DC Flood Summit Recap

Situated at the intersection of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, the District of Columbia is highly susceptible to flooding and has experienced many severe flooding events throughout its history. During the week of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Fran, which engulfed the District of Columbia in 1996, the DC Silver Jackets hosted the DC Flood Summit on September 8th.  More than 150 stakeholders gathered at the Summit, which was the first event of its kind in the District of Columbia, to discuss flooding and strategies to reduce flood risk and become more resilient. The full-day event focused on sharing lessons learned, best practices, and ongoing initiatives, as well as forming partnerships to plan for the future and reduce flood risk in the nation’s capital.

The Summit kicked off with opening remarks from Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, who talked about how Washington DC should be central to the discussion of climate change and flood risk on a national scale. She also discussed a bill she introduced to amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to include Washington DC in the definition of a coastal state, which would make the nation’s capital eligible for coastal zone management funding. 

The theme of the Summit, “Remembering the Past, Preparing for the Future,” was woven throughout presentations and discussions during the day. Speakers provided a detailed history of flooding in DC; discussed climate-adaptation challenges and opportunities; delivered overviews of stormwater, floodplain, and flood risk management programs and policies at all levels of government; identified ways to foster interagency collaboration; and shared flood risk reduction and response best practices, tools, and lessons learned. Residents, property owners, and businesses also shared personal stories about their encounters with flooding in the District.

The Summit reiterated the importance of partnerships, collaboration, and public education about flood risk and the need to approach flood risk management and mitigation with both structural and natural solutions. To view pictures from the event and download presentations, please visit the DC Silver Jacket’s website.

Image above shows the 2016 DC Flood Summit. U.S. Army photo by David Gray.  

American Planning Association PA Conference Highlights

From October 16 to October 18, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) held its Annual Conference in Allentown, PA. It featured three days of engaging panel discussions, presentations, and workshops on a wide variety of topics, ranging from integrating the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Program into community planning to reinventing suburban office parks. Resiliency and mitigation were key themes throughout the conference, and FEMA Region III participated in a panel discussion about the importance of plan integration.

“Plan Now or Play Later: Integrating Hazard Mitigation and Comprehensive Planning for More Resilient Communities” was led by Mari Radford of FEMA Region III, Robert Graff of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), Hope Winship of Resilience Action Partners, and Tony Subbio of Tetra Tech, Inc. The speakers emphasized the benefits of synthesizing community planning and hazard mitigation planning by spotlighting this integration:

• It helps communities develop a better understanding of their risk and vulnerabilities;
  
• It improves coordination and communication between planning and emergency management; and
  
• It influences decisions.
  

These benefits ultimately help communities reduce their overall risk. The session also highlighted best practices on how communities throughout the Commonwealth have used FEMA guidance to coordinate their planning efforts and lower their risk to hazards. Additionally, the panel discussed how efforts to reduce flood risk can result in flood insurance premium discounts under FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) program.

While other presentations at the conference were not framed as discussions about hazard mitigation and resiliency, several presentations showcased planning initiatives and projects that support mitigation principles. The “Green and Sustainable Parking Lots: Making Them More Than Paved Areas to Park Your Car” presentation detailed how using effective landscaping and innovative pavement surfaces can reduce stormwater runoff and minimize the effects of flash flooding. During this session, speakers from the Montgomery County Planning Commission shared success stories from their Sustainable Green Parking Lots Guide. Another panel discussion, “Finding Common Ground Amid the Changing Tide: Challenges and Successes in Maintaining Watershed Partnerships Through a Long Term Planning and Political Process,” highlighted the City of Philadelphia’s integrated approach to water resource management, which has focused on public outreach and partnership building. A major theme of the presentation was about maintaining partner and community engagement throughout a long-term planning process.

Several other sessions also focused on stormwater management and building partnerships, which are important elements of risk reduction. These sessions included the following presentations:

• “Water Design in Urban Environments: Planning and Implementing Green Stormwater Infrastructure;”
  
• “How Community Planning is Being Shaped by MS4 Regulations and Things You Should Consider Moving Forward;” and
  
• “Implementing MS4: Models of Regional Collaboration for Creative, Cost-Effective Compliance.”
  

It is becoming more commonplace to see mitigation, resiliency, and related issues at the forefront of planning conferences and workshops. FEMA Region III looks forward to seeing more of these discussions at the Pennsylvania Chapter of the APA’s Annual Conference next year. 

Image above depicts the Renaissance Allentown Hotel, the location of the 2016 American Planning Association PA Conference. 

Best Practice: Baltimore County’s Interactive Mapping Application and LOMA Database

Local government websites can be very effective platforms to communicate with residents, visitors, business owners, and other community stakeholders. Municipal and county websites are often the first stop for information about emergency preparedness, development regulations, permit requirements, and other community information. They should therefore be designed to connect visitors with essential information about important issues that may affect them.

Baltimore County’s website is user-friendly and provides visitors with easy access to information about applying for licenses and permits, paying bills, and reporting community issues. Additionally, the Department of Public Works’ website includes a webpage dedicated to floodplain information and an interactive mapping application. The webpage includes information about FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and the county’s floodplain regulations. Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) can be viewed through the county’s interactive mapping application. This tool is intended to provide users with an easy way to view the floodplain in their county and access related information, including property and structure data, elevation certificates, and Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs). This interactive mapping application can be accessed here, and instructions for using the tool are provided here.

LOMAs are official amendments issued by FEMA to an effective FIRM and establish a property’s location in relation to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). They are typically issued if a property has been mapped as being in the floodplain but is actually on natural high ground above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). Since a LOMA officially amends an effective map, it is important that a community maintain this record by noting it on the community’s master flood map. Baltimore County’s mapping tool exceeds this expectation by making current data available in one easy-to-access online location.
Baltimore County’s efforts to provide these tools and resources on its website is a best practice. Not only does the website educate visitors about floodplain information and make LOMA data publicly available, but it helps communicate flood risk to the people who may be affected by flood events and those making future development decisions. 

Photo above depicts Baltimore County's Interactive Mapping Application, which can be accessed here. 

Spotlight: Barbara Miller, Jefferson County, West Virginia

Located in the easternmost corner of West Virginia, Jefferson County is surrounded by the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains. The landscape is characterized by steep slopes, deep river valleys, vast agricultural lands, abundant forest, and densely populated urban areas. The county is bounded by the Potomac River to the north, bordered by the Opequon Creek to the southwest, and crossed by the Shenandoah River to the east. Home to many historic communities, the county is characterized by a significant amount of development that occurred before land use controls and floodplain regulations were in place. The county has made significant strides to promote hazard mitigation, integrate planning and floodplain management, and educate its residents about risk.

Barbara Miller, Director of Jefferson County’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, has been leading the effort to enhance emergency management capabilities, advance hazard mitigation, educate residents, and reduce flood risk throughout the county. We had a chance to chat with Barbara and learn about some of Jefferson County’s innovative work and her experience helping with emergency response and recovery efforts in West Virginia over the summer.

Q: Could you discuss some of the ways that Jefferson County has integrated hazard mitigation planning with floodplain management and other planning efforts?

A: Plan integration can be a challenge since plan update schedules usually do not align. For example, our comprehensive plan is updated every ten years, and our hazard mitigation plan (HMP) is updated every five years, but these updates have never occurred at the same time. Getting planning cycles to dovetail each other would be ideal, but it is tough. We still integrate other plans during updates to our HMP. In the last update, we consulted many plans, studies, reports, and technical information prepared at both the county and local levels, and other county departments often consult each other’s plans during their planning processes to integrate relevant information whenever possible.

Another way that we promote integration is by working closely with other county departments. Jefferson County’s floodplain manager is in the Engineering Department, but he is a member of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Steering Committee and the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning Committee. The latter of these committees meets to review our hazard mitigation plan annually and updates the plan every five years. The floodplain manager is in charge of enforcing the floodplain ordinance and can let us know about the status of mitigated properties and any permitting issues he notices while out in the field. He also helps us track the implementation of the mitigation strategy detailed in our HMP. We have completed most mitigation projects at this point, but we have some planning and outreach efforts which are ongoing actions.

Q: Could you tell us about your deployment to assist communities in West Virginia that were impacted by flooding over the summer?

A: To provide some background, our emergency management departments are very small in West Virginia, so we developed a way to coordinate emergency response and recovery efforts through the West Virginia Emergency Manager’s Council and the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Emergency managers that are not affected by a disaster can volunteer to be deployed to help impacted communities.

In June, West Virginia was hit very heavily by flooding; it was a 1,000-year flood event. I volunteered and was deployed for two weeks in Greenbrier County, which contained some of the hardest hit areas. I was stationed in the Emergency Operations Center and acted as the Public Information Officer, which is a role I had filled previously in Jefferson County. I also worked with the long-term recovery group and supported meetings. One of the most interesting experiences during my deployment was going out with the Greenbrier County floodplain manager to examine how homes in the floodplain with more recent permits held up compared to those with older permits. Some homes were completely devastated due to the severity of the storm, but many with newer permits stood high and dry.

Q: The Jefferson County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has many great resources available on its website and publishes a monthly newsletter . Could you tell us about these efforts?

A: Our goal is to educate the largest number of people possible about their risk, flood insurance, mitigation opportunities, how to receive alerts, and other related information. The county website is one of the many tools we use to accomplish this. We also distribute information through traditional media, send letters to people who live in or near the floodplain, and utilize other approaches in our effort to reach all of the different niche markets. Our newsletter is another way we accomplish this. It originally started as a means of communicating meeting information to members of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Steering Committee, and our newsletter subscribers have grown substantially since then. People began hearing about the newsletter and asking to sign-up. Then we started posting the newsletter on our Facebook page. It serves as a way to distribute essential information as well as share ideas and best practices which other communities can use. Similarly, we can learn from what other communities are doing. Collaboration and information sharing is important, and we are currently mentoring a community in the Central Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Q: Do you have any advice or tips to share with other communities that are striving to enhance their emergency management and hazard mitigation capabilities and reduce their risk?

A: It is important to highlight that we are not alone. If you meet new people and trade business cards when the sun is shining, you will know which subject matter experts to call when you need support. Individuals in emergency management community are honored to be in their positions and are pleased to help out other communities in times of need. 

Note: This interview has been edited. Image above courtesy of Barbara Miller.