rain falls in one day (24 hours). This event, known as the 100-year storm, has a 1% chance of happening in any given year. The FIRM is the official map of our community on which the Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) are delineated. This is a relatively low level of protection. For example, there is a 26% chance that a levee or channel designed to contain the 100-year flood will be at that design capacity at least once over a 30 year period. All residents and businesses in areas vulnerable to flooding should have flood insurance.

About flood insurance

Homeowner's insurance policies DO NOT cover damage from rising water. Flood insurance policies have a 30-day waiting period before they will take effect so don't wait until a storm is headed in your direction to purchase flood insurance.

Past flood events

The City of Daytona Beach is a coastal community and is subject to flooding from the Atlantic and Halifax Rivers by storm surge. Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the astronomical tide. Typically storm surge combined with tidal effects causes even higher sea level elevations along the coast and pushes stormwater upstream into low lying areas that would normally drain to the Halifax River.

Storm Surge

For more information on storm surge and storm history.

The city's topography also contributes to historical flooding problems. During an unnamed flood event in May 2009, the city experienced flooding of 790 structures. The Nova Canal overtopped its banks and backed up through the drainage system outfalls and into the surrounding neighborhoods. The Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT) Nova Canal lying on the east side of Nova Road and traversing the city has been identified as the major cause of flood damage to the City of Daytona Beach in the topographically low area generally bounded by Nova Road, Orange Avenue, U.S. 1 and Beville Road (AKA "the bowl").

Are you in a Flood Zone?

If you are interested in protecting your home with flood insurance and you want to know if you are in a flood zone or an area prone to localized, historical or repetitive flooding you may call the Utilities Engineering Division at (386) 671-8807 and ask for a flood zone determination. A letter from the city, certifying the flood zone assigned to a particular piece of property, is available upon request. Also available upon request is a copy of an elevation certificate for structures built within a SFHA after 1986 (if one is available). There is no charge for these services for property owners. In most cases, all that's needed is the street address. If it is a vacant land without an address, the parcel ID number or legal description may be required to determine the location of the property. The city will make every attempt to return a telephone call within 24-48 hours, depending on volume of requests. Please remember to leave your name, telephone number, email and the street address of the property.

Effective Flood Risk Maps (September 29, 2017)

The Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for the Daytona Beach area were originally created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1973 and last updated in 2017. You can check your flood zone by going to our interactive flood zone map link and typing in your address, or by requesting a flood zone determination by completing this form.

Preliminary Coastal Surge Study

NOAA Office of Coastal Management Sea Level Rise Mapper

Use this web mapping tool to visualize community-level impacts from coastal flooding or sea level rise (up to 6 feet above average high tides). Photo simulations of how future flooding might impact local landmarks are also provided, as well as data related to water depth, connectivity, flood frequency, socio-economic vulnerability, wetland loss and migration, and mapping confidence.

Education

In an effort to promote public education on floods and flooding in Volusia County, there is a library of flood related information available in the reference section of the City Island Library. They are entitled "Flood Hazard Protection Library" and are available for review by asking at the reference desk. They contain the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panels and Flood Insurance Study for all of Volusia County (in electronic form). There is additional comprehensive information on flood protection and a directory of other agencies which provide information on this subject. The FIRM provides information that allows the map user to:

- Identify Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) subject to flooding
- Identify the location of a specific property
- Estimate the base flood elevation at a specific site
- Determine the flood insurance zone at a specific site
- Determine the location of the regulatory floodway.

The materials in this file are available for reference use during library operating hours. The City of Daytona Beach Utilities Department will assist the public, development professionals, realtors and insurance agents in determining if a property is in a SFHA, which flood zones it is in, and base flood elevations (if they are available).

Additional information provided includes:

- Other information on the FIRMs (Coastal Barrier Resource Areas, floodways, lines of limited wave action, etc.)
- Information on flooding in the area that is not shown on the FIRM
- Flood depths
- Special flood related hazards (erosion, tsunami, Coastal Construction Control Line)
- Historical flooding in the area
- Natural and beneficial floodplain functions and why these areas (wetlands, marshes, etc.) should be protected.

If you live in the city of Daytona Beach and have a flooding problem, please call Utilities Dispatch at 386-671-8815. Upon request, site visits are made to review the drainage and flooding problems and one-on-one advice is provided to the property owner.