Final answer:
The Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the official flood map of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has faced criticism for its disaster responses. The FIRM is essential for assessing flood risks.
Step-by-step explanation:
The official flood map of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is known as the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). FEMA is tasked with assisting in disaster response and has been criticized for its handling of certain events, as evidenced during situations like Hurricane Katrina. Despite FEMA's critical role in homeland security and disaster preparedness, the agency faced backlash for its delayed and disorganized emergency services as well as for being led by appointees with little to no emergency management experience. The FIRM is a vital tool for understanding flood risks and for localities to prepare for flood events. FEMA's experiences underscore the importance of effective and coherent disaster response strategies, and the agency is continually working to improve its preparedness and coordination efforts.