This week is the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) annual conference in Oklahoma City. The week has been full of different presentations, workshops, and tours on everything from flood insurance to levee accreditation to no adverse impact floodplain management. And there have been a few sessions for us stormwater people as well.
To start the week off, NeFSMA was formally recognized as a state chapter of ASFPM. We were the only state chapter to join this year. Laurie Carrette-Zook and Paul Woodward accepted the plaque on behalf of NeFSMA. (I do have pictures, but I do not have my cord to download, so watch for them in the next edition of the newsletter.)
I was able to sit in on some national policy discussions on mitigation and urban stormwater management. The most interesting thing I took from the mitigation discussions was how sustainability and mitigation are interconnected. If you build a structure that can be easily damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, how sustainable is that structure? Even if made from the most environmentally friendly materials, if those materials are being replaced on a frequent basis, the total consumption of materials is far greater than a structure built out of harm's way. One other fact from the mitigation session: On average, every $1 spent on mitigation saves $4 in damages.
The hot topic in the urban stormwater discussion was the idea of "stove piping." Multiple agencies have an interest in water resources, but they don't always take a look around to see what other agencies are doing. The urban stormwater committee will be putting together a white paper in the coming year to address some of these issues.
The last thing I will mention is a speech delivered by Craig Fugate, Administrator of FEMA. He explained that his job is to run an insurance company. Our job as floodplain administrators and managers is to put him out of business.
Lori Laster
2010 NeFSMA Treasurer
About Our Association
- Nebraska Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association
- The Nebraska Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association (NeFSMA) is an active organization of over 100 members representing over 50 organizations. NeFSMA pursues multiple purposes including: 1.)promote public awareness of floodplain and stormwater management; 2.) promote the professional status of floodplain and stormwater management and secure all benefits resulting there from; 3.) promote cooperation and information exchange between individuals and entities concerned with floodplain and stormwater management; 4.) keep individuals concerned with floodplain and stormwater management well informed through educational and professional seminars and to provide a method for dissemination of information, both general and technical; 5.) inform and educate concerned individuals of pending floodplain or stormwater legislation, funding and other related management matters. Please browse our website to learn more about NeFSMA at www.nefsma.net. If you are interested in joining, either contact one of the board members or complete the membership form.
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