flood lines fall 2015 viii issue 3 - new hampshire · time i drove along route 123 and the stories...

10 Years Later: Remembering New Hampshire’s October 2005FloodDisaster.Areyoupreparedforthenextevent?

ByJenniferGilbert,NHFloodplainManagementCoordinator

Recentlyyoumayhaveseennewscoverageoftheten‐yearanniversaryofHurri‐caneKatrina,whichremindedusofthedevastationthatoccurredinNewOrleans

andothercommunitiesinthesurroundingareainAugust2005.Atthetime,formany NewHampshire residents, an event like Katrina seemed far‐fetched andunlikelyinourstate.Littledidweknowafewshortmonthslaterastormwouldarriveinthestatethatwouldproduceheavyandintenserainfalloverashortpe‐riod,bringingdevastationandhardshiptoourstate.ThesmalltownofAlsteadwasparticularlyhithardduringtheeventonOctober8and9,2005.IspentsometimeinAlsteadfollowingthedisasterworkingtoassisttownof icialsastheyquicklyputtogetherahazardmitigationplansotheycouldqualifyformuchneededFEMAmitigationgrantfunding.TheimagesIsaweachtimeIdrovealongRoute123andthestoriesIheardwereunimaginable.Ihave

continuedtospeakaboutthoseimagesandstorieswhentalkingwithcommunity

of icialsandthepublicabout loodingand loodplainmanagement.Theyserveasareminderofhow

a series of events

can foreverchange a commu‐

nity and its resi‐

dents.

continuedonpage

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I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :

MappingUpdate

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InsuranceUpdate

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NFIPUpdate 6

UpcomingTraining&Events

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Flood Lines V o l u m e V I I I I s s u e 3F a l l 2 0 1 5

NHOf iceofEnergy&Planning107PleasantStreetJohnsonHall,3rdFloorConcord,NH03301Phone:603‐271‐2155Fax:603‐271‐2615www.nh.gov/oep/planning/programs/fmp

PhotobyChrisNorthrop

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The 2005 lood event was the start of a series of

statewide lood events over the last decade. New

HampshirehasbeenluckierthanourfellowNewEng‐

landstates inrecentevents,suchasHurricanes Irene

andSandy.Morerecentlywewereluckytostayoutof

the path of Hurricane Joaquin. But what happens

whenourluckrunsout?Areweprepared?Havewe

learnedfrompast loodevents?

September was National Preparednessmonth, which

isa campaign to remindusof the importanceofpre‐paringforemergenciesandhowtodoso.Butpreparingis something we need to think about more frequentlythanonemonthayear.Itshouldbeanongoingeffortforcommunities, families,andbusinessessothatwecanallbebetterpreparedforthenextevent.Withourbusy lives it ishard tokeepupwith things inthepresentmuchlessthingsthatmayormaynothappen

inthefuture.Butjustdoingafewsimplethingscangoalongwayinpreparing.ReadyNH.govisagreatresource

thatgivestipsandguidanceonhowyoucanbetterpre‐pare,includingthefollowing:

Signup forEmergencyAlerts andDownload theNHAlertsApp to staynoti iedof emergency and severe

weather.

UsetheeasychecklisttocreateanEmergencyKit.LikethepeopleinAlstead,youmayneedtoleaveyourhomequickly.

Complete the one‐page Family Emergency Plan form to know beforehand how to contact family

membersandwheretomeetifseparated.Duringmanyemergencies,cellphoneandlandlinesser‐

vicesareunavailable. Driveandwalkonlyinareasthataredry.Themajorityof lood‐relateddeathsoccurwhendriving

orwalkingin loodwaters.

Talk to your insurance agent about lood insurance. Homeowners and rental insurancedoesnot

coverdamagesfroma lood. Evenifyoulivebeyondamapped loodplainarea,the loodwaters

maynotstopata lineonamap. Manyof thehomes inAlstead thatweredestroyedordamaged

werenotlocatedinamapped loodplain.

10 Years Later (con nued from page 1)

PhotobyChrisNorthrop

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CoastalNHFloodplainMappingProject

StraffordCountyThe new loodplainmaps for the four communities in theStrafford County project area (Durham, Madbury, Dover,andRollinsford)becameeffectiveonSeptember30,2015.Belowarelinkstoinformationtoassistwiththenewmaps.MapResources:

ViewtheStaffordCountyEffectiveMaps

ViewtheChangesSinceLastMapsthatshowsthediffer‐

encebetweenthe2005Mapsandthe2015EffectiveMaps

FloodInsuranceInformation: PoliciesForBuildingsNewlyMappedIntoAHigh‐Risk

AreaFactSheet MapChangesandFloodInsurance:WhatPropertyOwn‐

ersNeedToKnowFactSheet

GrandfatheringRule

RockinghamCountyThemapsforthecommunitiesintheRockinghamCountyprojectareaarestillcurrentlyonhold.Thepro‐posed effective date for themaps in theRockinghamCounty project area is unknown at this time. Staytunedforfurtherupdates.

Mapping Update

ForupdatesonthepleasevisitNHOEP’sCoastalNHFloodplainMappingProjectwebpage.

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Mapping Update MerrimackRiverBasinDiscoveryProject

TheFederalEmergencyManagementAgency(FEMA)hasstarted the initial steps in a RiskMapping, Assessment,andPlanning(RiskMAP)projectfortheMerrimackRiverBasinarea. Thisarea includesNewHampshirecommu‐nitiesandMassachusettscommunities,whichareshownonthemapbelow.RiskMAPisFEMA’scurrentmappingprogramthathelpscommunitiesidentify,assess,andreducetheir loodrisk.By combining quality engineering with updated loodhazard data, FEMA provides accurate and easy‐to‐useinformation to enhance local mitigation plans, improvecommunity outreach, and increase local awareness toloodhazards.The U.S. Geological Survey in partnership with FEMAheld threeDiscoveryMeetings for theMerrimackRiverBasinProjectinJuly2015.The Discovery process commences at the begin‐ningoftheRiskMAPprojectandassistsinidenti‐fyingthescopeofthewatershedstudy. TheDis‐coveryMeeting is part of the Discovery process,and the information exchanged between FEMAand communities within the Merrimack Water‐shed during Discovery improves understandingofthecommunitieswatershed loodhazardmap‐pingandmitigationplanning.DuringDiscovery,FEMA: Gathersinformationaboutlocal loodriskand

loodhazards. Reviewsmitigation plans to understand local

mitigation capabilities, hazard risk assess‐ments,andcurrentorfuturemitigationactivi‐ties.

ProjectContactInformation:ScottOlsonU.S.GeologicalSurveyPhone:603‐226‐7815Email:solson@usgs.gov331CommerceWay,Pembroke,NH03275

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Insurance Update Identi icationofBusinessProperties—EffectiveNovember1,2015FEMA is revising the non‐residential building occupancy category to identify“Business” properties in the existing rate structure. Currently, FEMA categorizesbuilding occupancies as (1) single‐family, (2) two‐to‐four family , (3) other‐residential,and(4)non‐residential. Historically,FEMAclassi iedbusinessproper‐tieswithothernon‐residentialpropertiessuchasthoseusedashousesofworshiporbynon‐pro itentities,communityrecreationbuildings,andgarages.The2012insurancereformact,requiredFEMAtophaseoutPre‐FIRM(FloodInsur‐anceRateMap)subsidizedratesforbusinessproperties.InordertophaseouttheratesFEMAmustsepa‐rateoutbusinesspropertiesfromothernon‐residentialpropertiestoimplementthepremiumincreasesre‐quiredbythe2012insurancereformact.FEMAwillbeginrevisingtheNon‐Residentialbuildingoccupancycategorytoidentify“Business”propertiesNovember1,2015.Forratingpurposes,abusinesspropertymeansabuildingwherealicensedcommercialenterpriseiscarriedouttogenerateincomeandcoverageisforoneofthefollowing:a) abuildingdesignedasanon‐habitationalbuilding;

b) amixed‐usebuildinginwhichthetotal loorareadevotedtocommercialusesexceeds25%ofthetotalloorareawithinthebuilding;or

c) abuildingdesignedforuseasof iceorretailspace,wholesalespace,hospitalityspace,orforsimilaruses.

Theidenti icationprocessforallrenewalsforNon‐ResidentialpolicieswillbeginonNovember1,2015.In‐surancecompanieswillneedtogatherthenecessaryinformationtoproperlyclassifythepolicypriortothepolicy’sexpirationdate. Allnewnon‐residentialpoliciesafterNovember1,2015mustalsobeaccuratelycategorizedasbusinessorothernon‐residential. Source:FEMA

FEMAElevationCerti icateandFloodproo ingCerti icateUpdate

TheFEMAElevationCerti icate(FEMAform086‐0‐33)andFloodproo ingCerti icate(FEMAform086‐0‐34) formsarecurrent‐lyunderreviewat the federalOf iceofManagementandBudget(OMB).OMBhas extended the expirationdate of these forms toOctober31,2015.Until the OMB review process is complete, the existing formsavailable on FEMA’s website should continue to be used. UponOMBapproval,FEMAwillupdatethewebsitetoincludethenewElevationCerti icateandFloodproo ingCerti icateforms.

Source:FEMA

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NFIP Update

ReducingLossesthroughHigherRegulatoryStandards:2013ColoradoFloodsCaseStudy‐PublicationNowAvailable

In September 2013, an unprecedented rainfall event oc‐curred along Colorado's Front Range of theRockyMoun‐tains, resulting in catastrophic looding that impacted 18Colorado countiesand132 jurisdictions. TheSeptember2013 loodsprovidedauniqueopportunitytoevaluatethelosses avoided through a non‐traditional approach.WhiletheCommunityRatingSystem(CRS)conceptsofadoptinghigher regulatory standards and loodplain managementprinciples are advocated as best practices, there is littledata to demonstrate the return on investment for theseregulatoryorpolicy actions.Thegoalof the studywas toquantifythesebene itsanddemonstratewhattypesofreg‐ulations and policies could have themost substantial im‐pactonreducingfuturedamages.This study evaluated scenarios including regulating free‐board,restrictingbuildingofresidencesandcritical facili‐tiesinregulatory loodplains,andcontrollingdevelopmentin erosion zones. In addition to regulations, the study in‐vestigatedhowtheadoptionofregulationsovertimeaffect‐edlosses,andhowCRSscoresaffectedNFIPclaimsandpol‐icies.The conclusive results of this study continue to demon‐strate that higher loodplain regulations result in bene itsre lected by a reduction in lood‐related losses. Further‐more, jurisdictions not implementing higher regulatorystandardsmayobservesubstantialincreasesinfuture loodlosses.Thisinformation,inadditiontotraditionalExecutiveSummary mitigation actions, can be used by loodplainmanagers and community of icials to support the case forimplementinghigherregulatorystandardsfor loodmitiga‐tionandprotection.To view or download a copy of the study, please go to:ReducingLossesthroughHigherRegulatoryStandards Source: FEMA

PhotosSource:NOAA

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Upcoming Training & Events NFIPTrainingWebinars

Numerous free, online NFIP‐related trainings are available through FEMA’s contractor, STARR. Many of thecoursesareeligibleforContinuingEducationCredits(CECs)forCerti iedFloodplainManagers(CFM).Belowaresomeof theupcomingwebinars. Be sure tocheck thewebsiteperiodicallyasnewwebinarsarealwaysbeingadded.Tolearnmoreaboutthesewebinarsandtoregister,pleasegototheNFIPTrainingwebsiteandclickthe“Upcoming”tab.WhenaskedduringregistrationwhatFEMARegionyouarein,pleasereply1.

CRSWebinarSeries:

PreparinganAnnualRecerti ication‐November17‐1:00‐2:00PM

IntroductiontoCRS‐October20;December15‐1:00‐2:00PM

DrainageSystemMaintenance(Activity540)‐October21,2015‐1:00‐2:00PM

FloodplainManagementPlanning(Activity510)‐November18,2015‐1:00‐2:00PM

DevelopingOutreachProjects(Activity330)‐December16,2015‐1:00‐2:00PM

GroundTruths forFloodplainProfessionals&CommunityOf icials featuringnewFloodInsuranceVideos

HowtheNFIPWorksforFloodplainProfessionals Answersbasic loodinsurancequestionstogiveyouaheadstartinunderstandingtheNFIP—Whocanbuy lood

insurance?Whoisinthe loodzone?Whoisrequiredtobuy loodinsurance?

TheRoleoftheElevationCerti icateinFloodplainManagementElevationCerti icatesareoneof themost importantandversatileNFIPtoolsavailablewhen itcomesto lood‐plainand loodriskmanagement.The loodplainadministratorusestheECwhenadvisingbuilders,developers,

andpropertyownerswantingtobuildinacommunity'smost loodproneareas.Buildingstructuresatorabove

thebase loodelevationwill reduce loodriskand lood insurancepremiums foryourconstituents.Thisvideoincludesguidanceforlocatingthebase loodelevationandthelowest loorelevation.

Formoreinformationgotohttp://www. lood‐ed.com/

JenniferGilbert,CFM,ANFI KellieWalsh,CFMStateCoordinator AssistantCoordinatorjennifer.gilbert@nh.gov kellie.walsh@nh.gov

NewHampshireOf iceofEnergy&Planning

107PleasantStreet,JohnsonHall,3rdFloor,Concord,NH03301

(603)271‐2155Phone(603)271‐2615Fax

https://www.nh.gov/oep

NHFloodplainManagementProgramContactInformation