Nebraska Department of Natural Resources

The land near Nebraska’s rivers and streams has long attracted farmers and developing communities. But the bounty of this land comes at a price. Over the past century, Nebraska’s floods have caused major damage and a heavy financial toll. In some cases, floods have wiped out entire livelihoods. The state is using the lessons of the past to plan for the floods of the future.

On October 24, 1968, Nebraska declared flooding a state concern. The Soil and Water Conservation Commission was tasked with starting a floodplain management program to reduce flood losses. Part of that job was to determine land use standards and regulations. The Commission later became the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR). The department now develops floodplain regulations and helps communities enforce them. The NeDNR is also tasked with producing flood risk maps. The Nebraska Floodplain Regulation Act and other laws clarify these tasks. 

Nebraska has been building its floodplain management program since 1967. At that time, the state set minimum standards for building in floodplains. The current standards can be found in the  Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 455, Chapter 1 . They include and exceed the Federal minimum standards described in 44 CFR 60.

FEMA maps floodplains on its Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs or flood maps). Most of the floodplains in Nebraska are identified as Zone A. FIRMs do not include BFEs for Zone A areas. Without this information, it is hard for communities to meet the standards for building in floodplains. NeDNR provides FREE BFE determinations for communities to manage their floodplains.

Community officials can view valid BFE determinations on an interactive map (featured below) and request new ones. By providing this free service, NeDNR has advanced floodplain management activities throughout the state. As a result, structures that are built in areas at risk of flooding are built in a safer way.

To interact with the map below. Click the box next to 'I agree to the above terms and conditions' then click 'Continue' in the bottom left. To open the map in another tab click on the icon in the top right.

In recent years, NeDNR has developed a full outreach and training program to raise awareness of floodplain management. NeDNR provides quarterly training on both basic and more advanced topics. The workshops take place throughout the state, so any community can attend one close to home. Basic concepts are taught to new floodplain administrators or those who need a refresher. Advanced topics include flood insurance, post-disaster work, violations, and enforcement. NeDNR also trains many local organizations including:

• Nebraska Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association (NeFSMA)
• Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association (NPZA)
• Independent Insurance Agents of Nebraska
• Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO)
• Nebraska Municipal Clerk Institute and Academy
• Professional Surveyors Association of Nebraska (PSAN)
• Southeast Nebraska Land Surveyors Association (SENLSA)

NeDNR’s Floodplain Management Section also offers technical assistance to help local and state agencies run their programs. This help can take place one-on-one by email and over the phone. It also includes outreach and training. Many communities have asked for future training on a virtual platform. NeDNR is working on a new virtual training series to meet that need.  

NeDNR has prepared a  quarterly newsletter  since 2014. It focuses on topics such as floodplain mapping, flood insurance, violations, historic flood events, and new or updated FEMA documents.

Through the Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) Program, eligible entities work with FEMA to identify hazards, assess risk, and train local community officials to communicate risk to residents. These efforts help communities increase their awareness of flood risk and reduce it. As a CTP since 1999, NeDNR has modernized flood maps, created digital products where none existed, and reduced the state’s flood risk. NeDNR works on the engineering and flood mapping in-house. It uses its relationships with communities to improve the products. As those relationships grow, the state staff expertise grows, and products continue to improve.

In 2014, NeDNR initiated Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) flood mapping projects in several watersheds. More Risk MAP watershed projects have been added each year. As of September 2020, NeDNR has initiated 16 watershed projects. These projects will update the flood risk information in portions of over 35 counties. Previous projects were mapped at the county or community level. However, flood risk does not stop at a municipal line. By looking at an entire watershed, Risk MAP projects improve the final product.

Risk MAP projects also produce powerful Flood Risk Products which can be used to manage floodplains and show residents their flood risk. Flood Risk Products are non-regulatory, ready-made sources of flood risk information that can improve how stakeholders visualize local natural hazard risks and mitigate potential damage from future hazards. NeDNR has shown community partners effective ways to use Flood Risk Products.

In addition, Risk MAP puts more emphasis on involving and informing members of the communities. This emphasis keeps communities engaged in the mapping projects. During each mapping project, NeDNR works closely with communities to provide clear and accurate information. For active mapping projects, NeDNR updates communities quarterly. The updates also remind officials of all the comment periods during the project. As concerns or questions arise, NeDNR addresses them at extra meetings. This helps avoid project delays.

NeDNR offers to provide public open houses for each mapping project. At open houses, residents who want to speak one-on-one about their specific property can do so. NeDNR staff locate an individual’s property on the interactive map. They can also share depth grids and the annual chance of flooding for each property. This helps property owners understand their unique flood risk.  

In 2016, NeDNR began to replace the state’s remaining paper-only maps. These maps are not in digital form on  FEMA’s Map Service Center , unless there is a scan of the paper map. Using paper maps to regulate development can be a challenge. Users must apply their best judgment to determine where the floodplains exist. Most concerning, paper-only maps often have little or no information on how the floodplain boundaries were made. They can’t be reproduced using modern engineering methods. NeDNR will start its two last CTP projects to replace paper maps in 2021.

NeDNR is Nebraska’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) coordinating office. This involves helping communities with floodplain management or flood insurance issues. NeDNR responds to hundreds of requests for technical assistance every year. From simple requests to complex violations of floodway standards, NeDNR addresses local community partners in a professional and collegial manner.

Immediately after the March 2019 flood, NeDNR started contacting Floodplain Administrators throughout the state to make sure they had the resources necessary to fulfill their post-disaster responsibilities and stay in good standing with the NFIP. Post-disaster packets were emailed to all Floodplain Administrators, and two webinars were setup to discuss the packet. NeDNR and FEMA facilitated four workshops on post-disaster responsibilities and insurance in St Paul, Norfolk, Omaha and West Point. NeDNR also visited several communities to provide post-disaster technical assistance.

NeDNR worked with affected communities to capture lessons-learned before, during and after the March 2019 flood event and is using these lessons to create a post-disaster handbook. The handbook will be available in early 2021.

NeDNR plays a small role in the field of flood insurance. NeDNR’s close relationship with FEMA ensures flood insurance experts are available to help answer property owners’ questions about their specific situations. This has been very helpful in providing concerned residents with realistic answers on how map changes will affect them.

NeDNR works with the Nebraska Department of Insurance and several real estate associations to improve the knowledge base of insurance agents, lenders, real estate agents, and community officials. In addition to connecting them with training opportunities, NeDNR encourages insurance agents to attend Risk MAP open houses so they can understand the potential effects of the new maps on flood insurance. These efforts have expanded NeDNR’s engagement with the insurance and real estate community and will be rewarding for years to come.

NeDNR helps communities who are interested in the Community Rating System (CRS) by explaining how the program works, how to enroll, and how to improve their scores. CRS gives credit to communities that complete floodplain management activities above the minimum NFIP requirements. This credit is in the form of flood insurance premium reductions.

Six cities in Nebraska currently participate in the CRS. They are Fremont (Class 8), Omaha (Class 7), Valley (Class 8), Lincoln (Class 5), Papillion (Class 7), and Scottsbluff (Class 9). NeDNR's NFIP coordination and CRS assistance provide resources to communities that support floodplain management planning and development. Communities interested in learning more about the CRS program are encouraged to complete the  CRS Community Self-Assessment .

NeDNR has always had a strong focus on encouraging mitigation. This includes providing technical assistance to local entities on projects of this type. NeDNR helps localities update the flood section of their local hazard mitigation plans. NeDNR is also the grant administrator for FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant. Over the years, NeDNR has worked with communities to plan flood mitigation, complete flood reduction projects, and acquire and remove structures from the floodplain.

NeDNR is a member of the Governor’s Task Force for Disaster Recovery. It also co-chairs its Hazard Mitigation Grants recovery support function. On the Task Force, the NeDNR helps review applications for FEMA's  Hazard Mitigation Grant Program  (HMGP) and  Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities  (BRIC) and provides technical assistance for projects as appropriate.

In August 2020, Nebraska’s legislature passed a bill to fund the NeDNR to develop a statewide Flood Mitigation Plan. This plan will unite statewide planning into a concise and coordinated effort. It will clarify the available mitigation and recovery resources and identify strategies to prioritize and streamline their distribution.

The CTP Program enhances partnerships between FEMA and eligible entities. FEMA teams with these partners to deliver high-quality hazard identification and risk assessments, provide outreach support, and help empower communities to bring more awareness and take action to reduce their risk through the latest data and resources.