Potential Changes to NFIP

Last week, the House of Representatives approved a bill reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program for another five years.  In the bill passed by the House, language was included to take out the "flood-in-progress" clause of flood insurance policies.

As currently policies are written, a flood insurance policy must be in place at least 30 days prior to the beginning of a flood event. This is a hot topic right now with the unprecedented flooding along the Missouri River.  FEMA has declared that the flood began on June 1, 2011 for Nebraska residents.  If a flood insurance policy was not purchased before May 2, 2011, damage caused by this flood event will not be covered.

Several legislators in both the House and Senate have proposed to change the "flood-in-progress" rule to state that the policy must be in place 30 days before damage occurs, regardless of when the flood started.

The bill is now being considered by the Senate.  We will keep you posted on the outcome.

Click here for Omaha-World Herald Article.

Social Networking Anonymous

Hi, my name is Lori and I'm addicted to Facebook. 

I first joined Facebook to keep up with family and friends.  I am not from Nebraska and it's an easy way to share pictures and updates about my daughter with her family who is spread from Florida to Alaska.

But, there is a lot more to Facebook (and other sites) than just knowing what your best friend from second grade is cooking for dinner.

For example, many retailers have pages where they post sales and special offers that are only available to Facebook users.  And you can get tour updates from your favorite band.

But you may be wondering what this has to do with NeFSMA.

Many government agencies also have Facebook pages, including FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

With the expected flooding in parts of Nebraska, Facebook has been an excellent tool to get updated information from the Corps of Engineers on river forecasts, projected inundation maps, and much more.

These agencies are using multiple outlets (Facebook, Twitter, text messaging) to attempt to keep the public informed.  And with mobile apps for smart phones, you don't even need to be at a computer to receive updates.

So the next time you log on to your computer, look for these pages.  There may be a wealth of information out there you didn't even know existed.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/OmahaUSACE

https://www.facebook.com/#!/FEMA

2011 NeFSMA Conference - FEMA RiskMAP, New Datasets

New Datasets that are Part of FEMA's RiskMAP Program, Andy Megrail and Rodney Odom, FEMA Region VII

This session will introduce attendees to new products and datasets that are part of FEMA’s Risk MAP program.  The products covered in this session include non-regulatory products such as the Flood Risk Report, Flood Risk Map, Flood Risk Database, and Discovery Report.  The datasets that comprise these products include: Changes Since Last FIRM, Flood Depth & Analysis Grids, Flood Risk Assessment Data, and Areas of Mitigation Interest.

The presenters will show the current products and facilitate a Question & Answer session about the products.

After hearing this presentation the audience will have a better understanding of the tools being developed to realize the risk of the floodplain areas.  The tools will identify risk both in the form of dollars and in the form of not only the regulatory 1% level but also for targeting potential mitigation through lower and higher events being identified.

Flooding Mississippi River - Blowing Up Levees and Returning Floodplains

This morning, the Mississippi River crested in Memphis, rising just shy of the all-time record height of 48.7 feet set during the great 1937 flood. The river, normally half a mile wide at Memphis, is now about three miles wide.  The only reason that this flood didn't set a new record was because the Army Corps of Engineers blasted levees and opened up two "floodways."  Find full articles via GOOD Magazine

Should We Follow the Dutch and Give Land Back to the Flooding Mississippi River?

The Project Flood Is Upon Us": Mississippi River Surge Is a 1-in-500 Year Event

The promotional video for "Room for the River" (english) or "ruimte voor de rivier" (dutch) is worth 3.5 minutes of your time just to see how social marketing for flood-related topics occurs in other parts of the world.  And if you want to see video of the levee being taken down for the Project Flood article from Wall Street Journal "Great Balls of Fire" News Hub.

FPF - Changes to FEMA's "Without Levee" Policy

Last week the Washington Post reported that FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate stated in a letter to 27 senators that FEMA would be doing a more detailed analysis of the flood risk in area with levees.  Click here to read the article.

The letter from Administrator Fugate came as a response to a letter sent by 27 senators (including Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns) regarding concerns about communities with provisionally accredited or non-federal accredited levees. 

FEMA's current policy is to map the areas behind the levees with a special designation of "without levee" and put areas in the floodplain.  Several communities in Nebraska are affected by this policy.

At this time, it is unclear how this will affect communities with provisionally accredited or un-accredited levees.  NeFSMA will continue to follow this story and provide you with updates.

"Ready"-made content for public officials

NeFSMA is a strong proponent of being prepared for emergencies at the local level.  That is why we started to follow the FEMA Blog and will bring relevant articles and alerts to you on our Blog (see how technology works?!!).  Education is a key element in the process of emergency preparedness.  Coincidently, education is the core value of NeFSMA and a value that we take very seriously.  Your timely membership renewal for 2011 will help us further that goal as we have an aggressive education agenda planned for 2011.  Contact Lori Laster if you have questions about your membership renewal (llaster@papionrd.org).

The following article was an encouragement for NeFSMA to be an active partner with FEMA to distribute information.  You never know when you'll need to be ready to respond to a tornado, flood, earthquake, alien invation (well, maybe we're safe from earthquakes here) or other disaster.  FEMA and NeFSMA will be looking at all options for distributing consistent and timely information.
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The start of 2011 means newly-elected lawmakers, appointed officials and staff are beginning their terms, both in Washington D.C., in our state capitals and communities across the country. These new officials are another important member of our nation’s emergency management team.

A great way elected officials can help their constituents is to make sure individuals and communities have the resources they need to be prepared for the hazards in their communities. Back when newly-elected members of Congress went through orientation in November, we encouraged them to share emergency preparedness tips back home.

At FEMA, we look forward to working with these newly elected and appointed officials. Below are some resources they can use and easily share to encourage emergency preparedness:

•Ready.gov – Getting prepared is broken down into three simple steps: get a kit, make a plan and be informed.


•FEMA Widgets – Web tools that can be added to your website that explain how constituents can apply for disaster assistance.


•FEMA Mobile site – Encourage constituents to bookmark FEMA’s mobile site, packed with preparedness and disaster information. Those eligible for assistance after a disaster strikes can also apply via the mobile site.


Posted on blog.fema.gov by: Brent Colburn, Director, External Affairs

FEMA Requests Feedback on NFIP Reform

FEMA has engaged in an effort to identify options for reforming the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). After more than a decade of seeking input, identifying issues, and undergoing studies, FEMA believes that the time has come to undertake a critical review of the NFIP. With Congress considering reform of the program, FEMA is prepared to assist decision-makers by providing a comprehensive analysis that will both address issues of immediate concern and establish a solid foundation for the NFIP’s future.

This is to alert you that on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, FEMA announced via the Federal Register two public meetings designed to describe, update, and explain options being presented for public consideration and to hear comments from interested stakeholders.

NFIP REFORM PUBLIC MEETINGS

December 2, 2010 – Washington, D.C. Washington Marriott at Metro Center


December 9, 2010 – Denver, CO Denver Federal Center, Building 810 – Entrance W-5

Due to space constraints, seating will be limited. To reserve a seat, please email or mail your request and include the participant’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address, and the meeting(s) to be attended. On the subject or attention line please write "Reservation Request for NFIP Reform Meeting". Submit reservations to FEMA-NFIP-reform@dhs.gov.

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SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE NFIP REFORM POLICY OPTIONS

FEMA will also be accepting public comment on the “straw man” policy options through the public meetings or through the NFIP Reform website at: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/nfip_reform.shtm

Additional details and information on the meetings are posted to this site. The straw man policy alternatives will be posted to Docket ID: FEMA–2010–0065. For access to the docket to read documents or comments received by FEMA, go to www.regulations.gov.

To Submit Public Comments

All written comments must be received by Friday, December 31, 2010. Feedback may be submitted by any one of the following methods: Federal Rulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on the Web site. E-mail: FEMA–RULES@dhs.gov. Include Docket ID: FEMA–2010–0065 in the subject line of the message. Facsimile: (703) 483–2999. Mail: FEMA, Office of Chief Counsel, 500 C Street, SW., Room 840, Washington, DC 20472–3100. Hand Delivery/Courier: FEMA, Office of Chief Counsel, 500 C Street, SW., Room 840, Washington, DC 20472– 3100.

Instructions

All submissions received must include the Docket ID: FEMA–2010– 0065. Comments received will be posted without alteration at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. You may want to read the Privacy Act Notice located on the Privacy and Use Notice link on the Administration Navigation Bar of the Web site www.regulations.gov.

Greetings from OKC

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