Hurricane Ivan made landfall on September 16, 2004, at approximately 2 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) near Gulf Shores, Alabama, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 105 miles from the center of the storm. Coastal storm surge flooding of 10 to 16 feet above normal tide levels, along with large and dangerous battering waves, occurred near and to the east of where the center of the storm made landfall. Widespread damage occurred, including the damage and/or destruction of homes, infrastructure, and beach erosion.
In the wake of this devastating event, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiated a project to produce high-resolution maps that show flood impacts from the storm for portions of Okaloosa, Escambia, and Santa Rosa counties in Florida, and Baldwin County, Alabama. The maps, which are available from the Maps link on this site, show high water mark flood elevations, flood inundation limits from Hurricane Ivan, the inland limit of waterborne debris (trash lines), and storm surge elevation contours based on the high water marks. The maps also show existing FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) flood elevations for comparison to the Hurricane Ivan data.
These maps are intended to help state and local officials, as well as homeowners, to identify existing and increased flood hazards caused by the storm, and to use this information during recovery and redevelopment to avoid future flood damages.