flickr.com/kmevans A flooding river nearing the top of a levee in Missouri

The policy change affects communities across the United States, including some in Louisiana. Many have complained FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers have not considered levee improvements paid for by local and state governments. Click here to find the FEMA flood map for your specific area.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says the agency will do a more detailed analysis, looking at the flood risk of communities that are not protected by federally accredited levees. Until now, FEMA regarded communities protected by unaccredited levees as being entirely without levees.