This past February, Sarah Ice, CFM, and I had the opportunity, as two RAMPP team members representing FEMA, to present at a workshop for the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. We presented our four-hour workshop, “The Newest Letter of Map Change: The FEMA eLOMA,” to approximately 100 licensed land surveyors.

We discussed the history of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the FEMA Elevation Certificate, Letters of Map Change (LOMC), and the Electronic Letter of Map Amendment (eLOMA) process. Following our presentation, we answered questions about Flood Zone As, the mapping process, and how the lowest adjacent grade and the first floor elevation of a structure compared to the base flood elevation relates to a property owner’s mandatory flood insurance requirement.

Sarah and I were surprised at the number of questions we were asked; not only at the end of our workshop, but throughout the presentation and even on breaks. This showed us that the attendees were not only there to earn continuing education credits but to also get a better understanding of FEMA’s responsibilities and procedures. Overall, it was a great success!