Quick Start Guide

  1. Click on the red "Launch Tool" icon to open and begin using the Flood Tool.

  2. Read the Disclaimer that appears next, then click on the "I Agree" button to indicate that you read and agree with these terms.

  3. If you know the exact address you are searching for, type it in at top, under SEARCH. You can also left click and drag to move screen in any direction.

  4. Wherever you place your pointer and left click, a box will come up with info including lat/long, elevation, link to official FEMA maps, in/out of floodplain, etc.

  5. To bring up City, County or Quad, use the navigation tools (pan, zoom, scale, etc.) on the left of your screen, click on ZOOM TO at bottom of the navigation tools group.

  6. If you only have Long./Lat coordinates, after you click the ZOOM TO box, select the ZOOM TO LOCATION tab, then click on the COORDINATE sub-tab and type them in and click on the Locate the Coordinate button.

  7. The plus/minus signs above ZOOM TO can be used to draw a box with your mouse around a selected area to zoom in or out.

  8. The vertical slider can be used for the same +/- function.

  9. The floodplain area will be in RED. Click the FLOOD button under LAYERS tab at the top of the screen and adjust the slider to reduce opacity in order to see structures beneath. The Reference tab allows you to turn on additional map layers, including addresses, roads, streams and elevation contour lines. The Basemap button will open the list of map backgrounds (basemaps) that are available. The default is Esri's Street Map, but you may select different types and years of aerial photography or topographic maps.

  10. In areas where detailed floodplain studies have been performed, you can turn on additional layers, such as BFEs and Cross Sections, by clicking on the Expert button under the View tab (top left).

  11. The Tools tab at top right has several useful functions for printing maps, sending map links to other users, measuring distances, etc. These are best learned by studying the more detailed User Manual, available in .pdf format under the button of the same name (User Manual) on the WV Flood Tool home page.