Floods are the leading cause of natural-disaster losses in the United States. The USGS Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) program focuses on developing FIM libraries for communities across the country. USGS and the National Weather Service (NWS) are helping keep these communities safe from flood waters by combining FIM libraries, real-time streamgage data, and NWS flood forecasts.
We are developing FIM libraries at streamgages and collocated NWS flood forecast points across Indiana and Kentucky. Each library consists high-resolution maps, a technical report describing the method of creating the FIM, GIS layers, and an interactive map on the USGS FIM Online Mapper. Flood inundation maps (FIMs) translate the stage of a river (shown on a hydrograph) to a map showing the extent and depth of flood waters. FIMS are created by combining datasets calculated by hydraulic models with ArcGIS, a geographic information system. As map libraries are completed, they will become available through the FIM Online Mapper or by selecting a site on the map below.
FIM Libraries
FIMs for Indiana and Kentucky are shown on the map using the symbols below. Clicking on a site on the map will give more details about the FIM.