Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal

Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal

1. Name of Project: Florida High Water Marking Strike Team

2. Name of State Team: Florida Silver Jackets

3. USACE Contact: David P. Apple, PE

Chief, Watershed Planning Section, CESAJ-PD-PW

P.O. Box 4970

Jacksonville, FL 32232

(904)-232-1757

State Contact: Joy Duperault, CFM

National Flood Insurance Program Manager

Florida Division of Emergency Management

2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard

Tallahassee, FL 32399

(850) 922-4518

4. Description of the Project:

The Florida Silver Jackets has formed a High Water Mark Strike Team (HWMST) comprised of Federal and State agencies to obtain, electronically collect, and process High Water Mark (HWM) data after a flood. The proposed project will fill a gap and improve stakeholder’s ability to assess, manage and communicate information about flood risk. Today there is no common website specifically designed to collect or host HWM data. The proposed project will initially entail developing a website where team members can submit their data in various forms such as digital photos, aerial videos, on site report forms, river gage data, and others.

Once data is received it must be put in a format such that it is easily posted to an interactive map tool which will assist in forming information to be reviewed to provide intelligence about flood condition with rivers, streams, coastal areas or flash flooding. Data collected from USGS and NOAA/NWS for conditions upstream in Alabama and Georgia must be used to determines or predict the impact on Florida’s rivers or floodplain management areas. Additionally, Federal Partners in the State Emergency Operations Center will review data collected during the response and recovery phases of disaster response which means data collected must be easily accessed or pushed to EM constellation.

It is essential that the site allow easy access before, during, and after a flood and run error free. Access to a live help desk for trouble shooting needs to be sustained and continuously maintained. The following is the proposed statement of work:

Phase 1

A. Requirement analysis: Collect and study types of information from current stakeholders such as video, photo, email, or other types of reports and data.

B. Proof of concept and application review with stakeholders, web design, development, and test a website where stakeholders may forward their data despite the format submitted.

C. Pilot Testing and Rollout: Develop a database to hold collected data that allows for ease of access for review. Track and communicate with stakeholders during database entry. Estimated development time is about 180 days.

Phase 2

A. Develop graphic map presentation tool, test and turn up. This must be interactive and feature reach. Estimated time is about 180 days.

Phase 3

A. Provide resources to ensure stakeholders have access to a live helpdesk to resolve any issues concerning access, loading, data presentation and use. This must become a standard and continuously manned service.

Why High Water marking is necessary: After significant flooding from a hurricane or flood it is imperative to collect data rapidly to:

× Document the event

× Assist in response, recovery, and mitigation

× Improve disaster preparedness and prevention for future disasters

× HWM data collection and processing is an initial step in accurately documenting an event. These data help place the event within a historical context, improve estimates of current flood risk, and enable the State and local governments to make predictions about potential future flooding and to assist with mitigation efforts.

× Collection of site-specific high water elevation data has numerous applications including:

× Estimate storm frequency and severity

× Assess accuracy of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)

× Assist in preparation of Wind Water Line Maps

× Prepare inundation maps

× Share information for building performance assessments

× Share information for calibrating models that simulate the storm

× Assist in prioritizing mitigation projects and preparing their benefit/cost analysis

× Determine depth of flooding of structures for post-disaster loss avoidance studies.

Project Background

In June 2012 Tropical Storm Debby dumped over 22 inches on Suwannee County in less than 24 hours flooding much of the county area including the city of Live Oak. On July 12, 2012 message #716 went out via EM Constellation requesting assistance needed to record High Water Marks in affected areas. The response from one of the state’s water management districts in SW Florida produced almost 1,000 photos marking hundreds of locations. This district also contracted with Aerial Cartographic of America, Inc. to do an over flight covering 300 square miles in 3 counties. Once collected via the EM Constellation website, this data could be sorted, reviewed and posted to GATOR. Information was also provided from other WMDs as well as NOAA/NWS and USGS. Subsequently, conference calls, a workshop and periodic meetings were held by Florida Silver Jackets HWMST members including; USGS, NOAA/NWS, five Florida Water Management Districts, FDOT, FDEO, FDEM and USACE. The team reviewed data collection methods, technology, skill sets and resources.

Today, HWM data is collected by Federal, State, local government, and volunteer agencies using multiple collection methods, tools, and forms. Data is collected using river gages (some connected via satellite uplink while others are physically checked), aerial survey, on site photos, red cross volunteer notes, state trooper road blocks, DOT road sign requests, county assistance requests, NOAA weather reports, FEMA contractors or USGS Hydrology reporting. Up until this date, among five state agencies specifically focusing on water management, three use gages readings (collected manually or via telecommunications uplinks), one aerial surveys and one with on site engineering studies. Each of these sources has and can provide data on high water marks.

FDEM activates it’s State Emergency Response Team during Disasters and utilizing its mission tracking software known as EM Constellation receives data posted or emailed to its Emergency Operations Center website from Local, State or Federal partners.

EM Constellation is a web based information management software platform in adopted by the State of Florida for emergency management. The platform allows state emergency management response teams composed of county, state, federal, volunteer and mutual aid entities to use the same operating environment when responding to and recovering from an agency. Having this information all in one place allows for effective response to and recovery from emergencies while documenting events for reimbursement and after-action reporting. EM Constellation is available at http://seoc.floridadisaster.org/emc. It has the following functionality and features:

× Requests for assistance may be made through the platform, these requests approved and tasked as missions, and tracked throughout their life cycle.

× Information messages like situation reports, press releases and incident action plans may be shared through this platform.

× Incidents: each situation requiring a response is considered an incident. This tool selects the active incident for a user’s session.

× Missions: provides the ability for users to initiate, assign, task, track, and bring a mission to completion

× Info: provides the ability to post and respond to incident-related information

× Reports: This software provides a tool for the end user to be able to run reports for incidents in EM Constellation. A user can run a report for missions and info messages in a given incident.

× Contacts: storehouse of personnel information

× Essential Elements of Information (EEI): provides forms for collecting information from county-level emergency management on critical preparedness and response status factors

× Admin: for approved users, provides the ability to manage application security, roles, and incidents

× Gator: Geospatial Assessment Tool for Operations and Response. GATOR is the flagship common operation picture/situational awareness, web-based map viewer for the FDEM and the SERT.

× Web mapping application

× Real-time data like weather radar, watches, storm reports

× Base map, event, and post-event data

× http://www.floridadisaster.org/mitigation/silverjacket/documents/20121017_HighWaterMarks/sert_info_resources.pdf

Demographics: Florida is the fourth largest state by population and expected to grow to 24 million residents by 2030. As Florida’s population has rapidly increased since 1960, so has the profile of the state’s landscape. Rapid urbanization has manifested itself in the form of increased impervious surface areas such as asphalt roads, concrete areas, sidewalks, and structures. This increase has led to a much higher level of flash flooding during heavy rainstorms and also during flooding events.

Topography: The entire State of Florida is particularly susceptible to flooding do to its low-lying topography and large amounts of coastline combined with its subtropical climate. This makes Florida highly vulnerable to inland or riverine flooding. For example, portions of major drainage basins in Alabama and Georgia drain into the rivers in north Florida, and excessive rainfall in these states often causes flood conditions. FEMA estimates that about 41 percent of Florida is flood prone, which is the highest percentage of all 50 states. Due to the potential for flood damage, Florida has the highest number of flood insurance policies required by the National Flood Insurance Program of any US state. Despite the fact that floodplains cover a very large area in Florida it is unlikely that any undeveloped land will stay in its natural state. Pressure from developers to build, and the potential tax revenues from developments, make it difficult to keep floodplains open. This lack of control coupled with inadequate information available regarding the extent of floodplains and flood prone areas typically leads to unsound development on floodplain land which puts lives and property at risk.

Weather: The State of Florida is repeatedly impacted by flooding, 23 of 64 FEMA-declared disasters in Florida involved a flooding component. In the past 20 years (1992-2012), Florida has received 38 major disaster declarations. By successfully implementing mitigation, not only can Florida reduce the impacts but it can significantly reduce the recovery time span.

Flooding Hazard: In Florida, several variations of flooding occur due to the effects of severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, seasonal rain, and other weather-related conditions. The loss of life, personal property, crops, business facilities, utilities, and transportation are major impacts of flooding. Florida has nearly 121,000 census blocks that are potentially threatened by riverine flooding. This exposure translates to nearly $880 billion in property. Estimated annual loss for the state associated with riverine flooding is $255 million. Flash floods present more significant safety risks than riverine floods because of the rapid onset, the high water velocity, the potential for channel scour, and the debris load. In addition, more than one flood crest may result from a series of fast moving storms. Sudden destruction of structures and the washout of access routes may result in the loss of life.

5. Proposed Timetable of Project:

Total project development should occur within 360 days from project initiation. The initial three month phase includes a requirement analysis buy USACE resources who will do all of the work or contract it out and then host on their equipment the finally developed web tools. USACE resources will also perform all trouble reporting, resolution and help center activities through the continuous operation of this website, HWM data bases and Graphics presentation tools.

6. Outcome of Project:

“The more we know about our communities, the better we can understand their real-life safety and sustaining needs and their motivations to participate in emergency management-related activities prior to an event” are the words FEMA uses to discuss resiliency or whole community engagement. The results of HWMST data collection, forwarding, processing, reviewing and graphically posting for institutional review will work towards this understanding of our flood hazard.

Life Safety Issues: Will be addressed in the immediate as HWM data is reviewed during the response and recovery phases of emergency management. Ready knowledge of flooded areas and the analysis of real time river gage data will allow emergency managers to close roads, predict where flooding will occur next, and evacuate as required.

Reduction of Property Loss: Florida has the largest number of homes under the NFIP nationwide. There are also 16, 814 homes with repetitive loses due to flooding as of September 30, 2012. Improved information about potential flooding or updates to floodplain mapping can inform local county authorities who make decisions about their need to acquire such properties for demolition, as well as where development should be stopped in the future to prevent further losses.

Increased Resiliency: The ability of a community to readily recover from adversity is based on understanding the needs of the community, engaging and empowering its citizens and strengthening what works, their institutions. Information about flooding extracted from HWM data will enhance a community’s ability to make factual decisions toward updating their community flood maps. The update of flood maps will have an economic impact on these communities which must be understood in terms of flood insurance costs.

Loss Avoidance Assessment: One method used to quantify the value of mitigation. There is perhaps no simpler way to express the benefits of mitigation than to show losses that would have occurred without it. Loss avoidance assessments substantiate the value of mitigation in real dollars. Flood elevations are the most important piece of event data for determining losses avoided to building modification projects and high water marks are the most accurate way to determine flood elevations. In August 2013, a report entitled “Loss Avoidance Assessment Tropical Storm Debby” was published. Results show a 116% return on investment for the assessed projects, primarily after only one event. These results can help guide policy-makers in their decisions.

7. Conclusion:

Leverage resources invested by others: Collecting HWM data at a single site allows for the broadest possible review by subject experts such as hydrologists, meteorologists, engineers and technicians who are ready resources for the Florida EOC as part of ESF teams. This review can provide critical information to emergency responders, recovery operators and later mitigation planners and state floodplain managers.

Resources Include:

× Data/Information: Data collected currently varies depending on the originating organization (see chart). At its most basic the initial HWM data collected is comprised of an address, date, time, and some indication of water level. The more sophisticated form includes a digitized photo or the high water Mark with a date and time stamp along with coordinates. The secondary phase of data collection focuses on providing an accurate elevation of the HWM recorded earlier.

× Talent, Labor, and Funding: The talent provided at federal and state agencies varies from hydrologists, meteorologists, engineers, technicians or floodplain managers. Florida’s WMDs, NOAA, NWS, and USGS have all of these representatives. FDOT provides aircraft, pilots, and surveyors for aerial surveys. FDHS has state troopers who set up road blocks and monitor road conditions. FEMA contracts with providers who follow-up on damage claims within the disaster or flooded area. Local county and city governments have road and infrastructure departments with engineers and technicians who monitor and report on flood conditions.