The City of Benbrook has initiated numerous property protection measures to reduce flood risk in the community. The City has addressed property protection by requiring new construction in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) to be constructed 2.0 feet about the Base Flood Elevation (BFE).

If the first floor level of your structure is lower than the BFE on the City's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), consider ways to reduce the risk of flood such as retrofitting or renovating to protect your structure.

The Community Development Department can tell you about causes of flooding, what the City is doing about it, and what would be an appropriate flood protection level for your structure. They can also visit your property to discuss flood protection alternatives, such as retrofitting.

Retrofitting measures may include:

• Elevating the building so that flood waters do not enter the structure;
• Constructing barriers out of compacted soil or concrete between the building and flood waters;
• "Dry floodproofing" to make building walls and floors watertight;
• "Wet floodproofing" to protect a building by allowing floodwaters to enter uninhabited areas of the property such as parking and storage areas; and
• Preventing basement flooding from sewer backup or sump pump failure.

There are a number of useful documents that address flood related issues that can be found at the Benbrook library or on FEMA's website. Some of the most popular publications are as follows:

• FEMA 54 Elevated Residential Structures
• FEMA 257 Mitigation of Flood and Erosion Damage to Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas
• FEMA 268 Protecting Floodplain Resources
• FEMA 347 Above the Flood Elevating Your Floodprone House
• FEMA 511 Reducing Damage from Localized Flooding
• FEMA F084 Answers to Questions About National Flood Insurance Program
• FEMA P55 Coastal Construction Manual
• FEMA P85 Protecting Manufactured Homes from Floods and Other Hazards
• FEMA P348 Protecting Building Utilities from Flood Damage