THE INSIDER
The Association of State Floodplain Managers
2809 Fish Hatchery Rd., Madison, WI 53713 www.floods.org
608-274-0123 Fax: 608-274-0696
Executive Director’s Report
Larry Larson, P.E., CFM
Gilbert White always told me that significant policy change will only happen following major disasters, when decision makers can see the vivid examples of current policy problems. And even then, Gilbert would say, it will not happen quickly. It is approaching a year since the Katrina catastrophe. An event of these proportions and impacts (the taxpayers will cover over $150 billion in disaster costs and will likely have to forgive over $21 billion in NFIP Debt) will surely lead to some changes. Our focus at ASFPM will be to provide expert advice to ensure those changes will serve the nation’s citizens and taxpayers. Congress is now acting on a number of bills that attempt to change some national flood policy. Both the House and Senate have bills to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Many of these changes are significant, impacting flood mapping, flood insurance, flood mitigation and how we manage our floodplains and watersheds. We support many of the changes and have concerns about others. I urge you to read the legislative report in this issue for more detail, and weigh in with your views.
Congress has asked for our comments on many other issues too. These include: (1) the future of FEMA in or out of DHS, (2) establishing a levee inventory and safety program for the nation, and (3) changes to the Stafford Act, which authorizes the FEMA pre-and post-disaster mitigation programs. We have been asked by Congress to testify or otherwise comment on these issues on behalf of our 9,000 members, who are the nation’s professionals working to reduce flood losses. On our web site you can read the testimony and letters on these issues that your Association has submitted on your behalf.
The ASFPM annual conference in Albuquerque last month provided an opportunity for many of you (actually, over 1,200 of you!) to share your thoughts on these issues and more. Our Policy Committees were very active, gathering your comments, preparing position papers, informing conference participants of the status of various issues, etc. We thank all of them for their hard work. Without the volunteer efforts of our Officers, Board members, Committee Chairs and many others, ASFPM would not have the credibility and reputation it enjoys. This organization is well respected among the nation’s decision makers for a number of reasons, but mostly because we advocate for good public policy, not special interests. We have worked hard for three decades to build that reputation and with your help, will continue that work.
I also want to thank all who participated in our annual conference to make it a resounding success--participants, sponsors, exhibitors, agencies, the New Mexico Chapter hosts, Program Coordinator Valerie Swick, Exhibits Coordinator Dan Accurti, Standing Conference Committee members Rod Emmer and Dan Sherwood, and many, many others that played any part in the conference. I also want to acknowledge the work of the ASFPM office staff (Diane, Chad, Anita, Debbie, Becky, George and Alan), who do a phenomenal job of preparing for and running what has become a very large and complex conference. Many of you have expressed your kudos for their work, and we appreciate that very much.
Finally, I am pleased to report that a new staff member will be starting with ASFPM in July. Bruce Baird will be the Research and Outreach Coordinator for both ASFPM and the ASFPM Foundation. Bruce has a long history in the hazards field in California, worked with us in helping Central America following Hurricane Mitch, and is just now completing a one year instructor engagement at the University of Kyoto. Bruce was able to join us in Albuquerque where many of you had a chance to meet him. You may reach him through the Executive Office.
In closing, let me wish each of you a safe and productive summer.
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YOUR NEW 2006-07 ASFPM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
R-L front row: Deputy Executive Director George Riedel; Treasurer Greg Main, IN; Secretary Collis Brown, GA; Vice Chair Al Goodman, MS; Chair Pam Pogue, RI; Executive Director Larry Larson.
R-L center row: Region 1, Scott Choquette, MA; Region 2, John Miller, NJ; Region 3, Jeff Sparrow, VA; Gene Henry, Region 4, FL; Steve McMaster, Region 7, NE; Region 8, Kevin Houck, CO; Region 9, Jeanne Ruefer, NV.
R-L back row: Chapter District 2, Gerald Robinson, IL; Chapter District 1, Jim Maxwell, NY; Chapter District 4, Brad Anderson, CO; Chapter District 3, Harold Holmes, MS; Chapter District 5, Dan Sherwood, AZ. Not pictured: Region 6, Diane Calhoun, TX; Region 5, vacant pending special election to replace Greg Main who was elected Treasurer; Region 10, Debi Heiden, WA.
2006 ASFPM Conference Sizzled in New Mexico!
ASFPM's 2006 national conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 11-16 blew all our past numbers out of the water with over 1,200 in attendance! In addition to the 3-day technical program Tuesday through Thursday, attendees enjoyed 80 exhibitors, 23 training workshops, 6 technical field tours, great participation in the policy committee meetings and discussion topics, and fantastic networking throughout the week. We wish to thank the many people who worked so hard to achieve the momentous success of this conference:
· Program Coordinator Valerie Swick
· The local host state Chapter – New Mexico Floodplain Managers Association (NMFMA)
· Over 200 speakers, instructors and presenters
· The Exhibitors who showcased various tools and techniques to help better do our jobs
· 38 Corporate and 8 Agency generous sponsors
· Our dedicated Committee Chairs and Board of Directors
· Standing Conference Committee members Dan Accurti, Rod Emmer and Dan Sherwood
· Your ASFPM staff members
An important part of each conference is the national recognition and presentation of awards for excellence in floodplain management across the country. Here is a glimpse at this year’s recipients.
The Goddard-White National Leadership Award, ASFPM’s highest award, was received by EDWARD A. THOMAS, Esquire, Michael Baker Corporation, formerly with FEMA Region 1.
Witt Award for Local Excellence in FPM - Hillsborough County, FL, for Map Mod Outreach Project
Local Floodplain Manager of the Year STEPHEN MITCHELL, Building Inspector in Pascagoula, MS
Meritorious Achievement in FPM CHRISTY MILLER, AK State Floodplain Manager (first time presented!)
Sheaffer Award for Excellence in Floodproofing - Tug Fork Valley Project, Huntington District COE
Louthain Service to Members Award - DALE LEHMAN, URS Corporation
Honorary Lifetime Membership - ROY SEDWICK, Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas
Ivey Award for Superior Effort in Certification - ANITA LARSON, ASFPM Certification Program Coordinator
Media Award - (1) The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA; (2) The Sun Herald serving Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula, MS; and (3) “Flash Flood Alley”, a PBS video and educational DVD, produced by Marshall Frech
A special award was also presented to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to FEMA Mitigation Division for exceptional leadership and “grace under fire” during the massive 2004-05 hurricane seasons.
Additional pictures depicting the events of the week will be posted on the conference and awards web pages next week. We hope to see YOU in Norfolk, Virginia, when we meet June 3-8, 2007 at the Sheraton and Marriott Waterside!
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New Biography Recounts Life of Gilbert F. White
In "Living with Nature's Extremes: The Life of Gilbert Fowler White" author Robert E. Hinshaw tracks the fascinating life of the eminent, public-minded geographer Gilbert F. White and his legacy to both science and humanity.
Known as the "father of floodplain management" and the founder of the Natural Hazards Center, White spent his career studying nature's extremes: the hazards they posed for humanity and the political, scientific, and philosophical issues surrounding their mitigation and effective societal response. White proposed that man work with nature, not against it, championing sound, comprehensive management of floodplains. He advocated adaptation to or accommodation of flood hazards, where feasible, rather than the structural solutions that dominated policy in the early twentieth century. He also made major contributions to the study of water systems in developing countries, the management and preservation of arid lands, global environmental change, and international cooperation over water resources, and mitigation of a number of natural hazards.
The book is available for purchase from the ASFPM Executive Office for $15, which includes shipping costs. To order your copy today, call (608)274-0123 or email .
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“Will We Ever Learn”
Gerry Galloway Interview in Sacramento Bee
By Stuart Leavenworth -- Bee Associate Editor
Reprinted from the July 2, 2006 edition of the Sacramento Bee, Forum section, Page E5.
With no rain in sight and temperatures topping 100 degrees, few people in Sacramento are thinking now about floods. And that's part of the problem.
Flooding becomes urgent and very real following catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, but then the memories fade. Seasons change. Wet periods turn dry. Politicians and the media find fresh issues to exploit. Conditions that led to the flood disaster seem less urgent.
Retired Brig. Gen. Gerald E. Galloway has seen this pattern play out across the country for decades. A civil engineer who spent 38 years in the U.S. Army, Galloway probably knows as much about flooding -- and strategies to prevent flood damage -- as anyone in the United States. In 1993, he led a White House study into the causes and consequences of the Midwest floods. The resulting document, widely known as the "Galloway Report," recommended a number of measures that might have lessened the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina -- had Congress acted upon them.
Galloway has traveled to New Orleans several times since Katrina and is also familiar with the threat facing Sacramento and the Central Valley. Seeking his views on flood protection, I reached him at his office at the University of Maryland, where he is a Glenn L. Martin Institute professor of engineering.
The article goes on to a complete interview with Galloway, regarding issues from New Orleans, and possible similarities with California. You can view the full article and interview at: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/projects/flooding/story/14273946p-15083893c.html
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Map Mod Mid-Course Adjustment Documents on the Web
Several Map Mod Mid-Course Adjustment documents and materials are now posted to the Flood Hazard Mapping Web Site. Documents posted include:
1) David Maurstad’s notification letter to stakeholders
2) Flood Map Modernization Mid-Course Adjustment Executive Summary
3) Flood Map Modernization Mid-Course Adjustment
4) Flood Map Modernization Mid-Course Adjustment PowerPoint Presentation
5) Flood Map Modernization Mid-Course Adjustment FAQ’s
Follow the following link to download the documents: www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/mm_mca.shtm
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Notice of Solicitation for Estuary Habitat Restoration Program
Congress has appointed limited funds to the US Army Corps of Engineers to implement the Estuary Habitat Restoration Program as authorized in Section 104 of the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000. On behalf of the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council, the US Army Corps of Engineers is soliciting project proposals for estuary habitat restoration projects. Recommended projects must provide ecosystem benefits, have scientific merit, be technically feasible, and be cost effective. Proposals selected for Estuary Habitat Restoration Program funding will be implemented in accordance with a cost share agreement with the Corps. The notice was published in the Federal Register Vol.71, No.126, June 30, 2006, page 37547.
Applications will be accepted until close of business on August 14, 2006. The application documents can be found online at www.usace.army.mil/civilworks/cecwp/estuary_act/. For further information contact Ellen Cummings, or Chip Smith, .
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MS Governor's Office of Recovery & Renewal eNewsletter and Website
The Mississippi Governor’s Office of Recovery and Renewal recently began providing updates regarding the recovery effort on their website and with a monthly eNewsletter. Both the newsletter and website describe many of the efforts and grant programs currently in progress for rebuilding the Mississippi Coastal counties. Below are two of the articles that were run in the June, 28 2006 edition of the newsletter, or you can follow the link www.governorbarbour.com/recovery/ to view the entire newsletter.
Governor’s Housing Recovery Council
The Governor's Housing Recovery Council has been established to bring together housing stakeholders to support and coordinate housing recovery efforts. Using the recommendations from the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal and others generated over time, the Council will develop and help implement tangible solutions that reflect local needs. The scope of this work will go beyond the Commission recommendations to include additional priorities such as training, education, systems enhancement, funding and information coordination.
As a working body, the Council will identify gaps or deficiencies in the recovery effort as well as the resources (including funding, technical assistance and policies) needed to help the state rebuild the coast better than it was before Katrina, while eliminating the unnecessary duplication of effort that often occurs following disasters. Collaboration is required in order to help shape overall policy and actions across housing concerns. To maintain an effective dialogue with the state's partners, the Council will provide a communication forum on news, information sharing, key meetings, and other important events. Providing both a strategic and tactical role in the recovery effort, the Council will be instrumental in executing the recommendations set by the Commission and those identified by Council participants.
Gulf Coast Regional Infrastructure Program
Governor Haley Barbour recently announced that a draft action plan has been published detailing how the state will administer $500 million in federal grants for building new water and sewer infrastructure in the Gulf Region after Hurricane Katrina.
The Gulf Coast Regional Infrastructure Program is designed to address the importance of providing reliable water, sewer and storm water infrastructure and the long-term impact this will have on the recovery of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Specifically, the program details the state's plans for developing a master plan for water, sewer and storm water systems throughout the lower six counties and explains to HUD how funding for infrastructure development will be administered by the state.
The Gulf Coast Regional Infrastructure Program Action Plan stems from the Legislature's enactment, during the 2006 legislative session, of the Gulf Region Water Utility Authority Act-a key recommendation of Governor Barbour's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal-which provides for regionalized water, sewer, and storm water systems throughout George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties.