SDE 3.0 User Manual and Field Workbook - FEMA

This document is a Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE) User Manual and Field Workbook developed by FEMA. It provides guidance to State and community officials in estimating substantial damage to residential and non-residential structures, particularly those within a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The SDE tool assists those with limited appraisal or construction backgrounds in developing reasonable estimates of structure values and damages in accordance with NFIP requirements. The workbook includes guidance on data collection, field preparations, structure attributes, and post-determination activities. The SDE tool is based on the concept of using damage estimates for individual structure elements to determine whether the structure as a whole is substantially damaged.