Federal Emergency Management Agency

Floodproofing Non-Residential Structures Federal Emergency Management Agency

This manual has been developed to illustrate a broad range of floodproofing techniques that can be used to reduce flood damages to existing or proposed non-residential structures. The manual is primarily directed at local officials, building owners, designers, contractors and other individuals or organizations that are interested in the design and implementation of floodproofing plans. The manual includes six chapters and several appendices. Chapter I introduces the user to the permanent, contingent, and emergency floodproofing techniques that will be addressed in this manual. Chapter II describes the major physical, economic, and social factors that influence the feasibility of floodproofing a structure, and related sources of information and technical assistance. Chapters III and IV provide more detailed information that will facilitate the selection and conceptual design of appropriate floodproofing methods. Representative costs of the various elements of floodproofing are presented in Chapter V. Chapter VI contains several floodproofing case histories. These case histories have been included to provide information on floodproofing plans that are currently in use, and the conditions for which they were designed. Several appendices have also been included in the manual to provide a variety of supplemental information.