Hazard Mitigation Assistance: Climate Resilient Mitigation Activities Updates
This email provides information on three new activities
eligible for the HMA programs: Aquifer Storage and Recovery, Floodplain and
Stream Restoration, and Flood Diversion and Storage, known as the Climate
Resilient Mitigation Activities (CRMA).
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FIMA Announces Availability of Benefit Cost Analysis Tools for Drought and Ecosystem Services
FEMA
has developed Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) Tools and Guidance
to calculate benefits for climate resilient mitigation activities, including
drought mitigation, ecosystem services, and pre-calculated benefits for
cost-effectiveness evaluation of soil stabilization, flood diversion, and
reforestation projects in wildfire impacted areas to support expedient
implementation of post-wildfire mitigation actions. The tools and
guidance include:
If
you require the Microsoft Excel version of either of the calculator
tools, or if you have any questions on details of the Benefit Cost Analysis
(BCA), visit the BCA website, contact the BCA Helpline at
1-855-540-6744 or bchelpline@fema.dhs.gov.
These
additional BCA Tools are available for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
(HMGP), Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM), and the Flood Mitigation Assistance
(FMA) for which the application period is open on or after the date of the
May 12, 2016. Please note that not all mitigation activities are eligible
under all three programs. For example, wildfire mitigation is eligible under
HMGP and PDM, but not FMA.
The
Climate Resilient Mitigation Activities are
available for HMPG funding resulting from a major disaster declared on or
after September 30, 2015, and for competitive PDM and FMA funding for which
the application period opened on or after September 30, 2015.
Hurricane Preparedness: Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins
June
1 marked the start of the Atlantic Hurricane season and FEMA encourages
everyone to take action and prepare for disasters now. A good resource you
can use is to download the FEMA smartphone app to your
device. This will give you information about what to do before, during,
and after a hurricane. You can also receive weather alerts in your area
from NOAA’s National Weather Service, find lifesaving safety tips, and have
access to disaster resources should you need them. The app is available in
English and Spanish from the Apple App store or the Google Play store.
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Saturday, June 11, 2016
FIMA Announces Availability of Benefit Cost Analysis Tools for Drought and Ecosystem Services
Mitigation Best Practice - Higher Standards Mean Lower Flood Insurance Rates
This Best Practice tells how the city of Myrtle Beach joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and agreed to adopt and enforce a flood damage prevention ordinance designed to protect property that is at high risk for flooding. In exchange, residents are allowed to purchase federally-backed flood insurance.
To find out more about Mitigation Best Practices, and how the stories in this portfolio offer ideas for you to use in reducing or preventing damage from disasters, visit the Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio web page.
Higher Standards Mean Lower Flood Insurance Rates for Myrtle Beach Property Owners
Myrtle Beach, SC: The Myrtle Beach boardwalk is a sight to see. A meandering 1.2 miles of solid oak walkway guides visitors along a scenic path that’s reminiscent of a 1940s classic film. Situated along that boardwalk are boutiques, restaurants, and a pre-war replica of a 187-foot-high Ferris wheel, which harkens back to a time when World War II soldiers took their dates on evening rides, soaring through the night air beneath a well-lit sky.
But that bygone era is now tucked away in time, and the boardwalk has gone from bobby socks to bandanas, with annual visits from spring-breakers, vacationing families, and a rambunctious biker crowd. Boardwalk merchants and other property owners in this southern coastal community understand that an oceanfront lifestyle has its risks. To manage those risks, the city of Myrtle Beach joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 1971, agreeing to adopt and enforce a flood damage prevention ordinance designed to protect property that is at high risk for flooding. In exchange, residents are allowed to purchase federally-backed flood insurance.
Myrtle Beach Permit Services Supervisor Emily Hardee is an enthusiastic supporter of the NFIP, and oversees the community’s membership in the Community Rating System (CRS), an incentive program that rewards property owners with discounts on flood insurance premiums, if the community in which their property is located adopts and enforces higher than minimum regulatory and building standards. CRS discounts are based on a class rating system that ranges from 1 to 9. The lower the number, the greater the discount. The city of Myrtle Beach is a class 5 community and policy holders in high risk areas receive a 25% discount on their flood insurance premiums. The city is “very proud of the 25% savings on flood insurance premiums we have earned for our property owners,” says Hardee. “They save that money and it’s put back into the community.”
Although Hardee has served as Myrtle Beach’s floodplain manger and CRS coordinator for the past seven years, the life-long resident and former permitting technician remembers the devastation of Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and the resulting 15-20 inches of torrential rain and subsequent flooding. “After Floyd, a bunch of city departments came up with a plan to spend $70-75 million dollars on storm water management and drainage basin projects to decrease flooding,” explained Hardee. Due to rigorous management of the floodplain, residents and property owners have experienced a decrease in flooding, and Myrtle Beach has continued its efforts to advance in higher regulatory building standards.
“The city adopted a three-foot freeboard requirement, which means new construction must be elevated at least three feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE*),” said Hardee. “Myrtle Beach also monitors substantially improved buildings (more than 50% of the property’s pre-event market value), limiting improvements to a total of 50% over a 10 year period.” The city also established a community Coastal Protection Zone, a designated area where no new construction can be built. Not everyone is pleased with these types of restrictions. “Of course we have citizens, contractors, and property owners who try to fight us, but city council has been supportive,” explained Hardee. “When we tell property owners how many CRS points they will lose, and how that loss will increase their flood insurance premiums, they understand and support the higher building standards.”
The benefits of implementing a rigorous floodplain management and CRS program were obvious during the state’s most recent major disaster. “Only about 20-25 structures had water come in them from October 2015’s Hurricane Joaquin, but none had more than 20% damage,” said Hardee. Myrtle Beach also has a committee that meets annually to work on floodplain management and storm water management plans. They review actions and make sure the plans are up-to-date.
When asked about how Myrtle Beach’s CRS status may encourage other coastal communities to participate in the program, Hardee modestly admits, “Other jurisdictions come to us and ask us for advice about what we do in our programs; but we also have to stay on top of things ourselves. Our legacy is to stay continually involved in the construction process and knowledgeable about the updates the National Flood Insurance Program provides.”
With this attitude and the city’s commitment to the CRS program, Myrtle Beach property owners will stay “high and dry” for years to come.
To learn more about the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, visit: http://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-rating-system
* The BFE is the anticipated height floodwaters are expected to reach during the 1-percent-annual flood (commonly referred to as the 100-year flood).
In preparation for the opening of Hurricane Season 2016, FEMA has developed a new Fact Sheet on wind retrofit projects
Residential Hurricane Wind Retrofit Fact Sheet
In preparation for the opening of Hurricane Season 2016, FEMA has developed a new Fact Sheet on wind retrofit projects. Wind retrofits are enhancements made to strengthen roofs, walls, doors and windows to minimize damage to homes from wind and wind-driven rain caused by high wind events such as hurricanes. FEMA offers two Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants that provide funds for cost-effective wind retrofit projects: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM).
The Wind Retrofits Fact Sheet provides an overview of wind retrofit projects and the streamlined process for determining the cost effectiveness of wind mitigation projects. The Fact Sheet compliments FEMA's guidance P-804: Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings (2010), which provides guidance for selecting and implementing wind retrofit projects for homes in all coastal regions, and FEMA’s Cost Effectiveness Determination for Residential Hurricane Wind Retrofit Measures Funded by FEMA (2015), which provides a simplified pre-calculated benefits methodology for determining cost effectiveness that can be used instead of the traditional Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA).
The Residential Hurricane Wind Retrofits Fact Sheet is available from the FEMA website.
Salem Police Department evacuated in hazmat situation. 3 treated after exposure to noxious cleaning chemicals
UPDATED 4:48 PM EDT Jun 10, 2016
WMUR/Andy Hershberger
SALEM, N.H. —The Salem Police Department was evacuated Friday afternoon after employees were exposed to noxious cleaning chemicals.
A hazmat team was called to the station about 12:15 p.m.
Officials said someone was trying to clear a clogged drain and mixed two cleaners together, causing a reaction. Three officers complained of irritation, and they were taken to a hospital to get checked out.
Officials said the hazmat team would perform air quality tests before employees would be allowed back inside the building. The building re-opened about 3 p.m.
Police said people should still call 911 for emergencies. Business calls were being routed to the Fire Department.
Floodwaters cause oil spill near Spring Creek in Texas
Large oil containers were toppled during heavy rains over Memorial Day weekend causing more 70 barrels of oil to spill onto the ground.
Posted: Friday, June 10, 2016 10:51 pm | Updated: 9:14 am, Sat Jun 11, 2016.
By Catherine Dominguez
Soil testing following the clean up of an oil spill is continuing after floodwaters toppled several large barrels of oil near Spring Creek in south Montgomery County.
Sulpher Springs-based Hopco Operating Company operates a drilling site just south Pruitt Road near the creek. According to information from the Texas Railroad Commission, the site was flooded during the storms that moved through the area Memorial Day weekend. More than 10 feet of water flooded the area causing between 70 and 77 barrels of oil to spill on the two acre site located in the 45-acre Montgomery County Preserve.
“They have the right to do things on that drill site even if we own the land,” said Assistant County Attorney BD Griffin. “The mineral (rights owner) has some primary rights.”
Griffin said the lease for the minerals rights dates back to 1948. The county acquired the land in 2012 as part of the Spring Creek Nature Preserve project and only owns the surface rights.
Ramona Nye, spokesperson for the TRC, said Hopco was issued a notice of violation regarding the spill. The company reported the spill to the Commissioner May 31. The spill occurred May 27.
“The Railroad Commission will continue to monitor the operator’s cleanup activities until the lease is brought into compliance with Commission rules,” Nye said in a statement to The Courier. “The Railroad Commission responds to all reports of potential oil releases with urgency to ensure protection of public safety and the environment. Operators are required by Commission rules to report spills to the Commission and contain and remediate releases.
“Additionally, the Commission dispatches inspectors to reported spills as quickly as it is safe for them to access a potentially affected area. The Railroad Commission oversees containment and cleanup to ensure it is done in compliance with RRC rules.”
Officials with Hopco could not be reached before press time.
Scott Nichols, director of Environmental Health for Montgomery County, said he has been on site during the clean up.
“At this time, I do not believe there is major concern,” he said noting samples are being collected for testing to determine the environment impact.
Part of the process of cleaning the spill included excavating the area and removing the soil, Nichols said.
However, Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said the county was not notified of the spill. It was actually discovered while he and his staff were surveying the areas along the creekafter the floodwater has receded.
“My concern is the fact that Montgomery County, the property owner, was not notified,” he said. “My job is to protect the integrity of our assets. A pristine greenway is not only an asset to the county but the entire region.
“In the future, we want to be notified as soon as possible so we can make sure that our assets are protected.”
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