Glossary

Vacuum Drying

Also called "thermal drying." Items are dried in a vacuum chamber, often at temperatures above 100° F. Caution: this method accelerates aging and causes damage to many materials: animal skins (leather, vellum), film media. Widely available; slower than vacuum freeze-drying, but less expensive.

Vacuum Freeze-Drying

Items are dried in a vacuum chamber at below-freezing temperatures to minimize swelling and distortion. Generally provides the most satisfactory results; recommended for historic collecting materials and glossy papers. A commercial service available throughout the U.S.

Valued Policy

A policy in which the insured and the insurer agree on the value of the property insured, that value being payable in the event of a total loss. The Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP) is not a valued policy.

Variance

A grant of relief by a community from the terms of a floodplain management regulation. Because a variance can create an increased risk to life and property, variances from flood elevation or other requirements in the flood ordinance should be rare. Insurance premium rates are required by statute to be based on actuarial risk and will not be modified by the granting of a variance. Specific criteria for granting a variance is described in the supplemental information.

FEMA may review a community's findings justifying the granting of variances, and if that review indicates a pattern inconsistent with the objectives of sound floodplain management, FEMA may take appropriate action up to and including suspending the community from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 59.1 - Definition
• 59.22 (b) - Requirement to Remedy to the Maximum Extent Possible

VA

Department of Veterans Affairs.

VAL

Voluntary Agency Liaison.

VALS

Voluntary Agency Liaison Specialist.

Very Low Income

For federal housing programs, a household income of 50 percent of the area median by household size. HUD data is used to calculate very low-income limits.

Volunteer Fire Department

An agency or organization where no member receives financial compensation (salary, wages or stipend per call) for their services other than life and health insurance and workers' compensation insurance. A department is mostly volunteer if fifty-one percent or more of its membership is comprised of personnel who do not receive financial compensation for their services.

Volunteer Firefighter Interest Organization

Volunteer firefighter interest organizations are comprised of firefighters or fire officers who collectively represent the interest of members of several volunteer fire departments or volunteer firefighter members of fire departments from the entire state or locality. Examples of these organizations include county or statewide firefighter associations or chiefs associations and other organizations representing active volunteer firefighters. For-profit organizations are not eligible.

Volunteer Incentives

Activities or initiatives that encourage volunteers to continue to participate in fire department programs and activities.

V-Zone Certificate

National Flood Insurance Progam (NFIP) regulations require coastal communities to ensure that buildings built in V Zones are anchored to resist wind and water loads acting simultaneously. Buildings in V Zones are subject to a greater hazard than buildings built in other types of floodplains. Not only do they have to be elevated above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), they must be protected from the impact of waves, hurricane-force winds and erosion.

A registered professional engineer or architect must certify that the design and planned methods of construction meet NFIP requirements. The community must maintain a copy of this certification in the permit file for all structures built or substantially improved in the V Zone.

If breakaway walls are used to enclose areas below the building that exceed a design safe loading resistance of 20 pounds per square feet, those walls must also be certified by the registered professional engineer or architect.

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 60.3 - Flood plain management criteria for flood-prone areas
  • (e)(4) - V Zone Anchoring Requirement
  • (e)(5) - Breakaway Wall Requirement

Violation

The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community's floodplain management regulations. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required by the community's floodplain management ordinance is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.

To remedy a violation means to bring the structures or other development into full or partial compliance with State or local regulations or, if this is not possible, to reduce the impacts of its non-compliance. Ways that impacts may be reduced include protecting the structure or other affected development from flood damages, implementing the enforcement provision of the ordinance or otherwise deterring future similar violations, or reducing Federal financial exposure with regard to the structure or other development.

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 59.1 - Definition
• 59.22 (b) - Requirement to Remedy to the Maximum Extent Possible

Void

A subaward for which no federal funds have been allocated or obligated and the recipient no longer wishes to complete the activity. No final claim letter will be sent to the recipient once the subaward is void and closed.