April 2023 1 

Risk MAP Phase 2: Risk Analysis and 

Mapping 

GOAL: ASSESS RISK 

FEMA is responsible for mapping our country's flood risk. The agency does this by making Flood Insurance Rate 

Maps, or flood maps. Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning, Risk MAP, is the process used to make these maps. 

However, Risk MAP creates much more than flood maps. It leads to more datasets, hazard mitigation analysis and 

communication tools. Each supports communities as they work to be resilient. This fact sheet describes the second 

phase of the Risk MAP process – Risk Analysis and Mapping. 

Figure 1 - The Four Phases of the Risk MAP Process

Overview 

After Discovery, the Risk MAP project team determines if your community will be included in the study area. If so, the 

team meets with your community officials to talk about next steps and share resources to support the process. This 

marks the beginning of the Risk Analysis and Mapping phase. At this time, the team also begins the engineering 

analysis that leads to the initial updates to the flood maps. These drafts are called work maps. Creating the work 

maps is a technical effort that takes many months. The Risk MAP project team works with technical experts in each 

community to make sure the drafts line up with community knowledge. Once the work maps are completed, the 

team holds a Flood Risk Review Meeting. At this meeting, your community officials give feedback on the work maps. 

They also learn more about new mapping datasets and information – called Flood Risk Products – and other 

supporting resources the community can start using for mitigation planning. 

Key Activities 

Project Kickoff Meeting – During this meeting, the Risk MAP project team gives an overview of the study’s next 

steps. This includes the key activities and the role your community can play at every step. Your community will also 

learn about the many trainings and resources that are available. These resources can aid education, engineering, 

outreach, mitigation and support. 
Risk MAP Phase 2: Risk Analysis and Mapping 

Learn more at fema.gov April 2023 2 

Flood Risk Review Meeting – One goal of this meeting is to secure your community’s detailed feedback on the draft 

work maps. Another is to explain how your community can use the Flood Risk Products to help inform the 

community’s planning and development. It is also a chance for non-technical community leaders and departmental 

staff to learn about the community’s flood risk. Include elected officials, administrators, communications officers, 

and other public-facing representatives. This meeting helps prepare them to teach others, including residents, about 

what this updated flood risk means for them. 

Draft Flood Maps Review Period – After the Flood Risk Review Meeting, your community’s chief elected officer and 

floodplain administrator will review the draft flood map database. Your community will have 30 days to share more 

data to support or modify this database. From there, technical experts from the Risk MAP project team will move on 

with the review process. 

Actions YOU Can Take in Your Community 

The draft work maps and other resources are a starting point on your community’s road to becoming more resilient. 

With this in mind, we encourage you to: 

▪ Create a Community Outreach Plan. It can help you think about which neighborhoods may be affected. It can

also guide efforts to inform various groups about changing flood risk. Such groups include homeowners,

business owners, builders/developers, real estate, insurance and lending professionals, and more. It may take

time to start this plan.

▪ Set up a group of community representatives who can help plan and start the outreach plan. They should also

be able to find the best ways to share information.

▪ Work with the Risk MAP project team to find projects that can reduce flood risk. The team can also help you find

and secure potential funding sources.

What is a Flood Risk Review Meeting? 

The Flood Risk Review Meeting is a chance to start developing mitigation strategies and a long-range 

communication plan. These will inform constituents about your community’s progress and next steps. Don’t limit 

meeting participants to your community’s technical staff. Include a broader group of stakeholders, like elected 

officials and communication staff. That way, they can also learn about the potential impacts before the project 

team delivers the preliminary flood map.