BEFORE THE DECISION
KNOW YOUR ZONE & DIVISION
Know Your Zone
In times of an emergency, specifically a hurricane or natural disaster, the Town of Ocean City wants residents, property owners and visitors to KNOW YOUR ZONE & DIVISION where you live and visit!
*Your zone and division are determined by two variables: Property location and vulnerability to flood inundation and evacuation*
The zone colors, which are broken down by divisions, are determined by the Town of Ocean City’s Comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan, which divides the Town into four “divisions.”
The zone letters (A & B), however, are determined by the possible flood inundation levels where you live. In other words, our “Low Lying Area” (or areas with a 4-foot flood inundation) can be found in Zone A.
Because the term “Low Lying Area” can be vague, the new zones help residents and property owners have a clear understanding of their flood vulnerability. It’s important to remember that just because you haven’t experienced a flood in the past, doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. Flood risk isn’t just based on history; it’s also based on a number of factors: rainfall, river-flow and tidal-surge data, topography, flood-control measures, and changes due to building and development.
FAQs
No! Flood zones are areas established by the National Weather Service using historical and statistical data of flooding and/or tidal surge potential to Ocean City, which provide residents and property owners their degree of flood risk. Emergency Managers use flood inundation, tidal surge, and winds to determine potential risk to the various communities throughout the Town, specifically in a storm or emergency. It is important for our residents, property owners and visitors to know which zone and division they reside, incase an evacuation is required.
OCMD Evacuation Phases & Routes
Should a hurricane (or natural disaster) threaten the Ocean City area, an evacuation order may be issued. An evacuation order is a protective action whereby citizens are moved from a place of danger to a place of relative safety when a disaster is a threat to life, and/or the property of our residents and visitors in Ocean City.
When it comes to hurricanes, the Town of Ocean City follows the state’s hurricane evacuation plan. The evacuation zones are a result of the Maryland Hurricane Evacuation Study which identified 3 large areas in Maryland subject to tidal flooding. The State’s evacuation plan aims to bring awareness of the evacuation zones to the forefront of Marylanders’ summer plans and make evacuation notices easier to disseminate.
Although slightly different than Ocean City’s flood inundation zones, residents of and visitors to Maryland are encouraged to visit www.KnowYourZoneMd.com, where they can type in an address and quickly find out what zone, if any, their property is located in.
The Town of Ocean City uses the concept of phased decision points based primarily on the National Weather Service (NWS) storm classifications (advisory, watch, warning, etc.). These decision points will be used as an overall philosophy in hurricane planning, response, and recovery and facilitates the actions necessary to give an evacuation order. Evacuation phases are built into these classifications. Hurricanes are classified using the Saffir/Simpson scale, which categorizes hurricanes based upon their intensity, and relates this intensity to damage potential. A significant number of hurricane injuries can occur from the approaching system and the strong winds and flooding that will result from the storm surge.
While many Ocean City properties will experience insurance premium relief, it’s important to remember that Ocean City is a barrier island, subject to severe storms and flooding. Although your bank may no longer require you to have flood insurance, based on FEMA’s FIRM map changes, approximately 30% of all flooding in the U.S. occurs in moderate to low risk flood zones. Further, studies show many properties without flood insurance typically are not rebuilt after a flood disaster.
For details on flood insurance policies and upcoming changes, contact your insurance provider or a flood insurance specialist. Flood insurance is strongly recommended.