THE INSIDER A Publication for Members
The Association of State Floodplain Managers September 2003
2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison, WI 53713 Website:www.floods.org
Phone: 608-274-0123 Fax:608-274-0696 Email:
TABLE OF CONTENTS - Click on any link below, or simply scroll down for the entire newsletter.
Executive Director's Report
National Mapping Contractor Selection Progressing
ASFPM 28th Annual Conference, May 16 - 21, 2004
ASFPM Conducts Source Water Integration Roundtable
FEMA provides supplemental CAP funding to some states
Floodplain Management in Ohio
Retaining the FEMA Name
News in Brief
John Paul Woodley, Jr. Appointed Assistant Secretary of the Army
Invitation to Attend a Legal workshop on Floodplain/Wetlands Issues
CFM Corner
Foundation Cornerstone
Washington Legislative Report
Calendar
Training Opportunities
Job Corner
Executive Director's Report - Larry Larson, CFM
This has indeed been a busy summer for us, and I’m sure for all of you. While some of you have experienced flooding, especially the East Coast, those of us in the upper Midwest have been in drought to near-drought conditions, as have other parts of the nation (much of western U.S.) and the world. It has been a busy legislative time, as you will see from Merrie’s column—budgets, repetitive loss, mitigation, etc. Our members are fortunate to have another Chair who can and does participate actively and effectively in national flood policy issues.
One item in this issue relates to a decision by the Dept. of Homeland Security to agree that FEMA can continue to use their name and brand in its information and work. While that may seem small, it is very important to keeping the focus on its mission as it works within the larger picture of terrorism within DHS. We don’t know if that decision will carry beyond the current Administration in Washington. It may be important to ask Congress to actually revise the law creating DHS to rename the Emergency Preparedness &Response Directorate to FEMA. Without that, the identity of FEMA within decision circles in Washington will continue to diminish. I can assure you as far as anyone in the President’s office of Management and Budget is concerned, FEMA no longer exists---and on all budget documents coming from Congress, it is EP&R of DHS.
The FEMA identity was one of the issues I raised in my talk at the plenary session at the Boulder Natural Hazards Workshop this summer. Also on that panel were Mike Brown, the Associate Director for FEMA (EP&R), and Eric Holderman, a local emergency manager from King County, Washington. After the three of us talked, a 45 minute Q&A session with the 300 plus hazards managers in the audience provided Mike Brown with a sense that these professionals (researchers and practitioners) are concerned that Natural hazards will be lost in DHS, along with the focus on mitigation. Brown allayed these fears with admonitions to be patient, since the creation of DHS involved putting together 22 agencies and over 200,000 employees to make a functioning department. While a good share of the audience understands the need for patience, they remain skeptical.
This fall, a number of the Chapters have asked Chair Chad Berginnis or myself to attend their fall conferences, and we will be making a number of those trips. These are good opportunities for exchanging ideas and concerns about floodplain management approaches, including No Adverse Impact (NAI), and to obtain direct input from our members. ASFPM has also been asked to participate in a workshop in Denver in October to develop a natural hazards curriculum for the nation’s higher education institutions. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Univ. of Colorado lead this effort, with funding from NSF. In early November, I will be attending a meeting on the Evaluation of the NFIP, where I serve on the Advisory Committee. The American Institute for Research (AIR) is leading this important effort. A number of you have been contacted by them to provide input into the evaluation. I urge you to provide whatever insight you can, since this evaluation may provide considerable data from which to adjust the NFIP to be more effective.
ASFPM will keep you posted on this and other issues (many are covered in separate articles in this issue) as they develop. Please keep us informed of the activity in your community, agency or company.
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National Mapping Contractor Selection Progressing
FEMA has been in the process of selecting one contractor to oversee the Multi-Hazard Flood Map Modernization Program. While no official word is out (FEMA cannot discuss this matter until negotiations are complete) the Company website of Michael Baker Jr., Inc. ( a large engineering and energy contractor with a long history with the NFIP) indicates the company has been selected to negotiate for Management of the mapping program.
Excerpts from their web site are included below. The full release can be viewed on the Baker web site at: http://www.mbakercorp.com/baker/newsroom/view.cfm?doc_id=512
"The mapping contractor will apparently serve as the Program Manager to develop, plan, manage, implement, and monitor the mapping effort. This is a large contract, with a potential of $750 million over 5 years.
Upon the successful completion of negotiations, Baker's 'Mapping on Demand' team will help FEMA to work with state, local, and other Federal partners to develop digital flood hazard data for the entire United States. The contract will be performance-based in order to align program success with FEMA’s strategic and program objectives.
Four key program components include:
· Development of a geospatial data collection and delivery system within 90 days of the final contract award to manage flood hazard data and, in the future, multi-hazard data.
· Establishment of a continually improving Program Management Office to direct and monitor program activities.
· Expansion of support for community partners through technical support, training, and incentives for program participation.
· Providing risk communications to educate the public about reducing their vulnerability to floods and other hazards.
Baker has more than 4,200 employees in over 30 offices across the United States and internationally."
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ASFPM 28th Annual Conference, May 16 - 21, 2004
“LIGHTING THE WAY TO FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT”
Sparkling blue waters, soft white sand beaches, pristine barrier islands, natural cypress wetlands, fertile coastal freshwater and salt marshes, towering pines, historic antebellum mansions, forts rife with military history, wind-shaped sand dunes, archeological sites, majestic magnolias and ancient, sweeping live oaks older than the towns themselves . . . With all this to offer, the Central Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi will surely bring out the nature lover and history buff in any floodplain manager!
The shallow Mississippi Sounds posed treacherous conditions before the days of dredged shipping channels, and lighthouses lit the way to safe passage for navigators. Our 2004 conference plays on this theme, offering professional training to help attendees become the guiding light for flood victims. The conference takes place just before the 35th anniversary of Hurricane Camille, the second most intense hurricane of record, so coastal and hurricane issues will pepper the program along with all the usual industry concerns and topics at the world’s largest and most comprehensive floodplain management conference. Throughout the week, internationally recognized experts and speakers, concurrent sessions, a comprehensive products/services exposition, technical workshops, field tours and networking activities will stimulate attendees to meet and learn from one another. Numerous projects reflecting the coastal and artistic character of the area will provide ample opportunities to showcase flood damage reduction in the face of daunting challenges. You can find more information about the area at www.biloxibaymag.com and www.gulfcoast.org.
The Call for Abstracts which you will receive in a couple of weeks is your invitation to join a broad range of professionals to address the many problems and issues associated with reducing flood damages, managing floodplain and fragile coastal resources, and making communities more sustainable. The submission deadline for abstracts will be October 24, 2003 -- FIRM! The Call also details the registration fees and hotel information. Sponsors and Exhibitors are a very important part of the conference. Please visit our website at www.floods.org/gulfcoast to get information and forms for these options. Both filled up fast at our 2003 conference in St. Louis, and options are limited in 2004, so you will want to lock in early!
Check the ASFPM website www.floods.org frequently for conference details as they develop. The Conference Team, consisting of Program Coordinator Steve McMaster, Local Hosts Harold Holmes and Rod Emmer, Exhibits Chair Dan Accurti and Conference Director Diane Brown, invites you to come to the Gulf Coast with us next May and experience Southern charm, cuisine, history and hospitality at its finest!
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ASFPM Conducts Source Water Integration Roundtable
Nancy C. Lopez, ASFPM Principal Investigator for the Source Water Integration Project
One of ASFPM’s objectives is to improve the integration of floodplain management functions with other related water management functions. In late July, under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, ASFPM achieved an important milestone toward meeting this important objective. Representatives of 15 organizations met at the Hall of States in Washington, D.C., to address the critical need to integrate four key water resources management functions— floodplain management, flood hazard mitigation, source water protection, and watershed management and protection.
In the past, most coordination efforts for source water and other water quality protection functions have not included professionals responsible for floodplain management or flood hazard mitigation. The ASFPM is working to change that.
The participating organizations represented all levels of government, and their members are responsible for implementing the four water management functions listed above. Mike Shapiro, the deputy assistant administrator for water at USEPA, opened the Roundtable. Chad Berginnis and Larry Larson represented ASFPM at the Roundtable. Margaret Lawless and Lois Forster participated for FEMA. Bill Dawson, the Chief of the Corps’ Policy and Planning Division, came for the Corps.
The Roundtable focused on improving the national level policy and program framework to support field-level integration for the four functions -- with special emphasis on source water protection. Source water protection is any action to improve or maintain the quality of ambient water that is, or will be, used as a source of drinking water. Our intent is to expand this functional integration effort to the field level to address regional, state and local level integration needs that impact the delivery of services.
Although source water integration was the primary focus of this Roundtable, the participants identified many important integration benefits among all four functions. For example, by implementing Best Management Practices (BMP’s) that increase infiltration in upland areas, farmers and other land managers can help reduce surface runoff, erosion and downstream flooding. Properly designed, these same BMP’s increase ground water recharge and protect surface water quality. In short, actions taken to meet water quality and food and fiber production goals can achieve big benefits for floodplain management. On the other hand, efforts to protect the natural functions of floodplains and wetlands produce measurable water quality protection benefits. Thus, integration benefits are not one-way streets.
The United States has one of the most complex water resources management structures of any country in the world. In the post 9/11 world this complex structure is under increased pressure because of changing priorities. Critical water management services cannot be delivered reliably without integrating functions across organizations to reduce the adverse environmental and economic impacts of management efforts that are too narrowly focused.
We expect to complete the summary of the Source Water Integration Roundtable by early next year. In the meantime, ASFPM hopes that organizations will start planning state and local meetings to help move critically needed integration forward.
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FEMA provides supplemental CAP funding to some states
FEMA received proposals from 27 states requesting a total of over $1.8 million for the remaining FY 03 CAP-SSSE funds. FEMA received approval to distribute the $341,000 in remaining funds to various Regions to be provided to states for NFIP community compliance and the increased floodplain management workload in support of Map Modernization eligibility activities.
FEMA indicated the $341,000 in CAP-SSSE FY 03 funds were held back for distribution to states to build capability to support community eligibility and compliance in states that do not have programs commensurate with their number of communities, or the risk of flooding and/or will be significantly impacted by Map Modernization FY-2003 early implementations.
In June, FEMA sent states the criteria that would have to be met to receive a portion of the remaining funding. Of the 27 states that submitted proposals, the following five states will receive additional CAP-SSSE funding in the following amounts:
New York $60,000
Pennsylvania $85,000
North Carolina $45,000
Texas $76,000
California $75,000
According to FEMA, priority was given to the states that fully met the objective listed in the guidance. In evaluating the proposals that fully met the objective, emphasis was placed on whether the proposal involved building permanent state floodplain management capability to deal with the increased floodplain management workload associated with map modernization.
The following proposals stood out to FEMA as candidates for increased CAP-SSSE funding:
New York: New York's floodplain management staff provides assistance to 1,462 communities that have approximately 96,185 flood insurance policies. New York has 14 counties that are identified in the top decile for Map Modernization restudy. The state would like to hire one additional FTE to assist with floodplain management activities impacted by Map Modernization.
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania's floodplain management staff provides assistance to 2,455 communities that have approximately 58,596 flood insurance policies. Pennsylvania has 14 counties that are identified in the top decile for Map Modernization restudy. Currently, only one FTE works floodplain management. The state would like to hire one additional FTE to assist with floodplain management activities impacted by Map Modernization.
North Carolina: North Carolina's floodplain management staff provides assistance to 462 communities that have approximately 101,090 flood insurance policies. North Carolina has 11 counties that are identified in the top decile for Map Modernization restudy. The state would like to hire one additional FTE to assist with floodplain management activities impacted by Map Modernization.