FEMA issues new flood zone map for St. Johns County for first time since 2004

For the first time since 2004, there's a new map that shows the different flood zones in St. Johns County.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the new one in December. St. Johns County Flood Plane Manager Patrick Doty says the reason for the amount of time between the maps is because the agency has to create one for every community in the country.

"It's a pretty long line to wait in," he says.

Doty says the major changes on the new map are in coastal areas and along the St. Johns River, and they were made because FEMA was able to use advances in technology and new engineering capabilities to determine which places are more likely to flood.

However, he wasn't able to pinpoint exactly how many residents will see changes.

"That's kind of a tough question to answer because the answers haven't been sweeping one way or another," Doty says. "It kind of varies throughout St. Johns County."

He says there are several types of flood zones in the county, so it's a good idea to check the map if you live anywhere in the area.

The flood zone viewer on the St. Johns County website is free. It explains what type of zone you live in and what your flooding risk is.