Abstracts & Biographies - The Association of State Floodplain ...

2010 ASFPM OKLAHOMA CITY CONFERENCE PROGRAM 

CONCURRENT SESSIONS, ABSTRACTS, AND BIOGRAPHIES 

SESSION A 

Tuesday, May 18 10:30am - 12:00pm 

A-1 – Sea Level Rise 

Moderator: Pam Pogue, CFM, URS Corporation, ASFPM Coastal Issues Committee 

Using CanVis to Visualize Coastal Issues 

Hansje Gold-Krueck, TBG @ NOAA Coastal Services Center 

Chris Haynes, ERT @ NOAA Coastal Services Center 

Resource managers of all kinds often face a challenge when speaking to stakeholders, 

other managers, and the public: how does the organization communicate the true 

importance and impact of resource change when armed with charts, graphs, and 

statistics? How can the speaker make these data coalesce into a visual image that will 

show the listeners—not simply tell them— about potential changes? For coastal resource 

managers, simulated visual images—also termed visualizations—are often much more 

effective than charts and graphs in conveying the real impact of coastal change and 

development. Such visualizations can spur stakeholders to develop strategies that 

mitigate potential negative impacts. However, until recently, effective visualizations such 

as these have been hard to come by for most coastal managers. Many lacked the 

specialized software, skills, or time to create visualizations. CanVis Software In response 

to the requests of coastal professionals for easy-to-use and inexpensive visualization 

tools, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services 

Center contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agroforestry 

Center about CanVis. CanVis, a free software program developed by the USDA, allows 

natural resource professionals to create realistic simulations with minimal computer 

skills. The program comes with object libraries that contain agricultural images, and these 

images can be supplemented with coastal objects such as docks, boats, seawalls, and 

aquatic vegetation (available at www.csc.noaa.gov/canvis/). CanVis also helps the user 

add textures to images and modify characteristics of objects. The program has recently 

been used to visualize sea level rise, living shorelines, offshore wind turbines, cumulative 

impacts of docks, and land development options for streetscaping. 

Biography 

Hansje Gold-Krueck is a human dimensions specialist and a senior member of the 

technical staff with IMSG at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 

Coastal Services Center. During her six years at the Center, she has worked on multiple 

projects, including several that employ various visualization software solutions to assist 

coastal communities.

Evaluating Future Climate-Change Driven Flood Risks to Inform Policy: The North 

Carolina Sea Level Rise Risk Management Study 

John Dorman, North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program 

Kenneth Ashe, PE, CFM, North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program 

Jerry Sparks, Dewberry 

North Carolina has been identified by NOAA as one of three states with significant 

vulnerability to sea level rise. The state possesses the largest estuarine system on the U.S. 

Atlantic coast, with an extensive barrier island chain, and over 2,300 square miles of 

coastal land vulnerable to a 1 m rise in sea level (Poulter et al, 2009). The large exposure 

of North Carolina to the affects of sea level rise necessitates an evaluation of the potential 

system-wide impacts to built and living assets. In recognition of this need, the North 

Carolina Office of Geospatial and Technology Management Floodplain Mapping 

Program (NCFMP) received a $5 million grant from FEMA to comprehensively study the 

change in risk to built and living systems, and to develop science-based mitigation and 

adaptation strategies that will pro-actively reduce future risk. The study will be 

accomplished by a partnership between the State of North Carolina, the North Carolina 

university system, the study contractor, and other stakeholders. The North Carolina Sea 

Level Rise Risk Management Study will evaluate changes in hazards using a sourcepathway-receptor 

framework applied at four 25-year “time slices” through 2100. Multiple 

scenarios of plausible future sea-level and storminess conditions, each having an equal 

likelihood of occurrence, will be appraised at each time slice in order to quantify the 

range of future impacts. The forcing scenarios will be assessed across six major groups of 

receptors, including land, ecological systems, agriculture and aquaculture assets, 

buildings, critical infrastructure, and societal systems to identify vulnerability to each 

scenario. Uncertainty will be defined for all analytical aspects of the study process and 

attached to results. The hazard assessment will then be superimposed on future, reactive 

development scenarios to determine vulnerability. Risk will then be evaluated by 

determining the economic impacts of the additional exposure. Rather than perform a 

cursory assessment based on “bathtub” implementation of sea level changes, the study is 

utilizing an innovative numerical modeling approach. This incorporates implementation 

of future landscapes with consideration to anticipated topographic and bathymetric 

change, including shoreline position and barrier island configuration, such as elevation, 

overwash or inundation potential, and number of inlets/inlet conveyance. Model 

simulation of hydrodynamic changes in response to these conditions will provide 

valuable insight into the affect of sea level rise on estuarine tidal conditions, flood 

propagation, and water quality. Utilizing the results of the hazard and risk assessments, 

the study will identify and evaluate flood risk management strategies to reduce North 

Carolina’s vulnerability to and consequences from the negative effects of sea level rise 

and increased coastal flooding. A review of the current policy and administrative 

framework during the early stages of the study will assess the capacity for 

implementation of adaptive SLR risk management. The effectiveness of proactive 

implementation of these adaptation policies will then be evaluated iteratively through the 

hazard and impact analyses. Finally, results will be used to rank and recommend 

mitigation and adaptation policy to the state legislature and FEMA. This presentation will 

provide an overview of the study goals and objectives, study framework and progress to

date. Of note, we will discuss the innovative study approach, numerical modeling tools, 

and our vision for a fully integrated science to application study. Distinctive elements, 

such as the modeling system, and hazard and risk assessment methodologies will be 

highlighted. 

Biography 

John Dorman is the Director of the Geospatial and Technology Management Office in the 

North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. In this capacity, he is responsible 

for the development, implementation and management of all information technology 

infrastructure, geospatial data, and applications. Mr. Dorman previously served as the 

Statewide Planning Administrator for the Office of State Budget, Planning, and 

Management. In this position he oversaw statewide programmatic and performance 

planning and budgeting, the North Carolina Geodetic Survey, the State Data Center, and 

the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. Following 

Hurricane Floyd in 1999, North Carolina petitioned FEMA and became the first state in 

the nation to be designated a Cooperating Technical State under FEMA’s Cooperating 

Technical Partners program. From this designation, the North Carolina Floodplain 

Mapping Program was created and placed under his supervision. In 2001, the Floodplain 

Mapping Program was moved to the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety to 

support emergency managers, first responders and law enforcement organizations with 

the identification and mapping of natural and man-made hazards and threats. In 2005, Mr. 

Dorman was given the additional responsibility for managing all information technology 

infrastructure and applications in the Division of Emergency Management. Mr. Dorman 

is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in political science. He is 

married and has seven children. 

Outrun the Flood: Long-term Coastal Strategies for Floodplain Management and 

Mitigation of Sea Level Rise 

Darryl Hatheway, CFM, AECOM 

Currently the 1.4 meter (4.5 feet) rise in sea level (predicted for 2100) is now starting to 

be used statewide in California. Recent efforts have identified the exposed coastal areas 

at risk to coastal flooding and wave effects (wave runup and erosion). Each respective 

coastal county response and strategy to mitigate future flood losses needs to consider as 

many options and alternatives for updating mitigation plans as possible. In addition, local 

and regional coordination will allow coastal communities to effectively prepare and plan 

actions that can further reduce coastal storm damages as sea level rises over the coming 

decades. This presentation will show the various mitigation strategies being planned 

along the California coast. Not all of these strategies have been implemented at this time 

so their effectiveness cannot be addressed at this time. So, the focus of the presentation 

will be on how coastal communities, counties, and regional agencies are preparing for 

reducing/eliminating the potential impacts of sea level rise on their critical infrastructure 

(hospitals, police/fire stations, schools, etc.) and residential/commercial developments 

along the coast.

Biography 

Darryl Hatheway is a senior coastal scientist with AECOM supporting the 

BakerAECOM Production and Technical Services team. He has over 30 years of 

experience in the areas of coastal and oceanographic engineering, His specialization is in 

the area of FEMA coastal FISs, coastal erosion hazard assessments, wave height and 

runup analyses, hurricane inundation and storm surge modeling, DFIRM production, and 

QA/QC of NFIP map products and publications. 

A-2 – HDR Showcase – Securing the Safety Provided by Our Nation’s Levee 

Systems 

Moderator: Dr. Les Harder, PE, GE, HDR Engineering, Inc. 

Presenters: 

Edward Curtis, PE, CFM, FEMA Region IX 

John R. Hess, PE, HDR 

Mark H. Seits, PE, CFM, HDR 

Michael J. Vecchio, PE, HDR 

Elaine Verver, SR/WA, R/W-NAC, R/W-RAC, HDR 

Warren D. “Dusty” Williams, PE, RCFC&WCD 

Laurie Carrette-Zook, PE, CFM, HDR 

As the focus of flood protection moves to managing flood risk, our reliance on an aging 

and failing system of flood control facilities (e.g. channels, levees, dams, etc.) has 

exposed all of us to the inherent risks we face with the status quo. This is no more evident 

than with our nation’s levee systems. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an 

overview of our current ‘State of the Nation’ on levees and to discuss life cycle elements 

for improving levee safety. Built around technical integrity and engineering quality, 

minimizing environmental impacts, and sensitivity to community impacts, project 

examples will be used to illustrate how these multiple objectives can be achieved to 

improve levee safety. The presentation team includes senior levee practitioners, as well as 

local and Federal agency representatives, presenting a variety of levee perspectives. 

Outline 

1. Welcome 

2. Introduction 

a. What we have learned about the Nation’s levees 

b. Past policies contributing inadvertently to current problems 

c. Current risks (climate change, aging levees, increased development) 

d. Current issues (FEMA Accreditation, Corps 408 process, Levee Vegetation) 

e. Policy Initiatives (FloodSAFE California – 200yr protection, National Levee 

Safety Act – Inventory and National Committee on Levee Safety)

3. Life Cycle Elements for Improving Levee Safety 

a. Evaluation, Design and Construction 

i. Problem Identification 

ii. Evaluation of Levee Improvement Alternatives 

iii. Design/PS&E 

iv. Construction/Implementation 

b. Certification and Accreditation 

c. O&M/Periodic Inspections 

d. Community Outreach 

i. Communicating, Negotiating, and Mitigating Impacts to 

Property/Business Owners 

ii. Relocations/Acquisitions 

4. Questions and Answers 

Biographies 

Dr. Les Harder is currently a Senior Water Resources Technical Advisor and Senior 

Professional Associate with HDR. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in 

Civil Engineering from U. C. Davis, and obtained his Doctoral degree in Geotechnical 

Engineering from U. C. Berkeley in 1988. Dr. Harder has over 30 years of experience in 

the design and construction of earth structures. For most of this time, he worked for the 

California Department of Water Resources. While with the Department, he served as 

Division Chief for both the Division of Flood Management and the Division of 

Engineering, and later served as Deputy Director for Public Safety. In this latter 

assignment, Dr. Harder collaborated in the writing of the Proposition 1E bond measure 

and in landmark flood legislation passed by the California legislature and signed into law 

in 2007. Dr. Harder has also served on numerous post-earthquake reconnaissance 

investigations and was heavily involved with the emergency response to California’s 

1997-1998 floods. He was also involved with the four emergency construction contracts 

associated with repairing Jones Tract and he has served on several joint State-Federal 

committees on levee seepage design criteria, including the Sacramento District’s 2003 

Levee Seepage Task Force. More recently, Dr. Harder was part of a National Science 

Foundation team sent to New Orleans to examine the performance of levees following 

Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita. He has also served on reconnaissance investigations of the 

performance of levees following the 2008 Midwest Flood and the 2008 Hurricane Gustav 

events. In 2008, Dr. Harder was appointed to the National Committee on Levee Safety 

by the Assistant Secretary of the Army. 

Ed Curtis is a Regional Engineer for FEMA Region IX. 

John Hess is currently a Senior Technical Advisor for Materials and Geotechnical 

Engineering with HDR. He received his Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from U. 

C. Davis, and obtained his Masters degree in Geotechnical Engineering from California 

State University - Sacramento. Mr. Hess has over 36 years of experience in materials 

engineering, and subsequently geotechnical engineering for levees and embankment

dams, while serving with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District. With 

the Corps, he served in a variety of positions including Senior Concrete Materials 

engineer, working on roller compacted concrete dams and major structures, later as 

Assistant Chief, and for almost 10 years as Chief of Geotechnical Engineering Branch in 

Sacramento. His Branch worked actively during that time on multiple major dam 

remediation projects, and on numerous major levee remediation projects including levee 

expansions, cutoff walls, seepage berms and relief wells. Mr. Hess has prepared 

technical criteria on various materials and geotechnical subjects for the Corps of 

Engineers, was the Geotechnical Lead for Sacramento District geotechnical field 

activities during the 1997 flood fight, and was the developer and manager for the 

District‘s 2003 Levee Seepage Task Force. The report from that Task Force led to 

significant changes in nationwide Corps levee seepage criteria. Mr. Hess was also the 

lead for development of geotechnical Levee Criteria for Sacramento District in 2004, and 

has served on regional and national committees for materials, dam safety and levees 

issues. 

Mark Seits is a Vice President at HDR and currently serves as Water Resources Program 

Manager for HDR’s southern California area offices. He has more than 28 years of 

experience exclusively in flood control and water resources engineering and planning. He 

received his BS (Civil/Environmental Engineering, 1981) and MS (Water Resources, 

1989) from UC Irvine. Mr. Seits is a Registered Civil Engineering in CA, AZ, and TX, 

and is a Certified Floodplain Manager. His background includes extensive FEMA 

floodplain processing assignments, levee analysis and certification, scour analyses and 

erosion control, hydraulic analyses of bridges and roadways, retention/detention basin 

design, flood damage reduction feasibility studies, water supply/irrigation studies, and 

storm drain, channel and energy dissipating structure designs. 

Michael Vecchio’s professional experience includes 13 years of environmental and water 

resources project experience, with expertise in surface water hydrology and hydraulics, 

water quality, and embankment design, and 7 years in secondary science education. His 

academic credentials include a masters degree in civil engineering, and bachelor degrees 

in geological sciences and English – all from the University of Texas in Austin. He is a 

licensed professional engineer in the states of California and Texas. His current position 

is senior engineer and project manager in the watershed planning and design section for 

HDR Engineering, Sacramento CA. Over the last 9 years, Mr. Vecchio has focused on 

surface water management systems and embankment systems for private and public 

sector clients. These efforts have typically included solid and liquid waste management 

components and design conformance with applicable regulations, as well as more 

conventional levee-related project components, such as conveyance design and upgrade, 

development of embankment and seepage control designs, feasibility and cost studies, 

and development of construction plans and specifications. 

Elaine Verver is a Real Estate Manager for HDR and currently serves as Project Manager 

for the City of Austin Onion Creek Floodplain Buyout Program. This project consists of 

the buyout of approximately 250 homes within the 25 year floodplain, which is in the 

Onion Creek Forest and Yarrabee Bend floodplain area, with ecosystem restoration and

ecreational facilities development on the residual lands. Ms. Verver is managing a full 

range of services from concept to completion for property acquisition and relocation. 

These services include the set up and management of a project-specific office, 

coordination of appraisals, appraisal review, negotiation/acquisition from initial property 

owner contact to closing, title services (review/analysis/curative plan), relocation for 

property owners and tenants, property management, and demolition oversight. Other 

services under project management include weekly status meetings, monthly budget 

meetings, grant tracking and DBE reporting. With 15 years of relevant experience, Ms. 

Verver’s skills include project management, negotiation, residential and business 

relocation, and comprehensive knowledge of the requirements of the Uniform Relocation 

and Real Property Acquisition Act. Ms. Verver holds an SR/WA designation-Senior 

Member of International Right of Way Association, which is the most prestigious 

professional designation granted by IRWA to members; she is also certified in Relocation 

(R/W-RAC) and Negotiation (R/W-NAC). 

Dusty Williams is the General Manager-Chief Engineer of the Riverside County Flood 

Control and Water Conservation District. As Director of the County’s flood control 

agency, which serves a population of 1.6 million citizens, Mr. Williams oversees a staff 

of more than 230 and is responsible for a $150 million budget (including over $30 

million annually in construction). During his 33 years with the District, he has gained an 

extensive background in all aspects of flood control from infrastructure design and 

construction to floodplain management to environmental permitting and water 

conservation/quality development. Mr. Williams was appointed to the National Levee 

Safety Committee, serving as one of only two local agency representatives. Mr. Williams 

has advocated for levee safety for more than 30 years and sits on the 16-member 

committee created to help Congress develop a national levee policy. For decades, he has 

championed the special needs of levee systems in southwestern states. He has testified as 

an expert witness at congressional hearings about local flood-control challenges, such as 

levee maintenance and environmental concerns. Mr. Williams has a B.S. in Civil 

Engineering from Cal Poly, Pomona and is a licensed Civil Engineer in California. He is 

a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a Board Member for the 

National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies. 

Laurie Carrette-Zook is a senior water resources project manager and professional 

associate with HDR. She began her career with HDR in 1984 and is beginning her 26 th 

year with HDR working on a variety of water resources and transportation projects. Her 

water resources experience includes the design and construction of levees and 

dams, floodplain management, and stormwater master planning. Ms. Carrette- 

Zook’s most recent projects are the design of several dams in the Omaha metropolitan 

area and the inspection of 4 levee systems along the Missouri River. 

She received her bachelor of science in civil engineering from South Dakota State 

University and her master’s in business administration from University of Nebraska – 

Omaha. Laurie has been an active member of Nebraska Floodplain and Stormwater 

Mangers Association (NeFSMA) serving in numerous officer positions which culminated 

with serving as the 2009-2010 chair.

A-3A – Post-Disaster Complexities for Non-Participating Communities 

Moderator: Bill Nechamen, CFM, New York State Department of Environmental 

Conservation 

The Eagle That Ice Could Not Kill 

Taunnie Boothby, CFM, State of Alaska NFIP Coordinator 

Mike Riedy, CFM, FEMA Region X 

Nick Delmedico, FEMA Region X 

Weather is very dynamic and with the right conditions can create an environment that is 

ripe for disaster. The winter of 2008 was influenced by a weak La Nińa. The snowpack in 

most of Alaska and especially in the upper Yukon River basin by the end of winter had 

accumulations that were well above average. By 1 April 2009 the river ice thickness near 

Eagle was thicker than normal, 138% thicker at 55 inches. And down river there was a 

report of 7 feet of ice. These were the right conditions before ice breakup to bring a 

flooding disaster. All that was needed now was a trigger in the form of an unseasonable 

warm period and that is exactly what happened. Record and near record temperatures 

were set all across Alaska. In Fairbanks from 26 April 2009 to 3 May 2009 there with 

high temperatures ranging from 69 F to 78 F which is 20-27 F warmer than normal. This 

also raised the freezing level across the state and in Western Canada as well. The long 

duration of high temperatures and high freezing levels caused the snow pack to melt 

quickly. This produced a significant amount of snow melt runoff into the ice covered 

rivers. This quick warm up did not allow enough time for the river ice to properly decay 

and lose its strength. The snow melt runoff caused sufficient drag on the ice sheets to 

initiate movement. These large strong ice sheets are very prone to jamming at 

constrictions and bends along rivers. An ice jam had formed downstream of Eagle that 

caused a backup and with the additional high flows due to excessive amounts of snow 

melt and the thicker ice this all equated to a severe flooding and ice breakup disaster. 

Chunks of ice as large as houses were sent at both the village and City of Eagle carrying 

the ice chunks further over the banks and into unprotected houses. The City of Eagle lost 

its Main Street, including a small business restaurant and hotel and all the houses along 

that shore. About a mile upstream from the town is the village of Eagle which lost every 

house, cache of food, and communal facilities. As villagers planned to rebuild their town, 

questions began to emerge. What areas are safe? Could this have been prevented? 

Mitigated? What about executive order 11988 and using Federal dollars for the 

reconstruction? With no mapped flood zone and little data, FEMA and the State 

undertook the mission of helping to assess the risk and communicate it to the community. 

But how do you create a floodplain in 30 days when it takes a minimum of 18 months to 

do it in the best conditions? Can it be called a regulatory floodplain? Worse, it’s Alaska 

where harsh winters demand planning and preparation. With summer fading fast, people 

are going to rebuild no matter what. What do you tell them? This weather or whether 

discussion covers the impact of the climate, both physical and political, on rebuilding a 

town. The presenters share their first hand experiences about the disaster and offer some 

suggestions on how you might navigate through tough regulatory waters without sinking 

hopes for recovery. Abundant photos and graphics make this presentation a visual treat 

and a must see for those interested in emergency response and recovery.

Biography 

Taunnie has dedicated her professional career to the field of disaster prevention, 

mitigation and management. As the State National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) 

Coordinator, she assists communities in land use planning, flood risk determinations, best 

management practices for building and development decisions, and flood insurance 

information. Taunnie is a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) and holds two bachelor’s 

degrees, one in Organizational Management and another in Accounting for Information 

Management. In 2005, Taunnie began work with DCRA's Floodplain Management 

Programs to provide assistance, training, and other opportunities in order to achieve the 

State’s flood loss reduction goals. She has over 13 years in Emergency Management. 

Learning from Failure: The Lake Delton Experience 

Miriam Gradie Anderson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 

Gary Heinrichs, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 

During the June 2008 flooding event, Lake Delton, a major recreational lake in southern 

Wisconsin suffered a catastrophic embankment failure resulting in the loss of five 

residences, a county highway and the lake itself. Local news stations filmed the failure of 

the embankment and the collapse of the residences and roadway. Thousands watched as 

the lake drained, eroding the land under the homes and sending them down the Wisconsin 

River. For the numerous businesses surrounding the lake and in Village of Lake Delton 

and other surrounding communities, the loss of the lake at the beginning of the tourist 

season was equally as disastrous. At the time of the Lake Delton Disaster, the Village 

was not a participant in the NFIP. It had been suspended in 2001 for failing to adopt the 

new FIRMs. Because the Village was not a participant in the NFIP, the property owners 

who lost homes were neither eligible to purchase flood insurance nor were they eligible 

for assistance other than the maximum allowed for any property owner after a 

presidential disaster declaration. Affected business owners and the Village were also 

ineligible for assistance. The loss of the lake and the resulting economic crisis did not 

crush the Village. By Memorial Day Weekend 2009, the Village of Lake Delton was 

back in business. The crevasse formed by the embankment failure had been filled by a 

new dam, County Hwy A was replaced, the Tommy Bartlett Water Show was back in 

business and the Village had joined the NFIP. This presentation will: explore the causes 

of the embankment failure and the eventual construction of the Hwy A Dam; discuss why 

the Village did not participate in the NFIP and the implications for itself, the residents 

and the businesses; discuss how the Village rejoined the NFIP and how numerous 

violations were mitigated; and explore how the Lake Delton Disaster functions as an 

object lesson for other communities in Wisconsin. 

Biography 

Ms. Anderson is a Floodplain Management Specialist with the Wisconsin Department of 

Natural Resources Dam Safety and Floodplain Management Program. In her current 

position, she is responsible for conducting community compliance visits and calls as well

as ordinance reviews. She also provides technical assistance to municipalities, the general 

public and other state agencies on NFIP regulations, floodplain management, and the 

Community Rating System. Ms Anderson is responsible for administration of the 

Wisconsin CAP-SSSE grant. Prior to joining the WI DNR, Miriam held a similar position 

with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has been a local planner/zoning 

administrator in Missouri, Ohio and Connecticut. She holds a BA in Geography from the 

University of Connecticut - Storrs and an MS in Geography (Natural Hazards) from the 

University of Massachusetts - Amherst. 

Complications of Community Non-Participation Following the 2009 Georgia Floods 

Susan W. Wilson, CFM, FEMA Region IV 

This session will discuss the effects of non-participation in the National Flood Insurance 

Program (NFIP) on the ability of communities to recover from a flood disaster. Since 

1973, the availability of many forms of disaster assistance has been tied directly to 

community participation in the NFIP. In addition, Federal loans and grants for the repair 

of flood damaged buildings that are insurable under the NFIP are prohibited in the 

Special Flood Hazard Areas of non-participating communities. The session will discuss 

the efforts in outreach and recruitment that are routinely made by State and FEMA 

representatives to non-participating communities following a disaster declaration. 

The session will also discuss the complication of newly incorporated communities that 

have not joined the NFIP in the six months following the incorporation. When the six 

months time period has elapsed, the community is sanctioned and severely limited in the 

disaster assistance that it may receive under the disaster declaration. Of additional 

concern, any new or renewed flood insurance policies in the jurisdiction of the newly 

incorporated community are not valid and claims may not be paid for flood insurance 

policies written under the unincorporated county’s community identification number. 

The session will suggest some best practices at the community and State level that may 

avoid such a situation from occurring. 

Biography 

Susan Wilson is Chief of the Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch, Mitigation 

Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, Region IV, in Atlanta, Georgia. Susan supervises a staff of thirteen that 

provides assistance and guidance to communities in the mitigation of flood and other 

natural hazards, the development of local floodplain management programs, and issues 

relating to flood insurance. Susan began working at FEMA Region IV in 1983, and has 

worked extensively with all eight states in FEMA Region IV. She has been involved in 

the response and recovery activities for a number of major floods, hurricanes, tropical 

storms, and other disasters, including Elena, Hugo, Andrew, the Mid-west floods, Opal, 

Alberto, Fran, Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Ivan, Katrina, and Wilma. Susan is a Certified 

Floodplain Manager (CFM) and has frequently taught floodplain management courses for 

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. In addition, Susan has provided training on

flood insurance and compliance with the mandatory purchase of flood insurance 

requirements to numerous bank compliance associations. Prior to joining FEMA she 

worked as a community planner at the Coosa Valley Area Planning and Development 

Commission in Rome, Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. She 

has a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in geography and Spanish from Wittenberg 

University, graduating cum laude, and a Masters degree in geography from the University 

of Georgia. 

A-4 – Targeting Severe Repetitive Loss Properties 

Moderator: Cindy Popplewell, PE, CFM, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Leveraging Local, State and Federal Funds for Flood Mitigation 

Kathy Hopkins, CFM, Texas Water Development Board 

Texas is one of the leading states when it comes to the number and cost of flood claims. 

To date, 1.71 billion dollars of flood claims have been made in Texas. From 1953-2009 

Texas has received 83 federally declared disasters of which 53 were the result of 

flooding. Background: The Texas Water Development Board administers a state grant, 

Flood Protection Planning grant, which allows jurisdictions to study an entire watershed, 

analyze flood hazards within their jurisdictions, and develop flood mitigation measures. 

These studies are usually multi-jurisdictional by nature. The state also activity 

administers the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program (Hazard Mitigation Grant 

Program, Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program, Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, 

Repetitive Flood Claims Program, Severe Repetitive Loss grant programs) offered by 

FEMA which can provide funding in most cases, to complete projects identified in a 

Flood Protection Planning Study. Because of the continually increasing flood claims, 

Texas has developed an aggressive repetitive loss strategy in an effort to reduce flood 

losses to life and property. By utilizing all available sources of state and federal 

assistance in combination with local funds, two different jurisdictions in Texas have 

developed effective strategies which will and have successfully mitigate flood hazards 

within their communities. Using both state and federal funds under Flood Mitigation 

Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant programs, Jefferson County, City of Beaumont, 

and Jefferson County Drainage District No 6 has completed a total of 84 million dollars 

worth of flood mitigation projects of which 64.2 million dollars were federally fund. 

These projects protect 8,858 homes with an estimated $150 million in avoidable 

damages. Brazoria County (which included three drainage districts and three city) just 

completed a flood protection planning study for the Chocolate Bayou Watershed, which 

encompasses 155 square miles. The plan identifies multiple flood mitigation projects 

which, when implemented, will dramatically reduce flood hazards within the watershed. 

Brazoria County is applying for the first (of many) Flood Mitigation Assistance grants 

that will protect hundreds of homes by reducing the base flood elevation. This 

presentation will demonstrate, by utilizing specific examples, how local jurisdictions in 

Texas have been able to leverage local funds with state and federal assistance to mitigate 

flooding hazards existing within their jurisdiction.

Biography 

Kathy Hopkins has worked in the water and flood industry since 1995 and is currently 

Mitigation Specialist for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). Prior to joining 

the TWDB, Kathy worked as Senior Project Manager with the Texas Commission on 

Environmental Quality in the Water Right Permitting and Availability Section. Kathy has 

a BS in Geography-Natural Resource and Environmental Studies. She received her Texas 

Certified Floodplain Manger Certificate in 2000 then became a Certified Floodplain 

Manager in 2006. 

Mitigation Plan Update: An Opportunity to Mitigate Repetitive Loss Properties 

using FEMA's National Tool (NT) 

Shubha Shrivastava, AICP, CFM, URS Corporation 

Jen Sparenberg, CFM, URS Corporation 

As most communities are updating or preparing to update their local hazard mitigation 

plan, there is enormous opportunity to strengthen their mitigation programs. Repetitive 

loss (RL) properties are an obvious priority to focus mitigation efforts during the plan 

update and new requirements require mitigation plans to specifically address repetitive 

loss properties (as described in the 2008 Local Multi-hazard Mitigation Planning 

Guidance, including crosswalk based on the Local Mitigation Plans requirements under 

44 CFR Part 201). Using FEMA’s National Tool (NT) to track RL properties and select 

appropriate mitigation actions can help the community to meet the current plan update 

requirements; and also develop fundable mitigation projects, and actually reduce future 

damages from disasters, hence making communities more sustainable. FEMA’s National 

Tool (NT) software was developed to help catalog floodprone structures, record updates 

to repetitive loss property information, and to determine potentially appropriate 

mitigation measures (explained in detail in the National Flood Mitigation Data Collection 

Tool Guide, FEMA 497). The NT provides a standardized, systematic approach to 

collecting and interpreting property data and mitigation project development. While the 

focus of the NT is on data collection for repetitive loss (RL) properties, it can also be 

used to gather information related to building construction, and building value for any 

structure, that can help with mitigation for other hazards too. A case study of a recent 

local hazard mitigation plan update will illustrate all the necessary steps taken to 

implement this innovative idea. This presentation will introduce a new idea about how to 

address repetitive loss properties in local mitigation plan updates, that will help 

communities meet current plan update requirements as well as contribute to a better 

planning process and result in implementable actions, thus making the community more 

sustainable. Specifically, the presentation will provide an overview of the plan update 

requirements; introduce attendees to FEMA’s National Tool (NT); and explain how the 

NT can be used to track repetitive loss properties and select appropriate mitigation 

actions for them, using a case study of recent hazard mitigation plan update.


Shubha Shrivastava --Ms. Shrivastava is a professional planner (AICP) and Certified 

Floodplain Manager with 9 yrs of experience. Hazard mitigation planning has been the 

primary focus of her work at URS Corporation among other planning projects. Ms. 

Shrivastava is the primary author for two FEMA “how to” guides on hazard mitigation 

planning, and has been a plan reviewer on behalf of FEMA. She has conducted local 

hazard mitigation plan preparation and review training workshops in New York, Kansas 

City, Oklahoma City, Des Moines and Philadelphia. Shubha has also worked with many 

State governments and local communities, as well as several Universities in preparing 

and updating hazard mitigation plans. 

Jen Sparenberg is a Certified Floodplain Manager with more than 9 years of professional 

experience on multi-disciplinary projects to support preparedness, response, and recovery 

for natural and human-caused events. She is part of the Homeland Security Services 

Group at URS Corporation. Ms. Sparenberg conducted pilot testing of the National Flood 

Mitigation Data Collection Tool and presented a training session on the National Tool at 

ASFPM 2008 and presented a paper introducing the NT and describing its uses at 

ASFPM 2007. 

Targeting Severe Repetitive Flood Losses: Reducing the Continuing Threat to the 

National Flood Insurance Program 

Deborah G. Mills, CFM: Dewberry 

Fewer than 10% of properties with flood insurance represent the majority of flood claims, 

causing a continuous drain to the National Flood Insurance Program. Response to the 

FEMA Severe Respective Loss Program is increasing, but millions of untapped funds 

remain available to mitigate the most egregious flood-prone properties in the nation. 

Approaches from several state hazard mitigation plans to address SRL properties will be 

presented, as well as insights gained after two repetitive loss planning cycles. 

Biography 

Deborah Mills is Dewberry’s Region III Deputy Department Manager focusing on 

Region III Risk MAP management and support to hazard mitigation programs nationwide 

such as HMTAP, TARC and state and local mitigation planning. She retired after 30 

years with the Commonwealth of Virginia, most recently as The State Hazard Mitigation 

Officer. She was the Director of the Recovery and Mitigation Division of the Department 

of Emergency Management where she managed a staff of recovery project and planning 

specialists that manage Commonwealth disaster recovery operations. Her degree is in 

Forest Resource Management and Forest Engineering from West Virginia University. 

She served 10 years for the Virginia Department of Forestry, 13 years in water pollution 

management at DCR and the past six years in floodplain management and disaster 

recovery programs. She assisted the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency 

Mitigation Program for a month in Biloxi following Hurricane Katrina. Deborah is active

in her downtown Richmond neighborhood, gardens and builds disaster resistant Lego 

structures with her god children. 

A-3B – CRS Success Stories 

Moderator: Bill Lesser, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

National Flood Insurance Program, Community Rating System Program Annual 

Update 

Bill Lesser, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

William Trakimas, CFM, Insurance Services Office 

2009 was a very busy year for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community 

Rating System (CRS). This session will explain and provide highlights of the year. 

Topics will include: implementation status of the new CRS Strategic Plan; improvements 

to the public information activities of the CRS; new goals for enrolling communities into 

the CRS and pursuing CRS Class Improvements, and; initiatives to expand the role of 

CRS in coastal zone locations. This presentation will enable local officials, NFIP State 

Coordinators and others to understand CRS program priorities and continuous 

improvement goals. This will enable session participants to know how to take better 

advantage of the opportunities provided through the CRS. 

Biography 

Bill Lesser works with the Mitigation Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency. He provides overall coordination of the National Flood Insurance Program 

(NFIP), Community Rating System (CRS) for the Mitigation Directorate and has served 

in this capacity since 2006. Prior to his CRS responsibilities, Bill worked with the NFIP 

Community Compliance and Eligibility Programs. 

Licking County - A View from the First Class 7 CRS Community in Ohio: 

Challenges, Successes, and Opportunities 

Jim Mickey, CF, FF2, CFM, OPSI - Fire & Rescue, EMT, Licking County Planning 

Department 

Jerry Brems, CFM, Licking County Planning Commission 

Licking County is the 3rd largest county of the 88 counties in the State of Ohio in terms 

of land area (686.5 square miles or 439,360 acres), and the 17th largest in terms of 

population (156,287, as of 2006 per the Ohio Department of Development). About 88% 

of Licking County is crop, pasture, or forest land, about 11% is urban 

(residential/commercial/industrial/transportation), and the remainder is open water, 

wetlands, or bare/mined ground. Licking County Ohio joined the National Flood 

Insurance Program (NFIP) in December 1983 with the first Flood Insurance Rate Maps 

(FIRM) and the Flood Insurance Study (FIS), and the Community Rating System (CRS)

in November 1993. Licking County has been a Class 8 community since joining the CRS. 

However, many recent initiatives should improve the standing of Licking County. A 5year 

cycle review with the Insurance Services Organization (ISO/CRS) was held in mid- 

January 2008, and Licking County officials received enhanced point totals for many of 

the Activities and Elements of the CRS scoring system in a draft verification report 

received in mid-July 2008, with accompanying improvement of the Classification Rating 

to become the first Class 7 Community in Ohio, and within striking distance of achieving 

a Class 6 Community rating received in July 2009. The purpose of this session will be to 

review each of the four CRS series: 1) Public Information 2) Mapping and Regulatory 3) 

Flood Damage Reduction 4) Flood Preparedness with an explanation of what Licking 

County has accomplished and how our efforts might be translated into actions and 

programs in other communities to improve and enhance sustainable floodplain 

management, with associated benefits of reduced risks of flood damages and decreased 

costs for insurance premiums as well as repeated expenditures for recovery from flooding 

events. Recent Licking County accomplishments include: digital FIRM for the entire 

county (effective May 2, 2007) with significant Future Conditions mapping which 

included a new flood study for about 1/3 of the County, and new topographic data and 

aerial photography, new Flood Damage Prevention Regulations (FDPR) with many 

higher standards (2 foot freeboard from the bottom of lowest horizontal support, new 

floodways will be .01 feet rise, BFE/Floodway must be provided for all development, 

subdivision standards – dry land access, ID floodplain on plat, floodplain lands deeded to 

open space, minimum buildable area outside of the floodplain, etc., compaction standards 

for fill, .01 foot rise in flood fringe area, no dredging unless no disturbance, individual 

wastewater systems located to avoid contamination during floods, stream buffer zones 

depending on the size of the drainage area, mobile home anchoring requirements, etc.), 

stormwater management planning, a Flood Warning System (FWS), etc. Ongoing 

Licking County accomplishments include elevation certificate requirements, map 

information services, many and various outreach projects, flood protection information 

and assistance, drainage system maintenance, and various other activities. We also have 

agreements with 4 Villages within Licking County (Buckeye Lake, Hebron, Alexandria, 

and Saint Louisville) to provide floodplain management services, and we continue to 

provide technical floodplain assistance to all 11 Villages and 5 Cities as requested. The 

NFIP and CRS efforts comprise a significant component of our overall natural hazards 

risk reduction strategy, as documented in our 2003 Countywide All Natural Hazards 

Mitigation Plan for Licking County Ohio (CANHMP) and our accompanying Flood 

Mitigation Addendum to the CANHMP, as well as our 2009 CANHMP Update, which is 

under review by Ohio EMA and FEMA Region V Chicago for approval and subsequent 

local adoption by participating jurisdictions. We are being opportunistically aggressive to 

enhance our CRS Activities and achievements, and better document our successful 

current Activities, in order to capture the 192 points that we need to continue to advance 

to a CLASS 6 Community, with the accompanying enhanced flood insurance discount for 

our citizens and businesses, while enhancing our resilience to future flood damages and 

costs, including injury and loss of life. THIS PRESENTATION WILL review our 

challenges, successes, and opportunities here in Licking County that led to our being the 

first CRS Class 7 Community in Ohio, and our plans to continue onward with 

achievements to become a CRS Class 6 Community, so that others can consider

implementation or enhancement of their own floodplain management activities for the 

good of their own community. While we judge ourselves by what we feel capable of 

doing, others judge us by what we have done. 

Biography 

Jim Mickey is the Environmental Planner for Licking County, as well as an ASFPM 

Certified Floodplain Manager, SAF Certified Forester, Volunteer Fire Fighter and EMS 

First Responder, and professional Fire & Rescue Instructor. Mickey brings over 28 years 

of environmental, natural resources, and emergency management experience his work 

duties and volunteer activities. 

FAST in Texas – CRS Users Group 

Ross Richardson, CFM, FEMA Region VI 

The State of Texas is establishing its first CRS Users Group which is also the first for 

Region VI. It may serve as a model for future groups around the State and nation. The 

name for the group will be the Floodplain Awareness Strategy Team (FAST). The first 

meeting centered around discussions on how to structure this users group to benefit 

participants and citizens including our goals and objectives, how often to meet (monthly 

or every other month), membership (including the public or not), etc. Other efforts will 

be reviewed such as the Mississippi Gulf Coast Area Outreach Program Strategy. 

To get the most out of FAST, the team will maintain a high level of interest and 

membership. With the numerous activities featured in the CRS program, FAST will be 

able to feature speakers from different entities who can expand on what their 

organizations do and how their efforts can benefit communities in or interested in the 

CRS. 

This session will present the results of the initial meeting and will focus on its importance 

going forward and its benefits to all stakeholders. 

Biography 

Ross Richardson is the Branch Chief, Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch, 

Mitigation Division, FEMA Region VI, Denton, Texas. The branch administers the 

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in the States of Texas, Louisiana, New 

Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. He has been a Certified Floodplain Manager since 

2000. Ross received his BS in business management at Southwest Missouri State 

University, Springfield, Missouri in 1976. Prior to his employment at Region VI, he 

worked 12 years with the State of Missouri NFIP State Coordinating Agency (1976- 

1988). He worked 12 years with FEMA Region VII, Kansas City, Missouri, 10 years as a 

Natural Hazards Program Specialist working with the NFIP in the States of Iowa, 

Nebraska, and Missouri and 2 years as a Mitigation Specialist working with the Hazard 

Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP) in the States of Kansas and Missouri (1988-1999).

A-6 – Mapping Outreach 

Moderator: Bruce Bender, Bender Consulting Services, Inc., ASFPM Insurance 

Committee 

Outreach Tools For Rural Counties 

Collis Brown, CFM, Georgia Department of Natural Resources 

Duncan Hastie, PE, Dewberry 

As a FEMA Cooperating Technical Partner, Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources 

has been aggressively pursuing the goal of 100% of the 159 counties and 531 

communities to have new Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps at the end of Map 

Modernization. In its last phase of Map Modernization, GA DNR faced the challenge of 

introducing new DFIRMs to the remaining 63—mostly rural—counties and have them 

adopt them within a tight time schedule and limited budget. GA DNR recognized the 

importance of providing outreach support to succeed, but did not have the budget or time 

and staff to implement a concentrated outreach effort for each of these rural counties. To 

respond to the need, though, GA DNR, in concert with its mapping partner, developed an 

innovative outreach program that provided guidance and material to each county and 

community so that they could institute their own outreach program to match the level 

needed at the local level. This workshop will discuss the background, review the tools 

provided—including the local government outreach guidebook, templates and webinars 

used—as well as lessons learned. 

Biography 

Collis Brown has served as the State of Georgia’s Floodplain Management Coordinator 

for fourteen (14) years. He is responsible for the administration of the State’s Floodplain 

Management Office, which provides guidance, technical assistance and training to the 

489 local communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 

He also serves as Program Manager for Georgia’s Map Modernization Program, which is 

a collaborative effort between FEMA, the State of Georgia and its local governments to 

update the state’s flood hazard data and provide it in a digital format for all 159 counties 

and municipalities. Collis is a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM). He has served as 

Secretary of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), Vice President of 

ASFPM’s Certification Board of Regents and Vice-Chair of Georgia Association of 

Floodplain Management (GAFM). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of 

Georgia Association of Floodplain Management (GAFM) as an At-Large Representative 

(Legislative Officer). He is a graduate of Fort Valley State University and the University 

of Georgia with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. 

Charting the Course of Risk MAP in Region VI 

Gary Zimmerer, PE, FEMA Region VI 

Michael Anderson, PE, D.WRE, CFM, DHI 

Elizabeth Savage, PE, URS Corporation

Region VI is transitioning from Map Mod to Risk MAP. As part of this transformation, 

the Region is working internally to integrate Mapping, Assessment, and Planning. At the 

same time, FEMA is working externally to provide an image of one organization which 

includes multiple contractors with one central goal, successful implementation of Risk 

MAP. This presentation will provide the management and outreach road map for Risk 

MAP in Region VI by presenting the initial partnering and alignment during the 

transition from Map Mod to Risk MAP, message development of stakeholders throughout 

the project life cycle, lessons-learned through the first year of the program, and provide a 

look ahead to the future of Risk MAP. 

Biography 

Gary Zimmerer is a senior engineer for FEMA Region VI Mitigation Division. Mr. 

Zimmerer graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 

Engineering in 1984. Mr. Zimmerer is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas. Prior 

to working for FEMA Mr. Zimmerer worked for the Fort Worth District Corps of 

Engineers. His primary responsibility is to oversight and management of the Risk MAP 

Program for FEMA Region 6. Mr. Zimmerer has 25 years experience working within the 

floodplain arena and issues. 

"Lets Blog Together"- New Solutions to Addressing Appeals and Protest 

Resolutions in Bexar County, Texas 

Jerry Clark, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Nefi Garza, PE, CFM, San Antonio River Authority 

Working in cooperation with the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), Michael Baker 

Jr., Inc., created a blog (or web log) to resolve Appeals and Protests in Bexar County, 

Texas. The blog uses a database that allowed the coordination and integration of multiple 

data sources. The blog process involves integrating technical review responses from four 

Study Contractors into a combined data storage system. The blog includes graphics that 

show the exact location of each LOMC case with effective and proposed map changes, 

including BFEs where applicable. The bog also provides much better control over the 

LOMCs that are incorporated and those that are superseded by the organization of the 

data into a single, accessible database. Baker and SARA are using the blog to resolve the 

200+ Appeals and Protests submitted in Bexar County. This presentation will look at the 

establishment of the blog by SARA, the input from FEMA and RSC 6 to allow the Post 

Preliminary Process to operate fully inside the blog. The use of the blog established a 

stronger partnership between SARA, local community officials, contractors, and FEMA. 

Presenters will share success stories, lessons learned, and the benefits of using a blog in 

the world of Map Mod and Risk MAP. Finally, the presentation will discuss how this 

system improved the delivery of the final DFIRMs and associated products to the 

customers including Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, and others.

Biography 

Jerry Clark is a project manager for Michael Baker Jr., Inc., in their Denton, Texas office. 

He has 31 years of experience as a civil engineer; the last three working on FEMA's 

Flood Map Modernization (Map Mod) program. His experience includes 24 years of 

municipal projects (including planning, design and construction) and seven years of 

private consulting projects, many of which were water resources and flood control 

projects. He also has been working with Map Mod on 100 countywide studies located in 

the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. He is also the levee accreditation 

coordinator for RMC 6. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Colorado 

State University. 

A-7 – Coordinated Needs Management Strategy 

Moderator: Jeanne Ruefer, CFM, Accenture, ASFPM Arid Regions Committee 

Weaving the Common Thread: an Approach for Symbiotic Integration of CNMS 

into NFIP processes Supporting FEMA’s Vision of “A Nation Prepared” 

Michael Bishop, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

3-PTS and FEMA 

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is one of the few programs that 

authorize the federal government to communicate and work directly with communities. 

In their transition from Flood Hazard Map Modernization program to Risk MAP, FEMA 

has stated their position that “mapping services in support of the NFIP must be continued 

and updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) must be maintained,” while 

outstanding community needs must be identified and addressed throughout Risk MAP. 

There are many processes in place to support the successful accomplishment of these 

documented goals. Mapping needs become plans, studies, and updates to FIRMs that are 

tracked and reported. What is most important to remember, however, is that it is 

participation and communication between communities and FEMA that adds product 

value and utility. Solicitation and management of community input in the flood hazard 

mapping process is critical. CNMS defines an approach for the identification and 

management of flood hazard mapping needs and requirements that provide support to 

data driven planning and the flood map update investment process. It establishes a 

geospatially enabled means for communities and FEMA to enter, monitor, and update the 

inventory of studied stream reaches and associated mapping update needs. Analysis of 

CNMS records provides important information for FEMA’s fiscal year planning process 

and also allows for comprehensive reporting of information related to studied stream 

reaches. The CNMS life cycle begins with preparations for the Scoping process where 

FEMA meets with communities in person. FEMA also has established metrics by which 

progress is measured to address internal requirements related to accountability. The 

metrics focus on the categorical tabulation of stream miles in FEMA’s study inventory in 

terms of New, Validated, Updated Engineering (NVUE) reporting. Through CNMS, 

FEMA will continue to facilitate the exchange of flood hazard information with

communities. Information will flow from CNMS into community interactions, planning, 

tracking, and reporting and vice versa at any point in a particular process. The approach 

uses CNMS as the common thread to weave a programmatic fabric between the voice of 

communities mapping needs and FEMA’s continued development and maintenance of 

flood hazard maps. The identification and management of mapping, community planning 

and mitigation needs are the building blocks of floodplain management that will help 

flood managers, study contractors, and FEMA meet their vision of “A Nation Prepared.” 

This presentation offers specific examples of how the implementation of CNMS can be 

used planning, analytical, and reporting purposes. 

Biography 

Michael Bishop is a physical scientist with Michael Baker Jr., Inc. with 18 years of 

experience. Mr. Bishop's research, development, and communication background 

includes international projects in Iraq and Germany. As a Water Resources Technical 

Project Manager, Mr. Bishop facilitates FEMA, USACE, CA DWR interagency 

coordination on levee inventory and National Flood Insurance Program projects with 

regional and national scope. 

The Coordinated Needs Management Strategy – Past, Present, Future, and the 

FEMA/PTS Collaboration 

Barrett Goodwin, GISP, CFM, STARR 

Michael Grasso, CFM, STARR 

Alex Sirotek, STARR 

Rick Sacbibit, PE, CFM, FEMA 

Paul Rooney, GISP, FEMA 

Beth Norton, FEMA 

Michael Bishop, CFM, BakerAECOM 

Mat Mampara, CFM, RAMPP 

This presentation will be a holistic overview of CNMS with emphasis on the present & 

future direction and the successful collaborative effort of FEMA and the 3 PTS 

contractors that has paved the way for how FEMA now organizes, stores, and analyzes 

flood hazard mapping needs. Additionally, the presentation will discuss how CNMS has 

evolved to encompass the process by which FEMA measures and reports NVUE. 

I. CNMS Past – Map Mod 

a. This section will briefly discuss the previous attempts to facilitate needs 

cataloging and retrieval, and segue to the concept and development of 

CNMS under Map Mod, and outline its data structure, expectations, and 

goals. 

II. Collaborative need/approach, establishment of 3-PTS team 

a. With FEMA’s leadership and guidance the Coordinated Needs 

Management Strategy Development Team, comprised of the three 

independent LLCs; BakerAECOM, RAMPP, and STARR, set out to build 

their respective component pieces of seamless national products. This

presentation offers the story of successful collaboration of three PTS 

contract service providers to implement CNMS through FEMA’s Risk 

MAP Program. Key contributors for success were a co-developed, shared 

vision for success, and well documented description of processes and 

deliverables. Regular and open communication among the 3-PTSs proved 

invaluable in the successful construction of quality deliverables. The 

national level deliverable products are presented as testament to this single 

client/multiple service provider collaboration model. 

III. Present – Level I & II deliverables, strategy & planning for a new direction. 

a. This section will outline the scope and deliverables under the first task 

order of RiskMAP, the evolution of that scope to include a new national 

inventory of studied streams, review the pilot tests conducted, their results 

and the impact on direction of CNMS. 

IV. Future – Implementation Plan, NVUE 

a. The road map and outline for how CNMS will be implemented and 

utilized for the future of flood risk mapping 

This presentation will communicate to the complete range of stakeholders exactly what 

CNMS is; how it will be built, populated, maintained & managed; how it will be utilized 

in the future of flood risk mapping; and identify and define the roles and responsibilities 

of all stakeholders. 

Biography 

Barrett Goodwin is a technical GIS leader with over 5 years of experience including 

technical data creation, technical reviews, DFIRM mapping, hydrologic and hydraulic 

computer modeling and mapping. Mr. Goodwin has worked on Flood Insurance Studies 

for counties and parishes in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Indiana, 

Massachusetts, Vermont, and Texas. 

Texas Statewide Map Needs Assessment Pilot Project 

Melina Luna, PE, CFM, Texas Water Development Board 

Erin Atkinson, PE, CFM, GISP, Halff Associates, Inc. 

The North Central Texas Council of Governments Upper Trinity River Basin 

(NCTCOG/UTRB) Map Needs Assessment Project served as the pilot project to kick off 

the Texas Statewide Map Needs Assessment (MNA) and facilitate the update of the State 

of Texas Flood Map Modernization Business Plan. The pilot project defined the MNA 

procedures and process for Texas, as well as improved efficiencies for future projects in 

other regions or watersheds. The MNA was necessary to determine if the current 

effective studies from the recently completed FEMA Map Modernization (Map Mod) 

mapping cycle are still valid throughout Texas, and to identify the remaining floodplain 

mapping needs not addressed through Map Mod. The identification of floodplain 

mapping needs occurred in two ways. First, current effective studies associated with Map 

Mod were validated against the FEMA Coordinated Needs Management Strategy

(CNMS). Second, the stakeholders in the pilot project area had the opportunity to submit 

mapping requests, which were then qualified as a mapping need. The project resulted in a 

mapping plan that depicted prioritization criteria, financial information and a Prioritized 

List of Qualified Map Needs by 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds. The 

lessons learned during the pilot project were then used to help initiate the statewide 

collection of floodplain map needs. This presentation will provide an update on the status 

of the Statewide Map Needs Assessment, discuss the lessons learned from stakeholder 

input, and demonstrate how the State’s priorities have been integrated with FEMA’s Risk 

MAP program. 

Biography 

Ms. Luna is the Team Lead for the new NFIP Mapping Services group with the Texas 

Water Development Board (TWDB)/Texas Natural Resources Information System 

(TNRIS). She has been a professional engineer for 16 years. Ms. Luna is also a certified 

floodplain manager (CFM). She previously worked for TxDOT and LCRA where she 

was involved with hydrologic and hydraulic studies. 

A-8 – Local Floodplain Mapping Initiatives 

Moderator: Tim Trautman, PE, CFM, Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, ASFPM Mapping 

& Engineering Standards Committee 

Map Modernization Protocol for Bridge Replacement Projects 

Gary Guhl, PE, CFM, PBS&J 

Michele Seib, PBS&J 

Amy Bergbreiter, PE, CFM, PBS&J 

Map Modernization, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) led initiative, 

has the stated objective to increase State and local map ownership. This is accomplished 

by encouraging greater participation in the development and maintenance of the data 

submitted in compliance with the NFIP. In light of the initiative, FEMA Region IV has 

approached the South Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) with a request for 

the submittal of data on all bridge replacements completed since the date of the effective 

Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for all participating communities within the state. FEMA 

does not typically require map revisions for projects constructed in the floodplain that do 

not result in an increase in the base, or 1 percent-annual-chance, flood elevations (BFEs) 

reflected in the effective FIS data. Typically (or perhaps, not so typically) the supporting 

data for such projects is set aside, or “future filed,” for inclusion in a future, updated, 

republication of the FIS data. Bridge replacements along FEMA detailed or approximate 

studied streams which do not cause increases in the BFEs are not typically “future filed” 

with FEMA, but are reviewed by the local community and retained by the DOT. 

Complicating this arrangement is the frequent occurrence of a data mismatch between the 

effective FEMA data and the DOT survey data. The data mismatch can result in an 

irreconcilable difference in the FEMA and DOT water surface profiles. The paper

presents a case study of two bridge replacement projects where FEMA and DOT stream 

geometry could not be reconciled, and presents a solution to the problem. The result is a 

protocol for rectifying FEMA/DOT data mismatch problems in keeping with FEMA’s 

Map Modernization initiative. 

Biography 

Mr. Guhl is a senior engineer and lead technical professional in the area of hydrology and 

hydraulics with more than 30 years experience with the National Flood Insurance 

Program. He has served as a study contractor and has completed numerous physical map 

revisions (PMR) and map revisions by letter (LOMR). As a senior resource, Mr. Guhl is 

currently assigned to PBS&J’s national Flood Hazard Management Division as Quality 

Assurance Manager for flood insurance study revisions and digital conversions. 

South Boulder Creek Floodplain Delineation Study: Rooted in Reality 

William Badini, CFM, HDR Engineering, Inc. 

John Henz, CCM, HDR Engineering, Inc. 

In 2003, the City of Boulder, Colorado initiated a re-analysis of the floodplain of South 

Boulder Creek that traverses a portion of the city. A sizable number of residential 

structures were already identified in the 100- and 500-year floodplains from prior studies, 

most notably in areas where the ground is very flat and slight elevations changes make 

notable floodplain changes. All of these factors added up to a floodplain study that was 

involved a significant amount of public and peer-reviewed involvement. Past floodplain 

studies for this basin utilized standardized techniques for applications of precipitation 

from federal manuals for input into hydrologic and hydraulic models resulting subsequent 

floodplain delineation. The South Boulder Creek basin is one that extends from the high 

plains just east of the City to complex, rugged and mountainous terrain that extends 

approximately 13,000’ above sea level. This terrain is best characterized by abrupt 

changes in topography and elevation in very short distances horizontally. Given these 

complex terrain issues, the use of these standardized methodologies for design storm 

input in this basin was scrutinized as to the ability to reasonably reflect observed flooding 

events. During the course of the project, a major component of the analysis was to 

examine the basin-specific meteorology of past flooding events in and near the basin to 

discern patterns in preferred regions of heavy precipitation. This study included detailed 

examination of flooding events with archived National Weather Service Doppler radar 

data for convective (thunderstorm) driven events. In addition, detailed analysis of long 

duration multi-hour/day (termed synoptic or upslope driven) events was undertaken to 

determine flood-related characteristics. Synoptic/upslope driven storm events had been 

connected to the peak floods of record observed in this basin. This presentation will step 

through the procedures employed for the development of both the thunderstorm and 

synoptic (upslope) driven events used as input into the modeling efforts. In addition, 

comparisons of the study results will be compared to observation-based statistical and 

paleo-hydrological flood studies in the basin. The end result of the analysis was the 

development of the first-ever FEMA approved floodplain analysis that incorporated a

asin-specific design storm analysis that incorporated archived radar-data and stormspecific 

analyses. 

Biography 

Mr. Badini is a meteorologist with HDR Engineering – Atmospheric Sciences Group and 

located in their Denver, Colorado office. He has worked on a variety of projects related to 

hydrometeorology including radar-rainfall reconstruction of heavy rainfall events using 

Doppler radar, Probable Maximum Precipitation studies and technical review of extreme 

precipitation events. In addition, Mr. Badini has also worked on numerous forensic 

projects related to litigation with damages associated with hail, snow, wind and heavy 

rain events. He holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 

from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

A Unique Approach to Integrating Local Municipal Needs with Floodplain 

Mapping Updates in Mecklenburg County, NC 

Robert Billings, PE, CFM, Mecklenburg County 

Danée McGee, PE, CFM, City of Charlotte 

Neal Banerjee, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Corporation 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS), which administers the National 

Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for all of Mecklenburg County North Carolina, has 

maintained a progressive and nationally recognized floodplain management program over 

the last 15 years. CMSWS was one of the first communities to enter Cooperating 

Technical Partners (CTP) program and has continued to work toward its ultimate goal of 

managing and updating its own Effective DFIRM maps since the mid 1990’s. In June 

2007, CMSWS initiated a watershed based map maintenance program to ensure that the 

County floodplain maps are reviewed regularly and updated appropriately in a systematic 

and standardized fashion. As part of this map maintenance initiative, CMSWS intends to 

re-map the entire County on a watershed-by-watershed basis by 2012 and then move into 

maintenance, reviewing/updating approximately 20% of the maps thereafter on an annual 

basis. Analysis and mapping associated with DFIRM production has primarily been used 

to support regulatory compliance and large-scale flood hazard mitigation efforts. The 

City of Charlotte and other municipalities conduct similar hydrologic and hydraulic 

analysis and mapping to support drainage / storm water management improvement 

projects. Traditionally, these efforts have been conducted independently. One of the goals 

of the re-mapping/maintenance initiative is to better integrate and leverage the analysis 

and mapping from DFIRM production with the local municipal storm water initiatives. 

At the initiation of the project, City, County, and mapping contractor stakeholders 

coordinated to assess approaches for integrating analysis and mapping efforts. This effort 

resulted in the development of a local analysis and mapping standards document which 

specifies a number of unique technical/process guidelines that better align the DFIRM 

and municipal efforts. The coordination also led to additional unique approaches 

including the creation of additional public task forces and development of enhanced flood 

risk products that will be used to FEMA’s RiskMAP initiative. This paper will describe

the progressive approach, coordination, and resulting unique technical 

standards/approach taken by CMSWS to better integrate floodplain mapping efforts with 

local storm water initiatives. 

Biography 

Mr. Billings received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UNC-Charlotte 

in 1995 and is and a Masters of Civil Engineering in 2005. Following several years in the 

private sector, Mr. Billings joined the staff of Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services 

in July 2001. He has over 10 years experience in water resources engineering and 

managing FEMA related flood studies. Mr. Billings is currently a project manager in 

Mecklenburg County’s Flood Mitigation program and is responsible for the 

implementation of a multi-million dollar, federally funded buyout program. 

SESSION B 

Tuesday, May 18 1:45pm - 3:15pm 

B-1 – Coastal Decision-making Information 

Moderator: Allison Hardin, CFM, City of Myrtle Beach, SC, ASFPM Coastal Issues 

Committee 

Tying Flood Maps to Building Information and Education 

Patricia Skinner, LSU AgCenter and Sea Grant Extension 

Cindy O'Neal, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development 

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the LSU AgCenter provided a Rebuilding 

Resources Web site for the 120,000+ recipients of federal recovery money, bringing 

together related program information in a single portal at 

www.LSUAgCenter.com/rebuilding (also displayed as http://rebuilding.road2la.org). 

Recovery was guided by Louisiana’s adoption of a statewide residential building code 

based on the IRC, and FEMA fast-track development of DFIRMs for seventeen coastal 

parishes. An interface was built into the Rebuilding Resources Web site that allowed 

consumers to see their site-specific wind risk. LIDAR ground elevation (consumed from 

the USGS Web Service) is presented, for comparison to flood elevation information 

provided by FEMA’s Louisiana Mapping Project (LaMP) Web site, to estimate heightabove-ground 

requirements. In 2008, responding to the State NFIP Coordinator’s desire 

to use the LaMP Internet and open house model to support the introduction of DFIRMS 

in inland parishes, the AgCenter expanded its Internet GIS framework to display the 

effective FIRMs and preliminary DFIRMs for parishes receiving new flood maps. It also 

provided a portable computer lab for the open house events, which were organized by the 

University of New Orleans Center for Hazard Assessment, Response and Technology. 

Facilitated use of the Web site for providing site-specific hazard information became very 

popular and is now being used routinely at Extension rebuilding and storm surge

educational events. Within the next 18 months, with continued FEMA/State support, the 

flood map portal will include FIRM and DFIRM coverage for the entire state, and its use 

as a bridge to development requirements will grow. This presentation will include 

demonstration of the web site and descriptions of how site-specific information provided 

through this interface and an Extension education system supports code-compliant, 

hazard-resistant reconstruction and no adverse impact development. 

Biography 

Pat Skinner is a Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Specialist with the LSU AgCenter and 

Sea Grant Extension programs. She began working with Extension in 1994 on the Amite 

River Basin project to demonstrate elevation of homes with their slabs, and continues to 

develop disaster preparedness, recovery and mitigation educational materials. She has 

worked with the insurance industry’s “Flood Risk Education Alliance”, advocating better 

risk education for people who live and work in levee-protected areas, and authored the 

“Levees” article for PERI’s 2006 Yearbook. Pat focuses her floodplain management and 

sustainable housing efforts on the coastal parishes that were so hard hit by hurricanes 

Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. She is a member of the Louisiana Floodplain Management 

Association, co-chairs the ASFPM Floodproofing and Retrofitting Committee, and is past 

chair and current web manager for the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN). 

She currently represents Louisiana on the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Community 

Resilience Working group. Pat’s educational programs are delivered primarily through 

interagency networking, through the Louisiana House Resource Center on campus, and 

through a series of LSU AgCenter websites, including the “Rebuilding” section of 

LSUAgCenter.com/home, which doubles as The Road Home’s rebuilding information 

resource for Katrina/Rita recovery. Most recently she led an extensive education and 

outreach program for Katrina/Rita recovery, in which she assembled a team of rebuilding 

educators and engaged the University of New Orleans – Center for Hazards Assessment, 

Response and Technology and Tulane City Center, a part of the architecture school. 

Reaching out to the Texas Gulf Coast with TXCHART: Texas Coastal Hazard 

Analysis Resources & Technology 

Diane Howe, CFM, FEMA Region VI 

Jerri Daniels, GISP, CFM, Dewberry/RAMPP 

By working together, FEMA Region VI, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), 

and RAMPP will develop messaging and provide informational materials and 

opportunities for 17 coastal counties in Texas to communicate flood risk to the residents. 

By proactively reaching out and coordinating with local officials and stakeholders early 

in the flood mapping project, FEMA, TWDB, and RAMPP will work toward increased 

acceptance of engineering and mapping results prior to their preliminary release. RAMPP 

is working with its partners to foster a sense of ownership of the flood hazard data within 

the communities. In order to get the word out, our team will create a website with a 

unique identity, newsletter & email updates, workshops, and open houses. All 

information will be distributed as part of the TXCHART project, or Texas Coastal

Hazard Analysis Resources & Technology. This presentation will discuss the messaging 

challenges and the logistics of the project. 

Biography 

Diane Howe is currently working on a variety of outreach initiatives for Region VI. Her 

previous projects include working after Katrina in Louisiana on LaMP, the Louisiana 

Mapping Project. At that time, she was with the Transitional Recovery Office. 

The StormSmart Coasts Network: Connecting Coastal Decision Makers to 

Resources and Each Other 

Wesley Shaw, Blue Urchin Consulting 

Today’s coastal decision makers have more information than ever before on the risks 

they face from climate and weather hazards, as well as how they can most effectively 

protect their communities from harm. Unfortunately, the sheer bulk of the material is 

often overwhelming—seemingly each week a relevant new report, study, or website is 

released. This can be especially challenging for people working at the local level who are 

often not allocated specific time to stay abreast of the constantly changing technology. 

The StormSmart Coasts Network is a dedicated resource to help decision makers in 

coastal communities address the challenges of storms, flooding, erosion, sea-level rise 

and climate change. Through its websites, newsletters, and news streams (including RSS 

and Twitter), the StormSmart Coasts Network provides a continually-updated place to 

find and share the best resilience-related resources and tools available. State-level 

websites provide information on steps communities can take before, during, and after 

storms (including a growing catalog of funding options). The Network also includes 

collaborative tools for its users, including forums, dedicated pages for participating 

communities (and other groups addressing coastal climate and weather challenges), 

events calendars, and other user-generated content. This project, which began in the 

Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, is supported by The Gulf of Mexico 

Alliance, the Northeast Regional Oceans Council, the NOAA Coastal Services Center, 

Edward A. Thomas Esq., Michael Baker Jr. Inc., and others. Its current scope includes 

the states of the Gulf of Mexico, and the five coastal states of New England, and is 

actively seeking to expand to the remaining coastal states. The site may be visited at: 

StormSmartCoasts.org This presentation will help people working with local officials 

form new outreach and engagement ideas. 

Biography 

Wesley Shaw has been working in coastal areas around the country for the past dozen 

years, doing everything from serving as a naturalist on ships in Southeast Alaska to 

evaluating federal and state responses to fisheries disasters along the West Coast of the 

United States. From 2006 to 2008 he served as a NOAA Coastal Services Center Coastal 

Management Fellow in the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management where he 

led the development of StormSmart Coasts, an innovative program which worked to help

coastal communities address the challenges of storms, flooding, sea level rise, and 

climate change. Wes is now working with the NOAA, FEMA, the Gulf of Mexico 

Alliance, the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and others to bring StormSmart Coasts 

to a national audience. By September 2009, ten states are schedule to have their own 

StormSmart Coasts Network websites, all interconnected though an expanding and 

evolving network of websites. The current version may be found at stormsmartcoasts.org. 

In 2008 Wesley moved away from New England and back to the rainy Pacific Northwest, 

where he hung out his shingle as Blue Urchin Consulting. He holds a Masters of Science 

in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University's College of Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Sciences, and hopes he never has to go back to school again. 

B-2 – Dewberry Showcase: Building Blocks to Reduce Risk from Multiple Hazards 

Moderator: Grant Smith, PE, CFM, Dewberry 

Techniques for Developing Risk Assessment Products for Low Priority Risk MAP 

Streams 

Mat Mampara, CFM, Dewberry 

David Key, PE, CFM, ESP Associates 

As FEMA's program objectives and operational approach for its Risk MAP program 

begins to crystallize, there is a clear commitment to augmenting traditional engineering 

and mapping efforts with risk assessment and mitigation planning support work. As 

FEMA initiates projects in FY 2010 and beyond, it is committed to moving towards a 

watershed approach for project scoping and execution. Within a watershed, while certain 

reaches will be restudied during Risk MAP, others will be found to be sufficient in terms 

of the flood hazard information currently presented on the FIRM. However, to provide a 

community with a comprehensive assessment of its flood risk, it is critical to produce risk 

assessment products such as depth grids and multiple profiles for all reaches within the 

watershed. These assessment products would be produced by using existing flood hazard 

information in conjunction with GIS-based tools so that robust, community-specific or 

watershed-wide risk analyses can be developed. This presentation will highlight some 

technical approaches and tools to efficiently produce risk assessment products for nonrestudied 

streams. This presentation will encourage the professionals in attendance to 

think creatively about leveraging existing flood hazard information to support the 

development of advanced risk assessment products. 

Biography 

Mat Mampara is a water resource engineer and project manager who has worked 

extensively in the areas of flood hazard analysis and post-disaster assessment. He is 

especially interested in leveraging geospatial technology in the water resources arena, and 

has recently led an effort to develop an open-source GIS application optimized for hazard 

evaluation. Mat is a graduate of Cornell University and resides in Washington D.C.

The Future of Coastal Flood Analysis, Where Do We Go From Here? 

Jeff Gangai, CFM, Dewberry 

Elena Drei-Horgan, Dewberry 

Over the next five years a major component of the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency’s RiskMAP initiative is new coastal studies. These new coastal studies will 

include storm surge modeling as well as overland wave modeling and mapping. Study 

methods will be used that are based on existing methods as well as methods that were 

recently developed as a result of post Katrina work. A review of these methods will be 

presented. This presentation will discuss a vision for a complete response based modeling 

approach and a model that captures all the physics of the coastal storms. Most of the 

existing methods and models still being used today were developed in the early to mid 

1980’s. As we look to the future the technology and understanding of coastal processes 

and storms continues to grow. We need to plan for that future and develop new coastal 

models and methods that capture the full response to a coastal storm and accurately 

represent the risks in coastal floodplains. 

Biography 

Jeff Gangai has been practicing coastal engineering for over 14 years. He holds a 

Bachelor of Science in Maritime Systems Engineering from Texas A&M University at 

Galveston and a certificate in Coastal Engineering from Old Dominion University. His 

area of specialty is coastal hazards including coastal processes and marine structures. 

Before joining Dewberry he worked for five years with the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers at the Galveston, TX District. For over 10 years he has worked at Dewberry on 

the National Flood Insurance Program for the coastal regions of U.S., evaluating and 

reviewing coastal flood hazards. He serves as a senior coastal technical specialist and 

project manager supporting coastal flood studies. 

North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program: Progress Towards Integrated 

Hazard Risk Management 

John K. Dorman, North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program 


Stephanie Y. Dunham, PE, Dewberry 

North Carolina is subject to numerous natural hazards, posing risk to life and property. 

To mitigate the effects of such hazards, the State in partnership with FEMA has initiated 

the North Carolina Integrated Hazard Risk Management (IHRM) demonstration project, a 

new initiative that aims to provide valuable risk information supporting natural hazard 

avoidance, response, and mitigation activities. The project is being led by the Office of 

Geospatial and Technology Management (GTM) within the Department of Crime Control 

and Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. Risk is defined as the 

probability of harmful consequences (e.g., death, injury, property damage) resulting from

interactions between a given natural hazard and the vulnerable conditions 1 (e.g. people 

and their environment). The overall goals of IHRM are to: 

Cultivate avoidance and reduction of risk from natural hazards; 

Improve resilience of the public and private sectors following hazards events that 

impact the community; 

Reduce the time for recovery from hazard impacts through preparation; and 

Coordinate decision-making by the public and private sectors through common 

operating data. 

In order to improve an individual’s, a community’s, and the State’s ability to manage 

risk, the IHRM project aims to: 

Identify and communicate key natural hazards impacting North Carolina; 

Identify and communicate key vulnerable assets/systems (buildings, population, 

critical infrastructure) within the State; 

Identify and model the interdependency between the 18 critical infrastructure and key 

resource sectors (CI/KRs) and the consequence of failure due to natural hazard 

impacts upon vulnerable conditions; 

Develop methodology and metrics for assessing risk and risk reduction; 

Develop methodology and metrics for prioritizing risk reduction actions; and 

Design tools that effectively analyze and communicate risk and risk reduction. 

These will be demonstrated in four counties: Durham, Edgecombe, Macon and New 

Hanover, which together are vulnerable to all key natural hazards that impact the state. 

Although demonstrated within North Carolina, the methodologies and tools will be 

developed for and distributed to both FEMA and other interested parties for use nationwide. 

This presentation will discuss accomplishments to date in the development of the 

State’s IHRM project since it was introduced at ASFPM’s 2009 Annual Conference such 

as: 

Establishment of data rules for classifying hazard and vulnerable assets/systems data 

according to three tiers of accuracy (bronze-, silver, and gold-level) and development 

of geospatial datasets representing these three tier; 

Development of tiered risk assessment approaches leveraging the appropriate bronze, 

silver, or gold hazard and vulnerable assets/systems data; 

Definition of risk communication rules appropriate to the level of data employed in 

the risk assessment; 

Identification of mitigation plan elements that may be developed and included by a 

local government depending on the tier of data available; and 

Determination of data and functional requirements for the tools to be developed in the 

next phase of the demonstration project. 

Biography 

John Dorman is the Director of the Geospatial and Technology Management Office in the 

North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. In this capacity, he is responsible 

for the development, implementation and management of all information technology 

infrastructure, geospatial data, and applications. Mr. Dorman previously served as the

Statewide Planning Administrator for the Office of State Budget, Planning, and 

Management. In this position he oversaw statewide programmatic and performance 

planning and budgeting, the North Carolina Geodetic Survey, the State Data Center, and 

the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. Following 

Hurricane Floyd in 1999, North Carolina petitioned FEMA and became the first state in 

the nation to be designated a Cooperating Technical State under FEMA’s Cooperating 

Technical Partners program. From this designation, the North Carolina Floodplain 

Mapping Program was created and placed under his supervision. In 2001, the Floodplain 

Mapping Program was moved to the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety to 

support emergency managers, first responders and law enforcement organizations with 

the identification and mapping of natural and man-made hazards and threats. In 2005, Mr. 

Dorman was given the additional responsibility for managing all information technology 

infrastructure and applications in the Division of Emergency Management. Mr. Dorman 

is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in political science. He is 

married and has seven children. 

B-3 – Higher Regulatory Standards 

Moderator: Alisa Sauvageot, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc., ASFPM Region 9 Director 

Reducing Risk Through Building Code Enforcement: Floodplain Management 

Provisions of the 2009 International Code Series and Suggestions for Higher 

Standards 

Tom Leatherbee, CFM, City of Del City, OK 

Reducing the risk of flood damage within a community requires actions that are both 

coordinated and comprehensive. In many communities, a disconnect exists between 

floodplain managers and building officials, leading to missed opportunities for risk 

reduction. As many communities prepare to update building codes by adopting the 2009 

International Code Series, an opportunity exists to provide for a more cooperative, 

multidisciplinary approach to floodplain management. Floodplain managers can seize this 

opportunity in several ways: by recognizing the areas in which the 2009 I-Codes have 

incorporated minimum standards and providing internal training to building officials, by 

participating in the community’s code adoption process to ensure that the adopted codes 

do not contradict any higher regulatory standards that have been adopted by the 

community, and by using discussions surrounding the code adoption process as a forum 

to encourage adoption of additional higher regulatory standards. This presentation will 

provide a outline of the floodplain management- related provisions within the 2009 I- 

Codes, will discuss the interaction between floodplain managers and building officials, 

and will provide suggestions for higher regulatory standards that can be implemented by 

a community within the context of the code adoption process.

Biography 

Tom Leatherbee currently serves as City Planner and Floodplain Administrator for the 

City of Del City, Oklahoma. A Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) and member of the 

Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association, he serves as Chairman of the Association’s 

Flood Insurance Committee and as Backup Coordinator for the OFMA Disaster Response 

Team. Mr. Leatherbee has presented papers at several national meetings, including the 

Association of State Floodplain Managers, Society of American Military Engineers and 

the American Political Science Association, and has been honored for his work in 

floodplain management with OFMA’s Silver Scoop and Outstanding Recognition 

Awards. He is a licensed property and casualty adjuster with experience handling 

disaster-related claims. Mr. Leatherbee attended Dartmouth College and holds a B.S. in 

Management from Bellevue University, with a Masters in Public Administration pending 

from the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Leatherbee is married with a newborn son and 

resides in Del City, Oklahoma. 

Floodplain Regulations in the Delaware River Basin: A Watershed Approach to 

Higher Standards 

Laura Tessieri, PE, CFM, Delaware River Basin Commission 

Joseph Ruggeri, PE, CFM, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Bureau 

of Dam Safety & Flood Control 

The Delaware River is the longest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi River, 

extending 330 miles from the Catskill Mountains of New York State to the mouth of the 

Delaware Bay where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. The Basin contains 13,539 square 

miles, draining parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware. Between 

September 2004 and June 2006, three (3) major floods caused devastation along the main 

stem Delaware River, repeatedly damaging property and disrupting tens of thousands of 

lives. Recognizing that reducing flood loss is a responsibility shared by many, the 

governors of the four basin states – Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania – 

directed the executive director of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), Carol 

Collier, to convene an interstate task force to develop a set of recommended measures for 

mitigating and alleviating flooding impacts along the Delaware and its tributaries. In July 

2007, the Delaware River Basin Interstate Flood Mitigation Task Force issued a report 

identifying six priority management areas and a total of 45 consensus recommendations 

for a more proactive, sustainable, and systematic approach to flood damage reduction in 

the basin. One of the six priority management areas identified by the Task Force was 

floodplain regulations. In November 2008, the Flood Advisory Committee of the DRBC 

formed the Floodplain Regulations Evaluation Subcommittee to review and evaluate the 

similarities and differences in floodplain regulations throughout the Delaware River 

Basin, and to develop and present recommendations on the potential for more effective 

floodplain management throughout the Basin. In October 2009, the FAC issued a report 

to DRBC Commissioners containing twelve (12) recommendations for more effective 

floodplain management in the Delaware River Basin. The Commission’s members are the 

governors of the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware and a

federal member appointed by the President. These recommendations ranged from a wider 

regulatory floodplain and floodway to two (2') freeboard and an active riparian buffer. 

The full report can be found online at 

http://www.nj.gov/drbc/Flood_Website/FAC/index.htm. This presentation will discuss 

the results of a review that examined the floodplain regulations in place at the DRBC, the 

regulations of the four states and the NFIP minimum standards. It will review the process 

whereby a subcommittee of various backgrounds recommended "more than the 

minimum" floodplain regulations to be implemented across jurisdictional boundaries. It is 

expected that by the 2010 ASFPM Conference, a reaction and response to the report will 

be received from both the states and DRBC Commissioners. 

Biography 

Laura Tessieri is a water resource engineer with the Delaware River Basin Commission 

(DRBC). She is responsible for the technical support of DRBC flood loss reduction 

activities and assists in hydrologic modeling. Following the major flood events of 

September 2004, April 2005 and June 2006, Laura was highly involved with the 

Delaware River Basin Interstate Flood Mitigation Task Force that formed at the request 

of the 4 basin governors and culminated in a July 2007 report. She serves as a liaison to 

the DRBC Flood Advisory Committee and has led the development of a Regional Flood 

Mitigation Plan. Laura serves as the Region 2 Director to ASFPM and is a Past Chair of 

the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM). She is a licensed 

professional engineer in the State of New Jersey and is a Certified Floodplain Manager. 

She holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Bioresource Engineering from Rutgers University. 

Floodplain Management Challenges in the Rapid Growth Suburbs 

Jeff Bigby, PE, CFM, City of Broken Arrow, OK 

Broken Arrow is a Northeast Oklahoma community of 97,000 citizens within the Tulsa 

Metropolitan Area in the Arkansas River Basin. Rapid growth from a population of 

11,787 in 1970 to the present-day population approaching 100,000 in the year 2010 has 

occurred in coincidence with the beginnings of the National Flood Insurance Program in 

1968 and Broken Arrow’s participation in the NFIP since 1977. Broken Arrow serves as 

a case study for a community where the vast majority of development has occurred after 

FEMA Floodplain Maps and Studies became effective and stringent floodplain 

development codes were enforced. This presentation contains three parts that cover 

floodplain management challenges faced by Broken Arrow as well as other suburban 

communities. The first part of the presentation; “Keeping Development Out of the 

Floodplain!” details how Broken Arrow’s stringent floodplain development standards 

have kept homes and businesses out of the floodplains and have kept numerous 

floodplains in a natural condition. Broken Arrow’s current municipal area of 

approximately 55 square miles contains only five repetitive loss properties, four of which 

were annexed in a post-construction condition from another jurisdiction. What practices 

have kept development out of the floodplain and minimized flood damages? Broken 

Arrow floodplain development ordinances enacted in the late 70’s and strengthened as

time progressed prevent habitable structure construction within the regulatory floodplain 

as well as other code requirements above and beyond the minimum FEMA Standards. 

Measures such as restriction of habitable structure construction within the flood plain, 

freeboard requirements, compensatory storage requirements, and floodplain zoning 

requirements have contributed to a present day CRS rating of 5 for the City and a flood 

insurance premium discount for the citizens. The second part of the presentation; “How 

Do We Maintain a Natural Floodplain Crowded By Development?” addresses floodplain 

management issues faced by a community with natural creeks with multiple residential 

developments typical on both sides of the creek. Very few creek areas within the city 

have engineered or concrete lined channels due to city policies favoring natural 

floodplains and open space. How does a city prioritize and finance natural creek 

maintenance and floodplain projects? Issues such as floodplain property ownership, creek 

access and maintenance, code enforcement actions, habitat and vegetation , regional 

detention, and creek erosion projects are topics to be covered. The final part of the 

presentation; “ Keeping Floodplains Out of Developments?!?” deals with newer map 

revisions that place existing properties and structures within the FEMA base flood area. 

Newer DFIRMS and LOMRs can add existing structures to the effective mapped base 

flood area for various reasons including use of newer and more accurate topography 

maps, updated hydrology and hydraulics runs, different FEMA mapping procedures on 

limits of study, and mapping errors usually due to use of older data. What responsibility 

does a community have to address floodplain mapping accuracy when hundreds of homes 

throughout the community are added to the base flood area by a mapping revision? Will a 

community do LOMRs to clean up inaccurate floodplain boundary mapping, or live with 

the known inaccuracies? Often times, existing properties added to the floodplain in a new 

study contain a house or building elevated above the BFE but have portions of the lot 

within the mapped base flood area. Will a community do Elevation Certificates and 

LOMAs to provide detailed and accurate floodplain information to property owners so 

they can obtain the best available flood insurance rate or get a flood insurance 

requirement waived altogether? What policies and practices does a community follow in 

response to floodplain map revisions and the effects on private property owners when 

constituents place pressure for “something to be done” about inaccurate maps on elected 

community officials? Local community “ownership” of local floodplain management 

programs and mapped floodplains requires communities to address these issues on 

limited budgets and resources. This presentation will provide real-life floodplain 

management examples that can be helpful to all floodplain administrators, design 

consultants, planners, floodplain mappers, and other agency officials. It will feature 

various picture, floodplain code language, design plan, and floodplain mapping examples 

to show the impacts of floodplain management practices on existing and proposed 

developments adjacent to the floodplain. This presentation contains both common sense 

information and challenging issues that will appeal to floodplain professionals of all 

backgrounds and experience levels. 

Biography 

Jeff is the Floodplain Administrator and Stormwater Manager for the City of Broken 

Arrow Oklahoma. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain

Manager. Jeff is a native Oklahoman residing in Tulsa with his wife and two sons. He 

received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1991. He 

moved to Tulsa in 1992 and worked for private consultant engineers on storm sewer and 

detention facilities designs and floodplain mapping revisions until accepting the job of 

Stormwater Manager for the City of Broken Arrow in 2000. Jeff joined the Oklahoma 

Floodplain Managers Association and became a Certified Floodplain Manager in 2001. 

He has served as the City of Broken Arrow Floodplain Administrator since 2003. He 

served on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association 

from 2005 until 2008 as the Northeastern Oklahoma Regional Representative and still 

serves on the OFMA Professional Development and Certification Committee. Jeff has 

updated the City of Broken Arrow Stormwater Criteria Manual and Stormwater 

Management Ordinance and strives to continue the strong floodplain management that 

has been in place within the City of Broken Arrow for years. He helped Broken Arrow 

implement a Stormwater Utility in 2002 and is currently implementing the Broken Arrow 

Low Impact Development certification program. In addition to his floodplain duties, 

Jeff’s job as Stormwater Manager includes stormwater systems review and design, master 

drainage plan implementation, stormwater utility account maintenance, and 

implementation of the City of Broken Arrow NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program for 

stormwater quality. 

B-4A – Risk Assessments: Putting the "A" in RiskMAP 

Moderator: Ranko Pudar, PE, CFM, Pudar Mitigation Consulting, Inc. 

Using HAZUS to Inform the Public about Flood Risk 

Rob Flaner, CFM, Tetra Tech, EAS 

Bill Bohn, CFM, Tetra Tech 

Blending HAZUS with good user defined data sets such as parcel information, flood 

hazard mapping and FEMA elevation certificates to build ultra accurate models of flood 

conditions to support the public involvement phases of hazard mitigation planning. This 

presentation will strive to illustrate the versatility of HAZUS-MH as a public information 

tool. The Disaster Mitigation Act requires local governments to engage the public thru all 

phases of the plan's development. This includes early in the plan development process, 

where it is very important to gauge the public's perception of risk associated with all 

hazards of concern. HAZUS-MH provides local governments a tool to present this risk in 

a format the public can grasp and understand, as it pertains to their individual assets at 

risk. This presentation will discuss actual applications of HAZUS in this role, and the 

effectiveness this tool provides in providing the public information about risk. HAZUS- 

MH is usually viewed by the Emergency Management Community as a highly 

sophisticated tool that supports planning and response. It is not usually viewed as a public 

information tool. Understanding the versatility of HAZUS will be very important in a 

"Risk-Map" era. This presentation will illustrate that versatility.

Biography 

Rob Flaner developed a comprehensive background in all aspects of floodplain 

management while administering the Community Rating System (CRS) under contract 

with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Rob was responsible for 

coordinating all CRS objectives between State, Local, and Federal entities in a 9-state 

territory that spanned three FEMA Regions. During his tenure with the CRS program, 

Rob was able to develop strong working relationships with his Federal, State, and Local 

partners. The CRS since its inception has developed into a template for sustainable 

floodplain management that can be used at the local level to give their programs 

direction. Rob’s detailed understanding of the CRS program and floodplain management 

helped him to develop a diverse floodplain management background that has been 

utilized by FEMA as a Disaster Assistance Employee. Rob has taken this diverse 

experience in floodplain management and expanded it into planning and preparing for the 

impacts of all natural hazards through coordinated planning efforts pursuant to the 

Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Utilizing planning tools such as HAZUS-MH and the 

CRS 10-step planning template, Rob has facilitated over 19 successful planning efforts 

for single entities and multi-jurisdictional efforts. 

HAZUS Flood Model & RiskMAP - Best Practices for HAZUS Flood Model 

Implementation Under RiskMAP 

Steve Kalaf, CFM, Dewberry 

James R. Mawby, CFM, Dewberry 

Moving into 2008 FEMA prescribed its RiskMAP program as the next step beyond the 

Map Modernization (MapMod) program. Through 2008 and into 2009 FEMA issued a 

few key contracts aimed at demonstrating and working through the logistics of how the 

RiskMAP vision should unfold. This was accomplished, in part, by HAZUS-specific pilot 

projects at the FEMA Regional level. Now that these pilot projects have been completed 

and each of the major RiskMAP contracts have been issued, 2010 will see additional 

HAZUS-specific projects implemented within the various FEMA Regions; some as 

additional pilot projects others as pure RiskMAP implementation. Dewberry & Davis, 

LLC of Fairfax, VA has played a significant role in assisting FEMA implement the Map 

Modernization program and continues to do so into the new age of RiskMAP as a 

primary partner in the RAMPP team (Risk Assessment, Mapping, and Planning Partners). 

Dewberry’s longstanding relationship with FEMA and significant contributions to 

floodplain management, mapping and technical assistance is also being utilized for 

HAZUS-specific projects – both previously completed pilot studies, new pilot studies and 

other HAZUS-related activities to include: 

Depth grid development techniques, best methods, evaluation, guidance and standards 

RiskMAP implementation of HAZUS for county-wide DFIRM 

Synergies of HAZUS as implemented in the National Flood Insurance Program 

(NFIP) as well as other federal programs – USDA/USFWS Coastal Barrier Resource 

System (CBRS) 

Regional levee-failure or de-accreditation outreach

Other HAZUS implementations at state, local or planning jurisdictional level – for 

example integration for Hazard Mitigation Planning (HMP) 

This presentation will offer valuable information for both the HAZUS practitioner and 

the decision-maker by covering a variety of interrelated topics from depth grid creation 

methods to how results are used to convey relative risk – a key component of the 

RiskMAP vision. As a function of both Dewberry’s role in the variety of HAZUSspecific 

implementations mentioned above, this presentation will convey both perspective 

and best management practices for completing HAZUS Flood model loss estimations in 

the age of RiskMAP. 

Biography 

Steve Kalaf is the Special Mapping and Quality Services Manager for Dewberry. With 

over 30 years of experience with the NFIP, he is a subject matter expert in several FEMA 

initiatives and programs, including HAZUS. In this regard he is the HAZUS service line 

leader; designing and managing the evolving best practice suite associated with HAZUS 

and associated risk assessment analyses. Mr. Kalaf is also the program manager for US 

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) contracts providing programmatic, technical and 

mapping services with a focus on map modernization for the Coastal Barrier Resources 

System. Mr. Kalaf’s responsibilities include development, management, and oversight of 

the Quality Management System in place for Dewberry as well as the RAMPP joint 

venture. In this capacity he ensures that Quality Assurance and Quality Control protocols 

are consistently applied across all RAMPP and Dewberry FEMA and FWS contracts. 

Leveraging Rich GIS and DFIRM Datasets for Enhanced Risk Assessment and 

Communication: Region VI HAZUS Level 2 Proof of Concept 

David Key, PE, CFM, ESP Associates 

Roberto Ramirez, FEMA Region VI 

This presentation will present the progress of a proof of concept Level 2 HAZUS analysis 

which is being performed as part of FEMA Region VI’s Fiscal Year 2009 production 

efforts. The proof of concept project will select one metropolitan area in the Region that 

has rich datasets including LiDAR, enhanced floodplain mapping, building stock data 

and critical facilities. FEMA is developing a Level 2 HAZUS analysis that will showcase 

the possibilities of using local data to enhance FEMA’s HAZUS-MH software. The proof 

of concept includes the following tasks: Five counties/parishes in Region VI will be 

evaluated based on the level of flood risk, availability of digital data, availability of 

digital flood stock in a GIS file, and community participation. FEMA will establish a 

Community Executive Committee (CEC). The CEC is designed to assist in the efficient 

procurement of local community data, as well as to pave the way for acceptance of the 

risk assessment pilot project. Depth Grids will be created using best available DFIRM 

data at a resolution of 10 feet (10-feet cell size). This coverage will be countywide and 

seamless. Using current local data from community, the project team will update of 

HAZUS Essential Facility (EF) data. The data quality review will occur prior to loading 

the data into HAZUS via the Comprehensive Data Management System (CDMS)

application. The project team will use available information (e.g., replacement values, 

market values, and insured values) to determine the best estimate of loss. The project 

team will use local GIS and tax assessor data to update of HAZUS General Building 

Stock (GBS) Data The Project team will then perform a focused assessment area on one 

community within the selected county to perform a more robust level 2 HAZUS analysis. 

This more robust HAZUS level 2 analysis will allow FEMA to weigh the benefits of 

additional HAZUS calculations for use at the county level throughout the region. This 

focused and more robust analysis will include the following for one (1) selected 

community: 

• Preparation of hydraulic models for use in deriving Expected Annualized Damages 

(EAD) analyses for multiple frequency events. 

• Performing EAD analyses 

• Development of multi-frequency flood depth rasters 10, 2, 1, 0.2 % chance floods 

• Evaluation and selection of the most appropriate depth-damage curves 

• Digitizing building footprints located within 500 feet of the special flood hazard area 

within the selected area to enable a User Defined Facility damage analysis, determining 

lowest and highest adjacent grade (LAG/HAG) and First Floor Elevations from the 

LIDAR/topographic datasets. These derived values will be ground truthed using available 

elevation certificates and/or assistance at the community level 

• Data mining tax assessors data for deriving building attributes. 

• Quality control 

• Importing the buildings collected above as User Defined Facilities into HAZUS. 

• Running UDF damage estimates at the community level 

Biography 

David Key is a civil engineer with over 19 years experience in watershed 

hydrologic/hydraulic analyses, Flood Insurance Studies and large scale floodplain 

mapping. He holds bachelor degrees in Mathematics and Civil Engineering. He is a 

Professional Engineer (P.E.) and is a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM). Mr. Key’s 

primary focus throughout his career has been FEMA Flood Insurance Studies. Mr. Key 

served as project manager for the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping project from 2000- 

2007. In November 2007, he joined ESP Associates in Cary, NC managing the firms 

Water Resources, GIS and Floodplain Mapping services. He has managed nearly 100 

countywide Flood Insurance Studies in over 12 states. David is married with three 

children and resides in Holly Springs, NC. 

B-5 – Challenges with Levee Recertification 

Moderator: Brad Anderson, PE, CFM, Anderson Consulting Engineers, Inc., ASFPM 

Chapters District 4 Director 

Dallas County Levees: Nothing is Ever Straightforward 

David Patterson, PE, D.WRE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc.

The countywide Map Mod study for Dallas County, Texas was nearing completion. The 

communities in this critical high population county added over 90 miles of new detailed 

study. Before release of the Preliminary study in June 2007, the levees along the Trinity 

River were certified by the USACE. Following standard procedure, the 90-day appeal 

period was completed; many of the numerous appeals were resolved, and planning for the 

new effective date was underway. However, in the interim, the USACE national policy 

changed and the USACE is now investigating the condition of the existing levees in 

much greater detail. Based on this, the Trinity River levees through the heart of Dallas 

were reevaluated, and they were decertified in March 2009. Consequently, the mapping 

project was placed on hold. The new investigations brought up numerous issues including 

sand seams under the levees, structures in and through the levee, sumps and pump 

stations, and general maintenance issues. To further complicate the situation, the City of 

Dallas and other local agencies are in the early stages of the Trinity River Corridor 

Project, a multi feature project that includes greenbelts, parks, and recreation; water 

activities; an Audubon Center; a toll road; and several signature bridges. The issues 

remain front page news locally. The City of Dallas has been very proactive trying to keep 

all of the projects moving which includes the need to recertify the levees. They have 

contracted $29M to complete the geotechnical review, which includes 1,500 test borings, 

on a fast track. Levee certification is one of the nation’s most critical issues. Active 

participation by the levee owner in conjunction with the USACE, and the FEMA Region 

is essential in resolving particular situations in a timely manner. This is occurring in 

Dallas County. We are working on an alternative to complete the entire county as a PMR, 

except for the 7 panels impacted by the subject levees. While this creates some edge 

matching issues, the remaining areas of the county should benefit with the new completed 

mapping. This presentation will provide a case history of an alternative approach to 

completing as much mapping as possible without being derailed by the lack of levee 

certification. 

Biography 

David A. Patterson is an Engineering Manager with Michael Baker Jr., Inc. in their 

Denton, TX office. He has 29 years of experience as a water resources engineer; the last 

12 with a variety of FEMA programs. This includes management of a wide variety of 

water resources and flood control projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science in civil 

engineering from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in industrial 

engineering from the University of Houston. 

Fixing Sacramento's Levees Takes More Than Piling Up a Bunch of Dirt 

John Baker, PE, FACEC, Kleinfelder 

Identified as the urban area with the highest risk of flooding second only to New Orleans, 

flood protection in Sacramento’s Natomas Basin presents major engineering, real estate, 

insurance, and local revenue challenges. The basin is home to 70,000 residents with 

projected growth to over 300,000. Levees protecting the basin were de-certified in 2006. 

Facing potential flood depths in excess of 20 feet and a building moratorium, residents of

the basin voted to fund improvements and restore levee certification. This highly 

ambitious project is tasked with constructing 50 percent of improvements necessary to 

provide 100-year flood protection by 2011 and providing 200-year flood protection by 

2013. Successful completion of the project depends on coordination and cooperation of 

numerous stakeholders ranging from local residents to the Federal Government. Without 

levee certification, a FEMA imposed building moratorium has been imposed in the Basin. 

High premium flood insurance rates are affecting all residents, and hoped for property 

and sales tax growth has been curtailed. This presentation will remind attendees how 

complex, broad ranging, expensive, and time consuming the process of providing flood 

protection for a community can be. 

Biography 

Mr. Baker is Senior Principal for Kleinfelder, Inc., a $300 million geotechnical 

engineering, construction management, and environmental consulting business. He 

received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of 

California at Berkeley and is a registered professional engineer in California and Oregon. 

He served as President of the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California 

from 1997 to 1998, President of the California Geotechnical Engineers Association from 

1991 to 1992, President of the University of California, Berkeley Engineering Alumni 

Society from 2005 to 2006, and was recently elected to the rank of Fellow by the 

American Council of Engineering Companies. He currently serves on the Board of 

Directors of the California Engineering Education Council. Mr. Baker is married and has 

five daughters. He and his wife Janet reside in Carmichael, California. 

Levee Improvements in a Changing World - Accreditation Challenges in Nebraska 

Lalit Jha, PE, D.WRE, CFM, JEO Consulting Group, Inc. 

John Callen, PE, CFM, JEO Consulting Group, Inc. 

For several Nebraska communities with levees, the past few years have been challenging. 

Along with other municipalities around the nation, a number of communities in Nebraska 

have found themselves dealing with the realization that the levees they have relied upon 

for many years do not meet current FEMA accreditation standards for being shown as 

providing 1% annual chance flood protection on FIRM maps. For many communities, the 

most significant deficiency comes from a lack of freeboard, and this leads to a necessity 

for the community to consider possible improvements to their levee or face deaccreditation. 

Nebraska rivers and surrounding floodplains are generally characterized by 

low slopes and flat terrain. Due to this, most levees along major rivers in Nebraska 

protect large areas of established communities from flooding and the implications of 

levee de-accreditation are significant, both from a flood insurance cost perspective and a 

building construction regulatory perspective. Some communities have never had any 

significant regulatory floodplain within their jurisdiction since the beginning of the NFIP 

due to a currently accredited levee and may be put in the position of having a significant 

administrative burden for floodplain management. For most, the decision to seek to 

maintain accreditation for their levee appears easy; but the path to implementation of

improvements is anything but. First, many of these communities are small cities or 

villages with limited resources. Lack of funding assistance opportunities at the State and 

Federal level leaves them facing funding challenges. Second, the labyrinth of regulatory 

requirements and lack of process clarity and knowledge of national policy direction 

provides not only schedule challenges to improvement projects but drives up costs. On 

one hand, FEMA looks to see the regulatory criteria in 44 CFR 65.10 be met and has 

created the PAL process to allow communities time to gather background data. However, 

for a community that discovers a deficiency, the PAL process is not built to 

accommodate the timeline needed for large scale improvements. On the other hand, if the 

levee was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the levee owner is likely to 

be required to meet USACE 408 permitting requirements for modifications to existing 

flood control structures. This introduces not only additional regulatory requirements for 

non-federally funded levee improvements that would not normally be in place, but it also 

introduces the requirement for risk and reliability analysis to be applied to the levee 

system, which goes beyond the current FEMA minimum requirements for levee 

accreditation. All of this leads to added time and costs for communities already straining 

to even build the needed improvements. This presentation will review several Nebraska 

case studies and discuss the challenges faced. It will also explore some of the reasons 

why the subject levees cannot currently meet accreditation standards and the historical 

decisions that led to this situation. Finally, a review of levee improvement process 

challenges will be discussed. 

Biography 

Lalit Jha has worked for JEO Consulting Group, Inc. for the past nine years. Mr. Jha is 

working as a Vice President for the Water Resources Engineering Department of JEO 

consulting group in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Jha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in 

Civil Engineering from Nagpur University in Nagpur, India and a Master of Science 

degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines. Mr. 

Jha has over 15 years of professional engineering experience in numerous floodplain and 

stormwater management projects, watershed master planning, hydrologic and hydraulic 

analyses, flood control projects, stream bank stabilization projects, and hazard mitigation 

planning projects. Mr. Jha has co-authored and co-presented on various water resources 

related projects at national and international conferences. Mr. Jha is an ASFPM Certified 

Floodplain Manager (CFM) as well as a licensed professional engineer in several states. 

He also holds a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE) credential. 

B-6 – Ways to Implement a Local Stormwater Management Program - Process 

Moderator: Paul Woodward, PE, CFM, Olsson Associates, ASFPM Urban Stormwater 

Management Committee, ASFPM Region 7 Director 

9 Easy Steps to Green Infrastructure Program Implementation for Your 

Community 

Kari Mackenbach, CFM, URS Corporation

9 Easy Steps to Green Infrastructure Program Implementation for Your Community 

Green Infrastructure can have a dramatic affect on stormwater quantity and quality 

concerns as it manages water at its source of generation. Many metropolitan areas within 

the U.S. are facing costs of millions to billions of dollars to address combined sewer 

overflows (CSOs) and flooding issues. Consequently, there is growing interest in 

assessing the extent to which Green Infrastructure can be used to help reduce the amount 

of run-off generated by urban and suburban landscapes, and whether it can provide a cost 

effective means to reduce the magnitude of the investments needed for conventional 

means to address flooding and CSO issues. There are also other smaller communities that 

may not have significant CSO concerns but want to consider the use of Green 

Infrastructure to help them with their stormwater and flooding problems. These 

communities can take advantage of the lessons learned from their larger metropolitan 

neighbors to see what works and doesn’t work within their geographical areas and how to 

install these techniques correctly. Nine easy steps to Green Infrastructure Program 

Implementation may sound like a lot, however, most communities can do most of these 

efforts at minimal cost. Topics these steps will address include: 

• Defining the key questions/issues that need to be answered within the community. Why 

does your community want to consider the use of green infrastructure? 

• What are other communities doing? 

• What public education is needed? 

• Where can and should demonstration projects be implemented? 

• Do the development codes support Green Infrastructure? 

• Can Green Infrastructure become an integral part of the community? 

• Next steps. 

Biography 

Kari Mackenbach is the Green Initiatives Practice leader for URS. Ms. Mackenbach’s 

background as a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) provides her with unique 

capabilities to work with citizenry on multiple water resource and stormwater issues. 

Since 1993, she has been involved with numerous floodplain and stormwater 

management projects. Most recently, Ms. Mackenbach has been heading up several 

precedent setting initiatives involving the use of green infrastructure. These projects 

include the use of evaluating the use of green infrastructure to address CSO/SSO 

concerns as well as to address localized flooding concerns. Her facilitation experience 

and knowledge of federal, state and local programs has helped numerous communities 

attain higher standards in water quality and environmental management. 

What We Do...Storm Water 

Raymond Melton, CSI, CPESC, City of Oklahoma City 

"What We Do" will give a brief history of the City of Oklahoma City's Storm Water 

Quality program. The NPDES Federally mandated program began in 1991 and is in its 

third, five year permit period. It is one of the two Large MS4 programs in Oklahoma.

With 15 program requirements which include a construction and industrial auditing 

program, spill response, environmental analytical monitoring, illicit discharge and 

detection program, public outreach and Oklahoma’s only permanent Household 

Hazardous Waste Facility. This presentation will show how to successfully implement a 

NPDES program and how a program changes and matures. 

Biography 

Raymond Melton is the Environmental Protection Manager for the City of Oklahoma 

City. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Central 

Oklahoma. He has been with the City of Oklahoma City since 1993, working in the 

Storm Water Quality Division since 1995. In 2005 he was named the Storm Water 

Quality Manager. Training includes 40 HAZWOPER, Environmental Crimes 

investigating, Homeland Security Training, Preparing for and Responding to Terrorism, 

National Fire Academy Hazmat Incident Command training, Certified Stormwater 

Inspector, Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control. 

Roadway To Implementation – How A Small Oklahoma Community Adopted A 

Successful Stormwater Program 

Ana Stagg, PE, CFM, Meshek & Associates, PLC 

Roger Stevens, City of Owasso, OK 

This presentation will detail the steps taken by the City of Owasso, Oklahoma [a 

suburban community of 25,000, located in northeast Oklahoma] to implement a 

successful municipal Stormwater Management Program. First, the presentation will 

outline the steps taken by City staff to enable the deployment of a Stormwater Fee - and 

the subsequent Stormwater Utility Department. Next, it will showcase the communities 

successful plead for public support and the public/private partnerships that emerged 

thereafter. As part of this work, the City's first Quantitative Prioritization Criteria was 

developed and implemented - with support and approval by the public. This 

mathematical model enabled the methodical, unbiased ranking of numerous projects - 

giving way to the development and adoption of the City's Five-Year Stormwater Project 

Implementation Plan. 

The presentation will demonstrate how this successful program - now in its fifth year of 

implementation - has enabled the construction of millions in capital improvements. It 

will show examples of its measurable success - not only by assisting those once 

threatened by flooding but also by implementing preventative measures to avoid future 

flood losses. Presenters will detail how, through its funded Master Drainage Plan, the 

program guided the development of the City's commercial and residential growth - 

enabling responsible and valuable growth. Lastly, but as important, the presenters will 

discuss the programs successful compliance with environmental regulations [EPA's Phase 

II program] by funding additional staff and equipment to perform necessary compliance 

activities - protecting the welfare of our environment for years to come.

The presentation will be made by the City's current Public Works Director - accompanied 

by the previous Director - to recapture the steps made by the community in its journey to 

develop, adopt and implement this successful municipal Stormwater Management 

Program. 

Biography 

Ms. Stagg has over 15 years of experience in civil engineering, management consulting 

and municipal government including the planning, design, and construction of public 

infrastructure. Many of these projects represented critical public needs with challenging 

design and construction schedules. In addition to her technical expertise, Ms. Stagg 

brings a public relations and human element to high profile public projects. Currently Ms. 

Stagg serves as the Engineering Services Manager for Meshek & Associates. Before 

joining Meshek & Associates in September 2007, Ms. Stagg served as the City of 

Owasso Public Works Director in which capacity she directly supervised the 

development of the City’s Stormwater Management Program, including the development 

of its Master Drainage Plan and implementation of its Stormwater Utility Fee. She also 

developed and implemented utility fee structures for water, sewer and refuse service and 

a 5-Year Strategic Plan to increase operational efficiencies and funding stability for the 

Public Works Department. Prior to employment at the City of Owasso, Ms. Stagg served 

as a Civil Engineering Consultant for Greeley and Hansen in Chicago, IL and Camp, 

Dresser and McKee in Cambridge, MA in the design and construction of more than $100 

million in projects. Some of these projects included the design of the first water 

reclamation facility in Columbia, South America, and public works master planning for 

the third largest city in the world, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ms. Stagg has a B.S. in Civil 

Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology, an M.E. in Environmental 

Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School 

of Business at Northwest University. She is an Oklahoma-registered Professional 

Engineer and a Certified Floodplain Manager. 

B-4B – Getting the Most Out of Hazard Mitigation Planning 

Moderator: Alessandra Jerolleman, CFM, MPA, Natural Hazard Mitigation Association 

This panel will include four presentations: 

Ed Thomas regarding the broader picture of floodplain management and hazard 

mitigation, as well as a concluding summary at the end of the panel. 

French Wetmore on the need for a comprehensive floodplain management approach 

including integration of CRS planning criteria, No Adverse Impact, etc. within hazard 

mitigation planning. 

Ron Flanagan will zoom in to the local level discussing HMGP and PDM programs, 

the “Culture of the Crosswalk”, Comprehensive Master Drainage Planning, the need 

for better cooperation and coordination between Emergency Management and 

Floodplain Management, and the disconnect at all levels- local, state and federal.

Alessandra Jerolleman will conclude with some recommendations from the Natural 

Hazard Mitigation Association. 

This panel will cover a range of highly relevant and important topics in hazard mitigation 

planning. It will bring together several highly experienced individuals to share their 

experiences and generate discussion on how to improve current hazard mitigation 

planning policy and implementation. 

Biography 

Alessandra Jerolleman is the Executive Director of the recently formed Natural Hazard 

Mitigation Association and sits on the Executive Committee of the American Society of 

Public Administration’s Section on Emergency and Crisis Management. She was recently 

awarded the 2009 Petak Prize by the American Society of Public Administration for the 

best paper in Emergency Management presented in 2008. Ms. Jerolleman has acquired 

wide-ranging experience in the private, non-profit, and academic sectors. Over the past 

few years, Ms Jerolleman has worked with five Louisiana Parishes that are participating 

in the Planning Pilot Grant Program. The Planning Pilot Grant Program is the first of its 

kind in the nation and is intended to provide communities with the funding to not only 

update hazard mitigation plans, but also to undertake preliminary engineering, 

environmental and benefit-cost analyses to “scope” specific hazard mitigation projects. In 

particular, Ms. Jerolleman served as the project manager and lead senior hazard 

mitigation planner, assisting these Louisiana parishes with mitigation project 

identification and scoping, as well as plan updates under the Planning Pilot Grant 

Program. Ms. Jerolleman played a key role in the 2008 update of the State of Louisiana 

Hazard Mitigation Plan. In particular she updated the Hazard Profiles, Risk Assessment 

and State Owned Facilities Risk Assessment to reflect more recent information as well as 

the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She has also been involved in the update of 

the State of Louisiana’s Hazard Mitigation Administrative Plan, as well as Louisiana’s 

accreditation under the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. Ms. Jerolleman 

has also worked with six New Jersey Counties on hazard mitigation project identification, 

as well as plan review, as well as the City of Tulsa’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and the 2009 

Update of the Polk County, Iowa Hazard Mitigation Plan. Ms. Jerolleman is currently 

working on the University of Louisiana Disaster Resistant University Plan, the Chatham 

County, Georgia Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, and several other Plan Updates in the 

State of Louisiana. In previous positions, Ms. Jerolleman has conducted applied research 

related to mitigation, community outreach and disaster planning with select Louisiana 

communities and for the University of New Orleans. She has been involved in crafting 

and delivering the community outreach in both Jefferson and Orleans Parishes related to 

the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Ms. Jerolleman played a key role in the 

development of the University of New Orleans Hazard Mitigation Plan, and served as the 

coordinator for several area analyses in suburban New Orleans neighborhoods with 

severe repetitive losses. Additionally, Ms. Jerolleman has assisted on Repetitive Flood 

Loss Area Analyses at the Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology in 

New Orleans, LA, and the Disaster Resistant University Project at the University of New

Orleans. Alessandra Jerolleman is a Certified Floodplain Manager with a master’s degree 

in Public Administration. 

B-8 - Utilizing GIS for Floodplain Mapping 

Moderator: Matt Koch, PE, CFM, AECOM 

Leveraging Byproducts of Automated Floodplain Mapping Technology for Risk 

Assessment and Public Awareness 

Tucker Clevenger, PE, CFM, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Matt Breen, PE, CFM, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Robert Pierson, FEMA Region III 

Automated floodplain mapping technology has not only increased mapping efficiency, 

accuracy and functionality; it has enabled the development of more detailed digital data 

for floodplain management, hazard analysis, future planning and outreach efforts. 

Although there are a large number of byproducts able to be derived from automated 

mapping procedures based on digital terrain data, floodplain depth grids have perhaps the 

highest utility for a broad range of stakeholders. Digital, georeferenced flood depth grids 

provide an alternative methodology for assessing flood risk and estimating potential 

damage. In addition, they are a valuable tool for more clearly conveying potential flood 

risk to the public. FEMA Region III has recognized the value of the numerous potential 

digital flood hazard evaluation products that are available as a result of automated 

floodplain mapping technologies. They have encouraged their mapping partners to work 

together to utilize these digital products to facilitate the public presentation of flood risk. 

As a FEMA Region III IDIQ contractor, AMEC is currently working with both the region 

and its Cooperating Technical Partners (CTPs) to maximize the potential uses of this 

digital data for flood risk management. This presentation will examine some end-user 

applications of the seamless countywide flood depth mapping byproduct. Two specific 

examples of FEMA mapping partner collaboration within FEMA Region III will be 

presented to demonstrate the valuable utility of countywide flood depth and elevation 

datasets. As FEMA transitions from Flood Map Modernization to RiskMAP, flood risk 

presentation and partnerships with municipalities has become increasingly important. 

FEMA Region III has recognized that flood depth grids are integral to operating in a 

language common to all the involved entities – dollars and cents. AMEC is working with 

FEMA Region III to deliver seamless countywide flood depth grids as a DFIRM 

deliverable. This more detailed and up-to-date flood data will be utilized in HAZUS 

analysis to assist in determining more accurate and comprehensive flood risk assessments 

and damage estimates. Depth/damage curves are a HAZUS output capable of providing 

meaningful risk data at the local level. The assessment data will substantiate outreach 

efforts while improving ongoing planning and mitigation efforts. Defining risk is a major 

component of the evolving program and depth grids are part of the foundation. As a CTP 

for FEMA Region III, West Virginia University has developed a web-application 

intended to display flood risk information for the public and enable property owners to 

derive flood depth and elevation data for use in risk management. AMEC has been

working in conjunction with WVU to develop seamless digital depth and elevation grid 

data supporting FEMA floodplains derived using AMEC’s Automated Floodplain 

Generator (AFG) throughout West Virginia. The majority of these flood hazard areas 

were previously designated as approximate floodplains with no associated floodplain 

depth or elevation data. The WVU web application will serve as the initial resource for 

floodplain managers as well as homeowners and developers for determining both 

floodplain depths and elevations. Floodplain data is available through the site as part of a 

“point-and-click” service that enables stakeholders to easily and efficiently acquire flood 

hazard information. This application will enable public officials to better manage flood 

risk and development and will also promote flood risk awareness to property owners. 

This presentation will increase stakeholder awareness of the utility of digital datasets that 

can now be made available through the digital data development process. The goal is to 

reinforce the fact that FEMA DFIRMs are no longer a static, paper document and that 

there are a variety of alternatives for conveying flood risks to the public, specifically 

through the use of flood elevation and depth grids. Flood depth grids will be a critical 

component of the RiskMAP program for floodplain management, risk assessment, 

damage estimation, and public outreach. 

Biography 

Tucker Clevenger is a Penn State University graduate with over eleven years of 

experience in the water resources engineering field. He currently manages the Water 

Resources Group in AMEC’s Chantilly, VA office. Tucker is the Program Manager for 

AMEC’s FEMA Region III flood hazard mapping IDIQ contract and also oversees a 

wide variety of water resources projects including hydrologic and hydraulic floodplain 

restudies, Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) development, levee evaluation and 

certification, watershed planning, stormwater management, and stream restoration. 

GIS Tools to Minimize Stationing Errors and Perform Floodplain Boundary 

Mapping in Re-Use Detailed Studies 

Michael Ross, Bergmann Associates, PC 

Shaun Gannon, PE, D.WRE, CFM, Bergmann Associates, PC 

Bergmann Associates has developed an automated GIS Toolbox for Re-Use Detailed 

Studies using ESRI's Model Builder. This presentation will focus on two of the tools in 

the toolbox: a Calibrated Route Tool and a Floodplain Boundary Mapping Tool. The 

Calibrated Route Tool is used to lock down the profile baseline stationing at cross 

sections, and to spread out any error between cross sections. This creates a virtual 

baseline which exactly matches the stationing in the Floodway Data Table - reducing the 

importance of exact physical line lengths, minimizing error between cross sections, and 

eliminating upstream cumulative error. It also allows the analyst to "stretch" profile 

baseline sections between two cross sections where the stationing in the FDT is less than 

the physical distance. The Floodplain Boundary Mapping Tool automates the series of 

processes that result in a floodplain boundary. It maps critical water surface inflection 

points along the baseline, and creates a water surface elevation model. It then maps the

oundary between the water surface and ground surface. It also culls small ponds and 

islands, and smooths the boundary within map scale tolerance. The results are PM38 

compliant. Use of this toolbox has greatly increased productivity in Re-Use Detailed 

studies, reducing the time needed to complete an RD study by approximately 50%. 

Biography 

Michael Ross is a Senior GIS Analyst at Bergmann Associates, PC, in Rochester, NY. He 

performs a broad variety of GIS work, including building customized geoprocessing 

tools, performing watershed and stream delineations, developing routing data for mobile 

applications, mapping floodplain boundaries, and creating DFIRM map panels and 

databases. He also has extensive local government experience. 

Automated Visual Floodway Modeling using HEC-RAS And ArcGIS 

Ken Logsdon, Jr., Dewberry 

Sivasankkar Selvanathan, PhD, Dewberry 

Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software is 

commonly used to perform hydraulic analysis for floodplain delineation studies. In 

addition to floodplains, the hydraulic analysis also includes modeling a floodway in 

detailed floodplain study areas. Floodway modeling is an iterative process where the 1% 

annual chance flood discharge is restricted within a floodway without exceeding a 

designated increase, called the surcharge (usually 1 foot), in water surface elevation. An 

engineer models flows along a reach to meet FEMA surcharge requirements. In this 

research, we present a tightly coupled system comprising of a commercial GIS (ArcGIS) 

and HECRAS that automates HECRAS’s floodway encroachments modeling. In this 

automated approach, an initial floodway is developed by running HEC-RAS in an 

iterative fashion with minimal user intervention. The HECRAS executable engine is run 

from within the ArcGIS environment. The results from the automated process are 

presented in ArcGIS. The visual environment provides a comprehensive platform to edit, 

remodel, spatially analyze and map floodway boundaries. Four different encroachments 

options are supported which eliminates the need for a modeler to switch between 

HECRAS and GIS during the floodway modeling process. Additionally, the visual 

environment provides interactive tools so that the modeler can fine-tune the floodway 

model while remaining in ArcGIS. The final step in the floodway modeling process is to 

develop a smooth floodway boundary that can be mapped on a DFIRM. Several automapping 

methods are provided to complete the mapping task. This visual floodway 

modeling tool increases the productivity of a modeler by saving an appreciable amount of 

modeling time. The transfer of HECRAS model output into the ArcGIS environment 

facilitates quick and efficient spatial analysis. THIS PRESENTATION WILL ... expose 

the attendees to a best practice approach to floodway modeling and show, through 

demonstration, how the visual floodway module automates the interaction between 

HECRAS and GIS, and provides tools that can be used to complete modeling and 

mapping more efficiently.

Biography 

Mr. Logsdon leads the Technology Solutions Department within Dewberry's Hazard 

Engineering Resources division. Under his leadership, his team has developed the 

GeoFIRM engineering and mapping enterprise system used on FEMA mapping projects 

over the last 5 years. Their work has been recognized in ESRI ARCNEWS, Point Of 

Beginning, Surveyor Magazine, and received several awards including ACEC National 

Finalist. 

Session C 

Tuesday, May 18 3:45pm – 5:15pm 

C-1 – Stream Assessments and Restoration 

Moderator: Christy Miller, CFM, Tetra Tech, ASFPM NAI Committee 

Floodplain Management, Naturally - San Antonio River Authority's Stream 

Restoration Program 

Jim Boenig, PE, San Antonio River Authority 

Ramesh Chintala, PE, D.WRE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

For most of the 20th century, the pioneer-minded philosophy of “taming and conquering” 

nature pervaded the design of stream and river projects throughout the nation. While this 

approach has been very successful in achieving short-term objectives, it has yielded other 

unanticipated problems such as increased flood risk and degraded stream form and 

riparian corridor functions. Old attitudes are being replaced by new, more sustainable 

values that emphasize “understanding and respecting” natural stream processes. The 

natural benefits provided by floodplains are now well understood and recognized by the 

scientific and engineering community. Maintaining and managing river health is a safe 

and sustainable alternative to encroaching on territory that rightfully belongs to the riverthe 

floodplain. Stream restoration techniques have emerged as the answer to righting 

some of the wrongs of the past and improving the multiple functions of river corridors. 

The San Antonio River Authority’s (SARA) serves a four-county region that includes the 

San Antonio River and its tributaries. SARA’s vision is to, “protect and preserve (our) 

shared water resources and, together with (our) partners, pursue innovative solutions that 

will serve generations to come.” To advance this vision the SARA has launched a stream 

restoration program as a top priority in their 2009-2010 Budget. This paper will examine 

the establishment of the SARA’s stream restoration program from a public agency 

perspective. Successful features of the program framework such as initiatives, projects, 

operations, policies and financial efficiency within the operational constraints of the 

organization will be presented. The role of key elements essential to the Program’s 

success (mission, funding, planning, implementation, operations and maintenance, and 

education) will be discussed. The paper will also discuss how potential engineering and 

ecological benefits of each project site can be maximized using a multi-disciplinary

approach and ensuring that assessment, design, construction and monitoring activities 

emphasize the sustainability of stream/riparian ecosystems. Technical and programmatic 

challenges of stream restoration unique to South Central Texas within the context of the 

overall elemental framework of the stream restoration program will be covered. 

Biography 

Mr. Boenig serves as Manager of the SARA Engineering Department which provides 

technical support and project management for capital improvement projects and programs 

for the River Authority. The Department develops, supports and manages River 

Authority initiatives including, but not limited to, river restoration projects, wastewater 

collection and treatment systems, flood control operation and maintenance, regional park 

initiatives, river debris clean up and water quality and water supply initiatives. Project 

management of river restoration projects includes the San Antonio River Improvements 

Project, a long-term, large-scale flood control, ecosystem restoration and recreation 

project between the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, the USACE which also includes 

private funding components. Mr. Boenig’s engineering experience of 25 years includes 

design and management of flood control projects, street and drainage projects, 

stormwater detention facilities, pumping stations, wastewater treatment plant 

expansions/upgrades, water distribution/pumping/ storage systems, and many commercial 

and residential master-planning and site development projects. Mr. Boenig has been 

Manager for 7 of his 15 years with the River Authority. In addition to being proud of his 

lovely wife, Karen, and his three precious daughters, he would like everyone to know he 

is also a proud Texas Aggie, Class of ’83. 

A Spatial Planning Approach for Arlington’s Comprehensive Stream Management 

Plan 

Curtis Beitel, PE, CFM, Jacobs Engineering Group 

Bill Brown, PE, City of Arlington, TX 

Jacobs is currently helping the City of Arlington develop their Comprehensive Stream 

Management Plan (CSMP) to guide their watershed management strategies to address 

current and future erosion, flooding and sedimentation problems. Current efforts focus on 

a system condition assessment of more than 110 miles of natural creeks throughout the 

City, which will be completed in March of 2010. Field work is completed with the use of 

Trimble GeoXH GPS units equipped with hurricane antennas, laser rangefinders and Wi- 

Fi cameras. Field crews collect coordinates for the locations of the ordinary high water 

mark and top of bank as they walk the creek at roughly 20 foot intervals. In addition, 

resources (e.g. buildings, pipelines and retaining walls) threatened by erosion are 

identified and cataloged. At each threatened resource spatial coordinates are logged, 

characterizing photos are taken, and the site is classified along with comments on percent 

vegetative cover and soil texture. The laser rangefinder is used independently of the GPS 

to calculate height, width and slope of the bank and the resource at each location. The 

field data is loaded into an enterprise level geodatabase for further processing in GIS. The 

field data points with attributes, hyperlinked photographs for threatened resources, aerial

imagery, and other base map data are maintained in an enterprise geodatabase and posted 

to web maps for the City’s access on a weekly basis. This presentation will present the 

methodology and results to date for Arlington’s CSMP. As field data is collected, it is 

analyzed to prioritize mitigation activities. Initial values are assigned to each threatened 

resource by type. The height, width and slope of the bank and distance to the resource are 

used to calculate a threat severity adjustment factor. The adjusted scores are summed for 

each creek segment, and normalized by dividing by the segment length to get unit scores. 

The final unit scores for each reach provide a defendable relative erosion severity ranking 

which will ultimately be used by the City to prioritize erosion control project 

implementation. 

Biography 

As the Water Resources Team Leader in the Fort Worth office of Jacobs, Mr. Beitel has 

over 16 years of experience conducting floodplain studies and coordinating permitting, 

NPDES stormwater programs, and drainage and stream corridor master plans. He 

received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1993 from Texas A&M 

University, College Station and his Masters of Engineering in 1996 from the University 

of Texas at Arlington. He has been a Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas since 1998 

and a Certified Floodplain Manager since 2003. He has planned and designed flood 

control and erosion protection improvements for a wide variety of municipal and public 

clients. He prepared construction plans and obtained Section 404 permits for $10.5 

million in municipal urban channel improvements over a three-year period. Since joining 

Jacobs, he has managed the Storm Water Mitigation Master Plan and All Hazard 

Mitigation Plan for the City of Lawton, Oklahoma, as well as NPDES development 

projects for the Cities of Tyler, Hurst, Wichita Falls, and Temple, and Smith County. He 

also serves as the project manager for Jacobs’ work under the CF3R Joint Venture with 

Michael Baker, assisting FEMA Region VI with countywide Digital FIRM map updates 

as part of their Map Modernization initiative. 

Upper Cowlitz River Flood Hazard Risk Assessment 

David Cline, PE, Tetra Tech, Inc. 

Susan Novak, Tetra Tech, Inc. 

The Upper Cowlitz River Flood Hazard Risk Assessment is a study of the flood 

inundation, bank erosion and channel avulsion risks on the Upper Cowlitz River near 

Packwood Washington. The study is in response to a 100-year flood event in November 

2006 that resulted in a major channel avulsion where the Muddy Fork Cowlitz River 

avulsed along a 3,700ft historical channel. The avulsed channel reconnected at the Clear 

Fork/Muddy Fork confluence downstream directly between the High Valley 8 and 

Timberline communities. The study involved characterizing and assessing flood hazard 

risks including flood inundation, bank erosion and channel avulsion. Flood inundation 

risks were assessed using a calibrated FLO-2D model that represented current river 

conditions with the new avulsion channel and large amounts of instream wood debris 

causing localized increases in flooding, bank erosion and avulsion potential. Bank

erosion risks were determined through estimating erosion rates using both historical 

aerial photograph analysis and Bank Stability Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM). Avulsion 

risks assessments were developed using site specific empirical evidence regarding current 

avulsion field indicators, as well as information from historical mapping indicating the 

periodicity of previous large avulsion events. The risk assessment was then coupled with 

an economic damage analysis using Corps Flood Damage Assessment (FDA) methods. 

The risk/damage framework was then used to develop flood hazard mitigation strategies 

and design measures that would directly reduce the risks from flooding, erosion and 

channel avulsion. This presentation will provide an overview of characterizing flood 

hazards and risks on a braided Pacific Northwest river system that has high sediment and 

debris loads, which ultimately contributed to the naturally occurring channel avulsion 

event. The study was developed in such a manner to provide good photographic and 

video documentation of the various flooding, erosion, debris transport and avulsion 

processes so that local stakeholders and decision makers understood how the risk 

assessments were developed, and the implications for their community. The presentation 

will ultimately contribute to a broader technical conversation regarding our understanding 

of different river processes and the mapping of flood related hazards and risk areas. 

Biography 

David has 13+ years experience with focus on integration and communication of 

planning, environmental, engineering design and construction of stream, floodplain and 

wetland restoration projects. He has worked in an array of environments ranging from the 

mine tailings and water diverted streams and rivers of the Colorado Rockies, to 

cottonwood floodplain and sediment laden rivers of the southwest, and is now living and 

working in the dynamic river, streams and coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, 

Cascades and the Puget sound. Recently he has been involved in several interesting 

floodplain management and restoration design projects. Of note is the levee setbacks, 

floodgate retrofit and tidal marsh restoration to improved in the agricultural regions of the 

Skagit River Delta, which couples fish habitat restoration with improved floodplain 

management. Equally as interesting is the topic of today’s presentation which is the 

development of a flood hazard risk assessment report on the Upper Cowlitz River which 

experienced a 1% exceedance event and had a major channel avulsion. Mr. Cline has 

developed a number of field based indices, coupled with multi-dimensional FLO-2D 

modeling, to assess the risks from flood inundation, channel erosion and channel avulsion 

for this highly dynamic, braided river system.

C-2 – FEMA Showcase: Rethinking the NFIP 

Moderator: Sandra K. Knight, PhD, PE, D.WRE, Deputy Federal Insurance and 

Mitigation Administrator, Mitigation, FEMA 

PRESENTATION: “Rethinking the NFIP” Michael Grimm, CFM, NFIP Reform 

Program Manager and Deputy Director, Risk Reduction Division, FEMA 

This session will provide an overview of FEMA’s efforts to reform the National Flood 

Insurance Program (NFIP) including a summary of the NFIP Listening Session and next 

steps. 

FEMA has engaged in a comprehensive reform effort to address the concerns of the wide 

array of stakeholders involved in the ongoing dialog about the NFIP. The initiative is a 

multi-staged effort designed to engage stakeholders and consider the largest breadth of 

public policy options. FEMA believes this is an important process to ensure the program 

can efficiently and effectively meet the needs of the public. The results of this analysis 

will inform decisions regarding the future of the NFIP. 

After more than a decade of seeking input, identifying issues and conducting studies, 

FEMA believes that the time has come to undertake a critical review of the NFIP. With 

Congress considering significant reform of the program, FEMA is prepared to assist 

decision-makers by providing a comprehensive analysis that will serve to address both 

the issues of the immediate present, as well as establish a solid foundation for the 

program’s future. The process will be comprised of three phases: 

Phase I commenced with the NFIP Listening Session held November 5-6, 2009 in 

Washington, DC. The stakeholder listening session was attended by more than 170 

participants comprised of representatives from federal, tribal, state and local 

governments, private sector and non‐governmental agencies. The goals of this Listening 

Session were to engage invited stakeholders from Federal, state, local and tribal 

governments, associations, non-profits and the private sector, to hear about the key issues 

facing the program, identify common understanding between groups and document the 

diversity of opinions concerning the optimum implementation of the NFIP. 

Phase II began in early March, 2010, with the formation of the NFIP Reform Working 

Group. Following the analysis of the NFIP Listening Session comments, FEMA 

convened a NFIP Reform Working Group tasked with identifying and analyzing options 

for the future of the NFIP. The group is a cross-section of the Federal Insurance and 

Mitigation Administration. 

Phase III is anticipated to begin June, 2010, and is estimated to take 18–24 months. The 

effort will result in a comprehensive NFIP reform package that will be delivered to 

Congress. FEMA will provide opportunities for comment and feedback to stakeholders 

throughout the process.

PANEL DISCUSSION: NFIP Reform - The panel members will present their 

perspective of key issues and possible solutions under NFIP Reform. 

1. Gerald E. Galloway, PE, PhD, Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering, 

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland 

2. David Conrad, Senior Water Resources Specialist, Office of Federal and 

International Affairs, National Wildlife Federation 

3. Michael Buckley, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, Mitigation Directorate, 

FEMA 

OPEN DISCUSSION FORUM (Facilitated) 

This portion of the session will allow for a facilitated discussion between 

presenters/panelists and audience. 

Biography 

Michael Grimm is the Deputy Director for the Risk Reduction Division and serves as 

national deputy program manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA) in three broad areas – Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA), Floodplain 

Management, and Building Sciences. Mr. Grimm provides national direction and 

oversight, technical assistance and tools, and grant funds to states, tribes and local 

communities for taking actions to reduce risk and vulnerability to future disaster events. 

Mr. Grimm is co-leading a multi-year initiative to unify FEMA’s five HMA grant 

programs to streamline program delivery; ensure more effective and efficient customer 

service, and achieve timelier obligation of funds and implementation of projects in order 

to reduce the nation’s losses during natural disaster events. Mr. Grimm is also 

responsible for the Floodplain Management Program under the National Flood Insurance 

Program, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, and FEMA's Building 

Science Programs. Risk Reduction programs have a combined annual budget of nearly 

$500 million, with a national portfolio of greater than $3 billion in grants pending award 

and projects underway. Most recently, Mr. Grimm has been assigned as the Program 

Manager for FEMA’s effort to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. 

In addition to serving as Deputy Director, Mr. Grimm has held a variety of positions in 

the Mitigation Directorate including Chief of the Community Assistance Section and as 

Hydraulic Engineer in the Hazard Identification Section. Prior to joining FEMA in 1997, 

Mr. Grimm worked in both local and State government positions including manager of 

the City of Fort Collins, CO. Floodplain Management Program (received the 1996 

ASFPM Larry R. Johnston Award for Development of a Distinguished Local FPM 

Program) and as Hydrologist with the State of Wyoming, Department of Environmental 

Quality. Mr. Grimm has also worked for the United States Geological Survey, National 

Research Program in Denver, CO. on the Paleohydrology and Climate Change project.

C-3 – LOMCs 

Moderator: Al Goodman, CFM, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency 

LOMCs on Steroids: NC LOMCs and the NCDOT MOA 


John Dorman, North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program 

The NC Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP), as part of an expansion of its 

Cooperating Technical State (CTS) agreement with the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA), began processing Letter of Map Change (LOMC) MT-2 (Letters of 

Map Revision and Conditional Letters of Map Revision) requests on July 3, 2006. Since 

the inception of the NCFMP more than 8,000 DFIRM panels have been issued to local 

communities, an effort that has increased the total mileage of AE flood zones through 

replacement of un-numbered A zones and study of previously studied streams. Given the 

increased detail and mileage of the new DFIRMs, the NCFMP has experienced an 

increased LOMC submittal rate over previous years. Additionally, coordination with 

other state agencies has resulted in an increased awareness of NFIP requirements and has 

resulted in unique partnering agreements with the NCFMP. Coordination with the state 

agencies has identified unique issues for each agency and potential increase in number of 

LOMC submittals from key agencies. This presentation will highlight the effort to date of 

the NCFMP LOMC program, including initialization and North Carolina specific issue 

detection and resolution; new initiatives for LOMC processing (incorporating LOMRs, 

non-encroachment areas and CLOMRs); coordination and agreements with state agencies 

including the new NCFMP-NCDOT MOA and potential EEP MOA; lessons learned for 

future FEMA delegation partners; and potential increased volume in MT-2 LOMC 

submittals. To date, 192 cases have been received with 133 cases issued (64% CLOMRs 

and 36% LOMRs) Of that total, there have been 41 cases submitted through the North 

Carolina Department of Transportation in addition to the cases that are part of the 

NCDOT MOA program. NCDOT MOA With the passage of Federal Executive Order 

11988 and Federal Executive Order 123 it became mandated that all federal agencies 

shall follow the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) guidelines and work with the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to meet this goal. As a result, any 

North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) project within a floodway or 

non-encroachment area requires a no-rise or Conditional Letter of Map Revision 

(CLOMR) prior to construction and a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) 6-months 

following construction. NCDOT will need to manage approximately 100-plus annual 

projects in order to stay compliant. One major step in achieving the goal of complete 

compliance with the NFIP was the implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement 

(MOA) between the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP) and the 

NCDOT. The MOA reviews the hydraulics modeling for Transportation Improvement 

Projects (TIP) and Maintenance and Operations Division projects to ensure that a no-rise 

is the result and that NCDOT has complied with NFIP regulations. If the proposed 

project is found to have adverse impacts on water surface elevations then it is flagged for 

submission into the North Carolina Letter of Map Revision Delegation Program and 

processed as a CLOMR. This ensures that every NCDOT project subject to NFIP 

regulations either has a no-rise or CLOMR performed prior to construction. If the project

was a no-rise then it is flagged for future map maintenance to indicate a new structure is 

located at a particular location. If the project had major decreases and no CLOMR was 

required a LOMR is required within 6-months of project completion. The LOMR is 

submitted to the NC MT-2 LOMC Depot as a standard. However, it is linked back to the 

initial MOA study so that a complete project history can be recorded. The original MOA 

was signed June 8, 2008. Since then one-hundred and nine projects have been submitted 

through the MOA. Of those sixty-nine have been recommended for approval through the 

comment and response procedures that are in-place for the agreement. The MOA appears 

to be a successful agreement and has facilitated the further development of a working 

relationship between the NCFMP and NCDOT for the mutual goal of NFIP compliance. 

Biography 

Kenneth Ashe is a licensed engineer and certified floodplain manager. He is the assistant 

director of the NC Emergency Management's Geospatial & Technology Management 

Office. He oversees the day to day activities of the floodplain mapping program, the NC 

NFIP staff and the NC flood warning program. Ken has a BS in Environmental 

Engineering and MS in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Central 

Florida. 

LOMR Delegation: An Expanded Pilot Project 

Beth Norton, FEMA-HQ 

Lauren Clem, Michael Baker, Jr. 

Beginning in March 2009, FEMA began the application submittal and review process for 

new candidates for LOMR (Letter of Map Revision) Delegation. LOMR Delegation is a 

pilot project whereby Cooperating Technical Partners (CTPs) are delegated the review of 

the technical data that is submitted to FEMA for Conditional LOMRs (CLOMRs) and 

LOMRs (also known as MT-2s). This presentation will provide, by FEMA, the history of 

the delegation pilot project as well as the recent application process and results. While a 

future date for the next application submittal and review process has not been set, FEMA 

will detail the criteria used in the recent process. 

Biography 

Beth Norton is a Program Specialist within FEMA's Mitigation Directorate in the Risk 

Analysis Division, Engineering Management Branch. Ms. Norton is FEMA HQ's 

National Representative for the Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program and has 

over 8 years experience with different aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program.

Preparing a Mass LOMA: A Case Study from Olathe, Kansas 

Tami Lorenzen, PE, CDM 

Brenda Macke, PE, CDM 

Andrew Sauer, PE, CDM 

Natalie Postel, PE, CDM 

On October 4-5 of 1998, a severe storm event passed through the Kansas City 

metropolitan area. Total precipitation in the metro area ranged from 3 to 5 inches, with 

peak intensities reaching 1 to 2 inches per hour. The flooding that ensued resulted in 

seven fatalities. Following this significant event, Johnson County, Kansas recognized that 

the existing FEMA floodplain maps did not accurately depict the extent of flood risk, and 

the County decided to revise the floodplain maps for all watersheds within the county. 

This 10-year effort produced new FEMA floodplain maps that were adopted on August 3, 

2009. 

The biggest issue most property owners face during a map revision is determining 

whether or not they need to purchase flood insurance. For those property owners that are 

adjacent to but not within the FEMA floodplain, submittal of a Letter of Map 

Amendment (LOMA) provides information to lenders that decreases the chance that 

flood insurance purchase will be required. A LOMA can be submitted by an individual 

property owner, or on a broader scale to include multiple properties within a defined area 

that are potentially impacted by a floodplain. This broader scale is called a mass LOMA. 

Johnson County and the cities within the county jointly decided to prepare mass LOMA 

submittals, with a goal of having the mass LOMAs be approved the day the revised 

floodplain maps were adopted. 

Johnson County took the lead in this effort, and hired CDM to prepare a master list of 

properties adjacent to the revised floodplains. CDM coordinated with the FEMA 

floodplain review consultant to establish guidelines for determining flood status. Using 

these guidelines, digital data and GIS tools, CDM developed a preliminary determination 

list for each City which included the following categories: In, Out As Shown, Vertically 

Out as Shown, Out By Survey, and Needs Survey. This list was distributed to all cities 

within the county for their individual use in preparing a mass LOMA submittal. 

When the mass LOMA property list was distributed to the cities, CDM was working with 

the City of Olathe, Kansas to study flooding areas identified from the revised floodplain 

maps. The City expanded CDM’s scope to include the preparation of Olathe’s mass 

LOMA submittal. CDM maintained open lines of communication with the City, County 

and FEMA floodplain review consultant to gain consensus on the proposed method to 

determine and compare base flood elevations (BFE) with lowest adjacent grade (LAG) 

elevations. 

The mass LOMA submittal package for the City of Olathe included a written explanation 

of the process, digital copies of all LOMA forms, and supplementary digital database, 

spreadsheet and GIS files. This submittal documented that nearly 1,400 properties were 

outside the revised FEMA Zone AE floodplain. After the FEMA review of the mass

LOMA submittal, the City of Olathe received two separate determinations: one for Out 

As Shown properties and one for all other properties determined to be out of the FEMA 

Zone AE. The City’s Floodplain Administrator has used these determinations to answer 

property owner questions about the revised floodplains and the need for flood insurance. 

This presentation will educate the audience about the impacts of revising FEMA 

floodplain maps, and key steps for preparing a successful mass LOMA submittal. 

Biography 

Tami Lorenzen has been working in consulting engineering for the past 14 years, and is a 

Project Manager with CDM in Kansas City, Missouri. She has a B.S. degree in Chemical 

Engineering and an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Kansas State University, and 

is a licensed PE in Kansas and Missouri. Her experience has included most facets of 

water-related projects, including stormwater, wastewater and drinking water. She is 

currently working on several projects identifying and evaluating flood mitigation 

measures. 

On October 4‐5 of 1998, a severe storm event passed through the Kansas City 



seven fatalities. Following this significant event, Johnson County, Kansas recognized that 

the existing FEMA floodplain maps did not accurately depict the extent of flood risk, and 

the County decided to revise the floodplain maps for all watersheds within the county. 

This 10‐year effort produced new FEMA floodplain maps that were adopted on August 3, 

2009. The biggest issue most property owners face during a map revision is determining 

whether or not they need to purchase flood insurance. For those property owners that are 

adjacent to but not within the FEMA floodplain, submittal of a Letter of Map 

Amendment (LOMA) provides information to lenders that decreases the chance that 

flood insurance purchase will be required. A LOMA can be submitted by an individual 

property owner, or on a broader scale to include multiple properties within a defined area 

that are potentially impacted by a floodplain. This broader scale is called a mass LOMA. 

Johnson County and the cities within the county jointly decided to prepare mass LOMA 

submittals, with a goal of having the mass LOMAs be approved the day the revised 

floodplain maps were adopted. Johnson County took the lead in this effort, and hired 

CDM to prepare a master list of properties adjacent to the revised floodplains. CDM 

coordinated with the FEMA floodplain review consultant to establish guidelines for 

determining flood status. Using these guidelines, digital data and GIS tools, CDM 

developed a preliminary determination list for each City which included the following 

categories: In, Out As Shown, Vertically Out as Shown, Out By Survey, and Needs 

Survey. This list was distributed to all cities within the county for their individual use in 

preparing a mass LOMA submittal. When the mass LOMA property list was distributed 

to the cities, CDM was working with the City of Olathe, Kansas to study flooding areas 

identified from the revised floodplain maps. The City expanded CDM’s scope to include 

the preparation of Olathe’s mass LOMA submittal. CDM maintained open lines of 

communication with the City, County and FEMA floodplain review consultant to gain

consensus on the proposed method to determine and compare water surface elevations 

(WSEL) with lowest adjacent grade (LAG) elevations. The mass LOMA submittal 

package for the City of Olathe included a written explanation of the process, digital 

copies of all LOMA forms, and supplementary digital database, spreadsheet and GIS 

files. This submittal documented that nearly 1,400 properties were outside the revised 

FEMA Zone AE floodplain. After the FEMA review of the mass LOMA submittal, the 

City of Olathe received two separate determinations: one for Out As Shown properties 

and one for all other properties determined to be out of the FEMA Zone AE. The City’s 

Floodplain Administrator has used these determinations to answer property owner 

questions about the revised floodplains and the need for flood insurance. 

This presentation will educate the audience about the impacts of revising FEMA 

floodplain maps, and key steps for preparing a successful mass LOMA submittal. 

Biography 

Ms. Tami Lorenzen has been working in consulting engineering for the past 13 years, and 

is a Project Manager with CDM in Kansas City, Missouri. She has a B.S. degree in 

Chemical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Kansas State 

University, and is a licensed PE in Kansas and Missouri. Her experience has included 

most facets of water‐related projects, including stormwater, wastewater and drinking 

water. She is currently working on several projects identifying and evaluating flood 

mitigation measures. 

C-4 – Classic Mitigation 

Moderator: Edie Vinson-Wright, CFM, CDM 

Moving a Town: The Story of Gays Mills, Wisconsin 

Roxanne Gray, Wisconsin Emergency Management 

Lynsey Kawski, Wisconsin Emergency Management 

In August 2007 and June 2008, the Village of Gays Mills was struck with two back-toback 

floods. Both events were greater than the 500 year flood and caused substantial 

damage to the Village’s residential and business districts. The Village of Gays Mills 

resides in a valley surrounded by steep bluffs and hills. The Village is located within the 

unglaciated region of southwest Wisconsin and the Kickapoo River winds through the 

valley. After the first flood hit in 2007, Wisconsin Emergency Management worked with 

the community to help them in recovery process. The Village was unsure if it should 

consider relocation of the town at that time. The Village did decide to proceed with the 

acquisition/demolition of those structures closest to the River and the most severely 

damaged, and elevation of other substantially damaged structures. The Village did not 

have time to catch its breath before the next flood came in June 2008, less than 10 months 

from the previous flood. The HMGP projects of acquisition/demolition and elevation had 

not commenced and the structures were again flooded. In addition to those homes and 

business that were flooded in 2007, additional structures were affected in 2008. The 2008

flood forced village officials and citizens to seriously consider relocation of their town. 

The State requested FEMA assistance through ESF-14: Long Term Community 

Recovery. The Recovery Plan process involved a series of meeting and workshops for the 

community. It was incredibly important for state and federal partners to attend the 

recovery events because ultimately, it is the responsibly of the State, with the help of the 

federal and other agencies, to assist in the implementation of the plan. Many challenges 

and successes stemmed from the Gays Mills recovery process. Some of the successes 

include the mitigation projects implemented after the flood, the community’s realization 

that they couldn’t continue down the same path, and the creation of the recovery plan. 

Some of the challenges involved not having a strong leader in the community, 

determining the exact director for the community based on competing public views, and 

the low-income of the area. This presentation will highlight the challenges and successes 

that this small rural community faced in the flood recovery process. In addition the 

presentation will discuss the flood recovery planning process, the different state and 

federal funding streams utilized by the community and how the agencies worked together 

to assist the community in rising out of the floodplain. 

Biography 

Roxanne Gray has worked for the Wisconsin Emergency Management for 33 years where 

since 1994 she has been the State’s Hazard Mitigation Officer. She has served in a variety 

of positions in the Division including the Assistant Natural Disaster Planner where she 

was the State’s Public Assistance Officer, and an Assistant Radiological Emergency 

Response Planner. As the State’s Hazard Mitigation Officer she is responsible for 

coordination of the State's hazard mitigation program including the administration of the 

Pre-Disaster Mitigation, Hazard Mitigation Grant, Flood Mitigation Assistance, 

Repetitive Flood Claims, and the Severe Repetitive Loss Programs as well as 

development and updates to the State of Wisconsin's Hazard Mitigation Plan. 

Doral/Cavalier – Flood Mitigation in the Middle of a Disaster 

Robert Billings, PE, PH, CFM, Mecklenburg County 

Bill Tingle, PG, CFM, Mecklenburg County 

Flood Mitigation in the Middle of a Disaster The Doral/Cavalier Apartment complex is 

located near downtown Charlotte and within the Briar Creek floodplain. The complex is 

made up of 32 buildings each divided into separate apartment units. With nearly a one 

hundred percent occupancy rate, there are nearly 400 tenants in the complex on any given 

summer night. These apartments are the most flood prone properties in the City of 

Charlotte and have flood insurance claims in the millions of dollars. For several years, 

Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte studied the hydraulics and hydrology of 

the watershed in an effort to mitigate the potential flood losses of the complex. After 

several engineering studies, and discussions with FEMA regarding floodway projects, it 

became evident that the Cavalier flooding problems could not be fixed through 

engineering methods alone. In late 2005, Mecklenburg County submitted multiple Pre- 

Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant packages to FEMA. In the spring of 2006, FEMA

notified Mecklenburg County that the grant application packages, totaling almost $7.5 

million dollars, were approved. A Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant package was 

submitted in 2008 to acquire remaining flood prone structures in the area. Mecklenburg 

County and the Doral/Cavalier property owners immediately began negotiations, which 

would lead to a transfer of the privately owned apartment complex to the local county 

government. On June 14, 2008, Mecklenburg County became the owner of the Cavalier 

Apartment complex. The Doral project was put on hold until funds were available. With 

the ownership of the apartment complex, Mecklenburg County also became the landlords 

for nearly 200 tenants. Along with the normal day-to-day business of collecting rents, 

mowing grass, and unstopping toilets, Mecklenburg County also had to relocate the 

tenants. The tenant relocation plan had to follow the Uniform Relocation Act (URA) and 

had to be phased so the Charlotte apartment market would not become overwhelmed. In 

the early morning hours of August 27, 2008, Briar Creek escaped its banks once again 

when Tropical Storm Fay, the worst flood in at least a decade, dumped 11 inches of rain 

on the watershed. Emergency service personnel were dispatched and went door-to-door 

evacuating tenants from their flooding apartments. All of the lower units of complex were 

flooded. Depths of flooding ranged for approximately 2 feet to 5 feet. The weeks that 

followed the flood were filled were a filled with media events, public meetings, tenant 

interviews, security concerns, mold issues, asbestos abatement and demolition. This 

presentation will be a case study of Flood Loss Mitigation in the eye of a disaster. The 

presentation will begin with FEMA grant preparation – lessons learned, things to avoid. It 

will then proceed to closing on a property and URA policies. The final part of the 

presentation will involve security of a disaster area, mold issues, asbestos abatement, and 

final demolition concerns. 

Biography 

Mr. Billings received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UNC-Charlotte 

in 1995 and is and a Masters of Civil Engineering in 2005. Following several years in the 

private sector, Mr. Billings joined the staff of Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services 

in July 2001. He has over 14 years experience in water resources engineering and 

managing FEMA related flood studies. Mr. Billings is currently a project manager in 

Mecklenburg County’s Flood Mitigation program and is responsible for the 

implementation of a multi-million dollar, federally funded buyout program. 

Section 406 (Public Assistance) Hazard Mitigation: The Basics and Some California 

Examples 

Ken Leep, CFM, California Emergency Management Agency 

Reducing risk from flood damage by including HM into the repair process after a disaster 

requires coordination, an understanding of PA regulations, and being proactive in the PA 

process. The climate for HM in PA has never been better and knowing the process is 

important. Local and state officials often have been discouraged from including HM in 

the PA repair process. Both local and state officials need to have an understanding of 

what can be expected when requesting a hazard mitigation proposal (HMP) in a FEMA

project worksheet (PW). The purpose of this presentation is to inform, provide examples, 

and stimulate discussion. This presentation will provide some HM basics, the regulations 

that apply, the process to include HM in a PW, how to obtain HM without a BCA in a PA 

HMP, and how FEMA intends to reduce the costs of repetitive damage sites in future 

disasters if HM is not included in PA PWs. 

Biography 

Ken earned a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University 

Stanislaus and has 10+ years of experience at Cal EMA (formerly OES) working in 

Hazard Mitigation, Response, Recovery, and Technical Assistance. Previously he worked 

for three years at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in Disaster Assistance, 

and several years in the insurance industry. At the SBA he worked on flood disasters in 

Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, and Maine. Ken was the primary author 

of and coordinated with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in 

developing the flood section of the first California State Hazard Mitigation Plan, served 

on the California State Flood Task Force, and worked on the Governor’s Flood 

Emergency Action Team (FEAT) report after the 1997 Flood (DR-1155). Ken has 

provided training to local and state officials throughout California for SEMS/NIMS/ICS, 

FEMA’s Benefit Cost Analysis, grant applications, e-Grants, and LHMP. He was the 

Conference Chair for the 2005 Floodplain Managers Association (FMA) and served on 

the ASFPM Board of Directors from 2007-9. For five years he coordinated the FEMA 

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program for California. He now serves on a 

committee organized by DWR that is writing Interim Levee Design Criteria (ILDC) as 

required by recent state legislation (SB-5) for urban and urbanizing levees to be brought 

up to a minimum of a 200 year level of protection for the Central Valley of California. 

Ken’s work at Cal EMA includes providing technical assistance for hazard mitigation, 

floods, levees, insurance related to disasters, HAZUS, and legislative items. Currently he 

is assigned to the FEMA JFO working in Public Assistance on the storm and flood 

disaster DR-1884. 

C-5 – USACE Showcase – Updates on U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Programs 

Moderator: Judy Soutiere, CFM, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

How USACE is Implementing Watershed Planning and other Planning Initiatives 

and When the Sponsors Need to Part of the Process 

Susan Haslett, Chief, Planning and Environmental Division, Tulsa District 

Over the last several years there have been many changes to the Corps programs, such as 

Integrated Watershed Planning, Flood Risk Reduction, and other changes. This 

presentation will focus on how the changes are being implemented and when the 

sponsors need to be part of the process. It is a chance to come and learn about how the 

changes affect individual projects and processes.

Silver Jackets-Interagency Flood Risk Management 

Jennifer Dunn, CFM, US Army Corps of Engineers 

Through Silver Jackets, Federal agencies including the US Army Corps of Engineers and 

the Federal Emergency Management Agency team with state and local agencies to reduce 

flood risk. The goals are to 1) create or supplement a continuous mechanism to 

collaboratively solve state-prioritized issues and implement or recommend those 

solutions, 2) facilitate strategic life-cycle planning, and 3) improve and increase flood 

risk communication and outreach with a unified interagency message. In 2009, initiatives 

to offer teams in over 20 states began. This presentation will highlight the initial flood 

risk reduction focal areas of select state teams, team development, as well as select 

successes of the established teams. Areas of success include emergency preparedness, 

mitigation planning, non-structural measures, risk communication, leveraging 

information and resources and coordination, and regional efforts. 

Biography 

Jennifer has served as the national Silver Jackets Program Manager for the US Army 

Corps of Engineers since fall of 2008. She has enjoyed creating consistent opportunities 

for state and Federal agencies to collaboratively address the flood risk priorities of each 

unique state. Previously, Jennifer served as a Senior Planner, Flood Risk Management 

Coordinator and Floodplain Management and Planning Assistance to States Program 

Manager at the San Francisco District, and as an Environmental Engineer at the 

Sacramento District. She is a registered CFM and is the proud recipient of a 2008 FMA 

Award for service in the field of Floodplain Management. She holds a Masters of Science 

in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Davis and has 

advanced to candidacy for the PhD with a dissertation topic of public participation in 

environmental decision-making. 

USACE Levee Safety Program 

Tammy Conforti, CFM, USACE Levee Safety Program Officer 

This presentation will focus on new developments and continued efforts for the USACE 

Levee Safety Program. There will be time for questions and answers. 

C-6 – Communicating Risk 

Moderator: Terri Turner, AICP, CFM, Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission 

A Proposed Method for Categorizing Extreme Rainfall Events - The 100 Year 

Storm Redefined 

Thomas Grisa, PE, City of Brookfield, WI

The 100-year storm happened for the fifth time in the city where I live and work in my 

short 25 year career as a municipal engineer. Residents do not understand how this can 

happen since we call them 100-year storms. They also question how they can all be 100year 

storms when many of them were very different in total rainfall and impacts to 

flooding. When two very dissimilar events are both called the 100-year storm, the public 

gets confused, some might even say mislead by the way we label these events. Why do 

we label these events based on their recurrence interval? Some have begun labeling them 

based on the probability of the rain event instead. But the public figures out that a one 

percent storm is the 100-year storm, so we are back where we started, confusion and 

rancor. Other natural disasters are rated in other ways. Earthquakes are rated using the 

Richter scale. Tornadoes are rated on the Fujita scale (or F-scale), now the Enhanced 

Fujita scale (since 2007). Hurricanes are rated using the Saffir-Simpson scale. Scientists 

do not rate them based on recurrence intervals for these events or predictions of 

probability of these events occurring. The public understands the ratings for these other 

natural weather events since they use a simple scale to rate the severity of the event, not 

the rarity of the event. This presentation proposes that the industry reevaluate how we 

rate rainstorms and change the designation from a recurrence interval and probability 

standard to one that is more general in description and more understandable to the public, 

similar to how we rate the other natural disasters mentioned above. The new system is 

based on the science that has been conducted already, specifically rainfall intensities and 

total rainfall accumulation. But it provides a scale that is easy to understand and sends a 

message regarding the severity of the storm, not its rarity. Finally, the recurrence interval 

method of rating storms leads to common misperceptions regarding floodplains and their 

association with the associated rainfall event. The public believes the 100-year floodplain 

is filled only when we have the 100-year storm and the 100-year storm will always fill 

the 100-year floodplain. Not necessarily so, yet try to explain that to a crowd of angry 

residents who already experienced the 100-year flood twice in as many years. This 

proposed method of rating the storms may also be considered as a basis for relabeling the 

floodplains themselves to dissociate the misplaced relationship described above. If this is 

what it takes to get the public to take positive steps to protect themselves during these 

major rain events then that is a step in the right direction and could have lasting and 

significant impacts throughout areas that are prone to or more likely to flood. This 

presentation will provide attendees with the ability to identify the public perception 

problems with the current rating system for wet weather events based on recurrence 

intervals. Attendees will be taught an alternative method for rating these storms that is 

more consistent with rating systems for other natural disasters. Finally, attendees will 

learn how to relate information on the severity of a wet weather event to the public in a 

manner that is easier for the public to understand. 

Biography 

Tom Grisa is the Director of Public Works for the City of Brookfield. As Director of 

Public Works, Mr. Grisa is responsible for Engineering, Streets, the Water Utility and the 

City’s wastewater collection system and the regional wastewater treatment plant. He has 

over 25 years of experience in the civil and environmental engineering field in the 

Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. He has worked both as a consultant and as a

municipal engineer specializing in municipal wastewater collection and stormwater 

management. He has won state and national awards from the American Society of Civil 

Engineers and is recognized by his peers as a guy who is not afraid to challenge the status 

quo, working for continuous improvement in all he does. He loves backpacking, skiing, 

whitewater rafting, swimming, football and spending time with his family. 

Mandatory Flood Insurance Requirements vs. Recommended Purchase (A Focus on 

the Atlanta Floods) 

Garrett Skinner, CFM, PBS&J 

Chris Budd, CFM, PBS&J 

This paper will explore the important role that local floodplain administrators play in 

assisting their constituents to appropriately identify the flood risk for their properties and 

determine the need for flood insurance, even when outside of the Special Flood Hazard 

Area (SFHA). When flood events occur, Mother Nature does not use the flood maps to 

determine when enough rain has fallen on a community. For that reason, many homes 

outside of the SFHA experience flooding. In some cases this flooding is substantial. 

Many of the homes damaged in the 2009 Atlanta Floods were outside of the SFHA. 

Many of these homes did not have flood insurance policies. Post-disaster, many 

homeowners were told that they were told that they could not purchase flood insurance or 

did not need flood insurance. The result, thousands of displaced homeowners without the 

adequate resources to recover from their devastating losses. As floodplain administrators 

our goal is to reduce the loss of life and property within our communities. Though many 

focus on the SFHA, we need to focus on educating the entire community that flood risk 

exists, even beyond the boundaries of the SFHA. This paper will highlight the 

experiences of the 2009 Atlanta flood victims to stress the importance of increase 

education and awareness of flood risk beyond the designated SFHA boundaries. This 

paper will also provide suggestions on outreach activities and materials that can be used 

to reach the constituents of community floodplain administrators. 

Biography 

Garrett Skinner is project manager within the Floodplain Hazard Management Group for 

PBS&J in Atlanta, Georgia. He manages flood map production projects for the Georgia 

CTP as well as FEMA Regions 5, 7, and 10 through the STARR PTS contract. He has 

over ten years of extensive NFIP experience. In that time, he has analyzed LOMC 

submittals, conducted statewide mapping needs assessments, worked on DFIRM 

production, managed a statewide outreach program, and managed DFIRM production and 

post-preliminary processing. As coordinator of outreach activities for the Georgia Map 

Modernization Program, Mr. Skinner has conducted scoping and/or preliminary map 

meetings for over 100 counties. Additionally, Mr. Skinner is an active member of 

ASFPM and has been a CFM since 2003. Since then, Mr. Skinner is also a founding 

member and Vice-Chair of the Georgia Association of Floodplain Management (GAFM) 

which serves over 200 members.

Shifting Our Focus From Maps to Risk 

William Coulbourne, PE, Applied Technology Council 

After four decades of mapping our flood hazards and trying to inform those who live in 

or near floodplains that they are at risk of being flooded, we still experience large flood 

losses every year. Many times those floods occur where floods have occurred in the past 

– in some cases the recent past. So in spite of the efforts of many professionals, the losses 

caused by floods are not diminishing. How do we change this? As a nation, we have 

spent a lot of money delineating flood plain boundaries and pointing out that a certain 

recurrence interval event will occur within those boundaries. We map at a moment in 

time so no future conditions are included in the delineation of the boundaries, and when 

we want to change how we map (i.e. adding Coastal A zones or LIMWAs to maps), we 

have to re-tool our process. The process of changing maps to reflect new or changing 

conditions is an extremely expensive one. We’ve communicated the risk of living in the 

flood plain by calling the flood the “100-year event” or the 1% flood. While the statement 

seems to adequately describe the probable event, the public does not understand what that 

means. The years and money we’ve spent defining the hazard has never really addressed 

the risk. We really have only two flood plain management tools – elevate above the 

expected or design flood or move away from the flood. Since we are counting on being 

able to determine both the elevation and the extent of flooding, these tools should work. 

However, they are not working. In 2008, the Midwest flooded some of the very locations 

that flooded in 1993. Storm surge hit Mississippi in 2005 in the same place during 

Katrina as it did during Camille in 1969. Buildings located on the beach on shallow 

foundations were totally destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Our hazard delineation 

methods and strategies are not providing us with sufficient information about and 

protection from these flood events. The paper will address changing our process from 

hard lines on a map with hard elevations, to a risk based concept that more accurately 

defines the risk of the hazard. Instead of the base flood elevation or BFE, maybe we 

should call that elevation the level the feet get wet or LFW. Instead of living within the 

confines of the floodplain maybe we should say it’s the area where you risk losing your 

home or business. Maybe our “500-year flood plain” is really the “100-year flood plain”. 

This higher recurrence interval might be closer to what we consider an ultimate flood 

event which is the level we should insist on building if we want to protect lives as well as 

property. The paper will advocate for a method of identifying flood risk that includes a 

way to identify possible changing conditions such as eroding or shifting shorelines, areas 

subject to sea level rise, areas affected by subsidence and water shed areas that might 

change substantially with increased development. New maps would identify the extent of 

the flood plain as that area now shown to be the limits of the 500-year flood plain (or 

perhaps some other mean recurrence interval). Areas where possible changes could occur 

would be designated as areas of higher risk. There would be engineering standards that 

would be a companion to the risk mapping; those standards might be that all buildings 

built within the defined risk areas must be built to resist the defined flood event or be 

elevated to be above the flood level. The areas of changing conditions would be required 

to consider changes over the expected life of the structure (50 years perhaps). The 

purpose of this paper and presentation will add to the discussion already begun about how 

we must change the way we manage our flood plains if we truly want to reduce losses

caused by flooding in both riverine and coastal areas. All development near flood sources 

is not equal; losses caused by flooding does not have the same impact on all affected and 

the depth of flooding does not cause the same damage in all areas of a flood plain. 

Biography 

Mr. Coulbourne has over 40 years of experience as an engineer and manager of 

engineering projects. The last 15 years have been focused on engineering solutions for 

natural hazards, primarily for wind and flood issues. He has authored many papers and 

written documents related to the development of engineered solutions for natural hazard 

problems for audiences of engineers, building officials, architects, and contractors. He 

has taught workshops on these subjects to the same audiences. He is a member of ASCE's 

standard committees for ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other 

Structures, Wind Load Task Committee and Main Committee, and ASCE 24, Flood 

Resistant Design and Construction. He is a registered professional engineer in 3 states 

and is a certified structural engineer. He is the 2009 recipient of the ASFPM John R. 

Sheaffer Award for Excellence in Floodproofing. 

C-7 – Bringing Maps and Data to Life 

Moderator: Tim McCormick, Dewberry 

Open Source GIS Solutions To Unlock the DFIRM Database 

Mat Mampara, CFM, Dewberry 

Scott McAfee, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

FEMA has developed the MapViewer Desktop, a free, open-source based GIS package, 

to assist a broad cross section of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) stakeholders 

to leverage the digital geospatial information developed by the agency and maximize its 

value for regulatory and planning purposes. The MapViewer Desktop is built on the 

MapWindow GIS application, a widely used open source GIS for the Microsoft Windows 

operating platform. The choice of MapWindow is based primarily on its ease of 

extensibility and modification, exemplified by prior, successful customization for a water 

resources modeling environment such as EPA’s BASINS. As an open source application, 

with over 6,000 downloads per month, the MapWindow application provide the 

opportunity for the constant infusion of new capabilities, as added by the developer 

community. One example capability which had its origin in functionality added to 

MapWindow by a developer in the MapWindow community is the ability to make use of 

Web Map Services. The existence of this capability streamlined the time and effort to 

mature this capability for integration into the MapViewer Desktop application. The 

MapViewer Desktop uses skins, plug-ins and configuration files to tailor the application 

to specific target audiences. This flexibility has enabled non-trained individuals to 

leverage GIS to determine where flood hazards exist in their community and access webbased 

geospatial data content, such as imagery, hydrography, etc. This presentation will 

provide users with an understanding of the MapViewer Desktop and help them

understand that the application provides a bridge between the hard copy map product that 

most stakeholders are used to and the digital view of the data that offers the advantage of 

viewing and analyzing the data in a more seamless framework. 

Biography 

Mat Mampara is the Deputy Manager for Dewberry's Climate Change and Special 

Initiatives Department. He has led flood hazard identification projects in both riverine 

and coastal areas throughout the northeast and the Caribbean. He is involved with a 

number of initiatives to leverage geospatial technology in the water resources arena, 

including web-based flood risk communication presentation. Mat is a graduate of Cornell 

University and resides in Washington D.C. 

A GIS Approach to Rapidly Update and Publish Flood Risk Maps 

Amit Sinha, PhD, ESRI 

Dean Djokic, ESRI 

Everyone is at the risk of flooding. Only the severity of risk differs. Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) identifies such flood zones and makes them available as 

Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) for floodplain management and insurance purposes. 

People can make use of these maps to assess risk. However, flooding risks are dynamic 

and change with topographic alterations, urban development, construction and mitigation 

activities, and new meteorological events. This requires flood risk maps to be updated 

periodically. In this paper, we present a methodology to rapidly update and publish 

floodplain maps that reflect latest changes in a basin. HEC and ESRI have developed a 

suite of freely available applications such as HEC-RAS, HEC-GeoRAS, HEC-HMS, and 

HEC-GeoHMS, that can be used to study an area of interest and create floodplains that 

accurately reflect changes in the basin. A framework based on ArcGIS model builder is 

presented that integrates these applications to produce floodplain maps in an automated 

fashion. A web based floodplain viewer is also presented that publishes the floodplain 

map and allows people to get reliable information on their risk exposure. The floodplain 

viewer is built using ArcGIS Server 9.3 as the back end and a web based ArcGIS API for 

Flex. 

Biography 

Dr. Amit Sinha works with the water resources group at ESRI. Dr. Sinha specializes in 

the design and development of GIS applications for hydraulic and hydrologic 

engineering. Dr. Sinha has extensive experience with ArcGIS based desktop and mobile 

applications for water resources engineering. He has been involved in the development of 

ArcHydro, HEC-GeoRAS, HEC-GeoHMS and HEC-GeoEFM (future release) 

applications.

Use of Enhanced Floodplain Mapping Products to Communicate Risk 

Krista Bethune, PE, CFM, AECOM 

Eric Simmons, CFM, FEMA Region IX 

Rick Prosser, PE, CFM AECOM 

Andy Bonner, PE, CFM 

The vision for RiskMAP is to deliver quality data that increases public awareness and 

leads to action that reduces risk to life and property. Risk communication appears as the 

third item in the Risk MAP lifecycle and is the critical component in achieving the 

program’s vision of increasing public awareness to the extent that mitigation actions are 

implemented. One way to better communicate flood risk is to better leverage the flood 

hazard data being produced as part of the life cycle approach to floodplain mapping. The 

use of additional mapping products, such as flood depth and water surface elevation 

grids, can be used to communicate a truer understanding of the risks associated with 

flooding than simply whether one is in/out of the 1% annual chance floodplain. Flood 

depth grids that have been produced from multiple recurrence interval flood profiles can 

be used to communicate not only depth of flooding at a specific location, but also a more 

accurate chance of flooding, such as during a 30-year mortgage. Water surface elevation 

grids can also be produced to help supplement flood profiles and mapped BFEs in the 

communication of flood hazards. With the availability of better base data, such as recent 

orthophotography, building footprints, parcel data and updated terrain data, first floor 

elevations can be efficiently estimated and more accurate estimated annualized damages 

from floods can be derived. Using depth grids to show the difference between effective 

and preliminary mapping and to identify low water crossings where the depth of flooding 

is great enough to float a car can also be useful tools when communicating the various 

risks associated with flooding. It is difficult to convey the concept of the risk to human 

life during a flood event. However, it is important to understand when the depth and/or 

velocity of flow begins to pose a life threatening situation to potential victims and 

rescuers. Flood depth and velocity data can be used to communicate the degree of risk to 

humans attempting to navigate flood waters and to aid emergency responders in 

developing their response plan and rescue actions (i.e., determining if there is a 

swiftwater rescue situation). Studies have shown that human stability and 

maneuverability in flood waters can be estimated via the product of velocity and depth. 

This information can give a better understanding and potentially be a useful tool in 

communicating the risk to human life in the event of a flood. This presentation will 

explore the uses of advanced floodplain mapping products to better communicate risk 

both inside and outside of the SFHA. Advanced mapping products, such as depth and 

water surface grids and velocity grid mapping, can be used to more effectively 

communicate flood risks, rather than the traditional in or out of the floodplain 

communication and can be used for enhanced mitigation planning and preparedness. 

Biography 

Krista Bethune is a civil engineer with 10 years of experience in the water resources 

engineering field. She has extensive experience in stormwater design, floodplain 

management, and streambank stabilization for a variety of water resources projects for

local, state and federal clients. She received her B.S. in Biological Resources 

Engineering from the University of Maryland and is a registered PE in TX, NM, AR and 

MD. Her unique background includes floodplain analysis and mapping, stormwater 

designs that incorporate water quality, urban stream restoration, and low impact 

development. During FEMA’s Map Modernization program, Krista was the project 

manager for our FEMA Region VI IDIQ contract where she managed over 50 flood 

insurance studies in TX, OK, NM, LA and AR. Currently, Krista serves as AECOM’s 

project manager supporting the Risk MAP program in Region IX in conjunction with 

BakerAECOM. In this role she works closely with the BakerAECOM team and FEMA 

Region IX planning and implementing FEMA’s Risk MAP vision. 

C-8 – RiskMAP Products and Processes 

Moderator: Gaston Cabanilla, CDM 

Risk MAP Products and Processes from Vision to Implementation 

Emily Hirsch, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

Jennifer Meyer, CFM, FEMA Region X 

The Flood Map Modernization Program was successfully completed in 2009. The 

Program is the foundation that brought FEMA’s maps and mapping process into the 21 st 

century. Map Modernization focused creating a digital National Flood Insurance 

Program’s (NFIP) flood map inventory. The digital technologies delivered through Map 

Modernization enabled more informed and effective ways for local and state 

governments to assess, communicate and reduce flood risk. 

With the foundation in place, FEMA’s Mitigation Directorate made a significant shift in 

2009 to a more integrated approach that focus on a lifecycle approach to identify, assess, 

communicate, and mitigate risk. In 2009, the Mitigation Directorate’s Risk Analysis 

Division (RAD) defined the Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (MAP) vision “to 

deliver quality data that increases public awareness and leads to action that reduces risk 

to life and property”. To accomplish this transition, Risk MAP will seek to develop and 

deliver a consistent quantitative risk-based approach, products, and services that enable 

communities to make comprehensive risk management decisions. Risk MAP will 

facilitate the collaboration between FEMA, communities and other stakeholders to 

effectively identify, assess, mitigate and communicate hazard risks. 

As the initial step to achieve the Risk MAP vision, FEMA developed a Risk MAP 

solution. This solution provides us with a general framework necessary to implement 

Risk MAP and achieve the goal of reducing the loss of life and property through 

education of local officials and initiation of mitigation activities. FEMA will implement 

new strategies such as implementing a Watershed study approach, new considerations on 

Elevation Data Acquisition, and a new approach to Annual Scheduling. FEMA will 

produce watershed-based risk maps and risk assessments to enable collaboration across 

municipal boundaries to mitigate natural hazards. FEMA will partner with communities

to make significant investments in Elevation Data Acquisition so that high quality and 

credible Risk MAP products can be delivered. With a new approach to Annual 

Scheduling, FEMA will consider not only risk, but also need and community contribution 

during the annual scheduling process. 

At the moment, FEMA is focused on implementation planning of Risk MAP. This 

includes building prototypes of the products and services to be delivered, development of 

guidance for FEMA Regions and partners on project requirements, and documentation of 

the Elevation Data Acquisition process. The implementation of Risk MAP represents a 

significant change in how we operate and collaborate with our stakeholders. As FEMA 

refines and implements Risk MAP, we will continue to collaborate with local, state, 

regional, tribal, national and other federal partners. Fully implemented, Risk MAP will 

result in a more informed public that takes action to reduce flood risk and vulnerability 

other threats. 

This presentation will provide the audience with information on where FEMA is heading 

with Risk MAP, our current status, an overview of Risk MAP products, and information 

on how we intend to engage stakeholders through the implementation of the Risk MAP 

Solution. 


Emily Hirsch serves as the Programs Coordination Lead for Risk MAP. In this role she 

ensures cross program coordination, integration across the Risk MAP programs, and 

facilitates resolution of program risks. Emily has over 10 years of NFIP experience with 

an emphasis in Flood Hazard identification and mapping and coastal hazards. 

Jennifer Meyer is a Certified Floodplain Manger and has a Masters Degree in 

Environmental Science with a concentration in Disaster Science Management from 

Louisiana State University. She started working for FEMA in 2005 where she oversaw 

mitigation GIS activities for the Katrina Response and Recovery. Since then, she has 

worked numerous Federally Declared Disasters and currently serves as a Risk Analyst for 

FEMA Region X within the Risk Analysis Branch. 

Risk MAP Flood Map Production Multi-Year Planning 

Joshua Smith, FEMA 

Allyson Lichtenfels, FEMA-HQ 

In Flood Map Modernization, FEMA prepared a Multi-Year Flood Hazard Identification 

Plan (MHIP) that provided the schedule for flood map production. Sequencing and 

prioritization for Map Mod involved a collaborative cyclic process. This presentation will 

provide information on how the approach for flood map production sequencing and 

prioritization for Risk MAP builds on the successful collaborative process of Map Mod. 

Risk MAP flood map prioritization varies somewhat from Map Mod by equal weighting 

of risk and need, and considering the availability of adequate topographic data (the Risk

MAP “Trifecta” project – need, risk, topo.), and by aligning engineering and mapping 

efforts to address high-risk areas impacted by coastal flood hazards and levee systems. 

This presentation will also provide information on how the results of Risk MAP flood 

map production sequencing will be communicated to stakeholders. 

Biography 

Josh Smith is a Program Specialist and Contracting Officer’s Representative for FEMA’s 

Risk Analysis Division. After several years of providing private sector support for 

FEMA with all aspects of Map Modernization he joined the Mitigation Directorate in 

November 2007. As FEMA has transitioned from Map Modernization to the Risk MAP 

program, Josh’s role has evolved into program planning and contract management for 

Architect/Engineering services. He currently serves as the Project Manager for FEMA’s 

multi-year Prioritization effort. 

Notes from the Field: Application of the Risk MAP Vision in Region VI 

Philip Drazek, PE, CFM, URS Corporation 

Gary Zimmerer, PE, FEMA Region VI 

Duncan Hastie, PE, Dewberry 

In preparation for FEMA to initiate the Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk 

MAP) program in fiscal year (FY) 2010, FEMA Region VI has tasked Production and 

Technical Services Contractor, Risk Assessment, Mapping, and Planning Partners 

(RAMPP), with two production task orders. The production task orders will allow the 

Region to initiate Risk MAP to address gaps in flood hazard data, increase public 

awareness, engage communities in discussing risk-based mitigation planning throughout 

the production life cycle, provide an enhanced digital platform and foster partnering to 

lead residents to engage in activities that reduce risk to life and property. This 

presentation will discuss the Risk MAP methodologies that have been implemented in 

Region VI in FY09. The presentation will focus on the FY09 successes and lessonslearned 

and provide a look ahead to the future of Risk MAP. The presentation will look at 

first time county-wide DFIRM production, Physical Map Revisions and Levee Analyses 

to address gaps in flood hazard data. The presentation will review the implementation of 

the Risk MAP Vision via Texas Coastal Outreach efforts, Coordinated Needs 

Management Strategy (CNMS) and piloting HAZUS in Region VI. 

Biography 

Philip Drazek is a Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager with 15 years 

experience working on a variety of water resources projects including floodplain 

mapping and large transportation interchange and design/build projects. Philip is a 

Project Manager with URS Corporation working on the FEMA Risk MAP contract in 

Region VI, he is the Risk Assessment, Mapping, and Planning Partners (RAMPP) joint 

venture lead in Region VI. Philip is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of 

Science in Civil Engineering.

Session D 

Wednesday, May 19 1:45pm – 3:15pm 

D-1 – Post Hurricane Ike 

Moderator: Steve Mitchell, CBO, CFM, City of Pascagoula 

Impact of dunes on storm surge levels in Galveston County, TX 

Guillermo Simon, PE, CFM, Taylor Engineering, Inc. 

Christopher Bender, PhD, PE, Taylor Engineering, Inc. 

Topic areas include: coastal engineering; storm surge; waves; sediment transport; coastal 

flood hazards; FIRM mapping. In September 2008, Hurricane Ike’s powerful waves and 

winds moved through Bolivar Island, in Galveston County, Texas, destroying most on its 

path. In a matter of hours, Hurricane Ike erased not only structures, but also dunes that 

provided some protection to inland property. While FEMA’s traditional method to 

determine coastal hazards accounts for the onshore propagation of waves based on the 

erosion of the so-called Primary Frontal Dune (PFD), stillwater levels do not reflect the 

possible absence of a dune system. The Texas Joint Storm Surge Study team decided to 

perform a sensitivity analysis to determine the effects of dune and nearshore erosion on 

surge and waves. The sensitivity study applied pre- and post-hurricane LiDAR to 

determine magnitude and location of erosion and created two separate 

AdCIRC/STWAVE computational grids — with and without dunes. The sensitivity study 

applied a suite of 20 storms, all with different tracks and “near” 100-yr stillwater 

elevation conditions. Results show effects of erosion on water levels can lead to 

substantial differences (~1 to 3 ft) in inland surge and within Galveston Bay. Wave 

breaking locations also change with greater wave heights propagating further inland for 

the eroded condition. The study included application of WHAFIS as an attempt to 

appreciate the difference in flood hazards shown on a FIRM panel for the different dune 

conditions. The sensitivity study proved useful to demonstrate the effects of dune 

removal on storm surge levels in Galveston County and leads to the question of whether 

comprehensive storm surge studies should include erosion of the PFD system. This 

presentation will show detailed results of the state-of-the-art storm surge modeling study 

currently developed by a team of experts lead by the USACE’s New Orleans District. 

This presentation will make a case that sediment transport models may be necessary for a 

more accurate determination of flood hazards in coastal environments using state-of-theart 

modeling tools. 

Biography 

Guillermo Simon earned a Master of Science degree in Coastal and Oceanographic 

Engineering from the University of Florida. At Taylor Engineering, Mr. Simon has been 

involved for nine years in the development of riverine and coastal Flood Insurance 

Studies for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Mr. Simon serves as 

Program Manager for Taylor Engineering’s FEMA Region VI projects which include

over 25 parishes and counties in Louisiana and Texas, and leads the engineering effort for 

the development coastal flood hazard zones in coastal watersheds throughout Louisiana, 

Texas, and Florida. In addition to this work, Mr. Simon has worked on other coastal and 

port engineering projects, as well as other water resource projects with clients such as the 

South Florida Water Management District, the Suwannee River Water Management 

District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and other public, private, 

and international clients. 

Post Disaster Mitigation in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana (Post Lili - Rita - Ike) 

Mitch McDonald, CFM, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Louisiana 

Issues of parish geography Long term major flooding history Lessons learned over time 

Evolving floodplain management processes Accessing externally compiled lists & data 

sources Developing a floodplain structure inventory Future planned process development 

This presentation will point out the evolution of the mindset that a community and its 

officials go through, in reference to "lessons not learned vs. lessons learned" from the 

many "near misses" of hurricanes, ranging from one to two decades between events. It is 

real easy to get caught in the cycle of the revolving mentality of "it will never hit here". 

But, when your community finally gets hit with four hurricanes in six years, with 

thousands of homes repetitively flooding, now everyone wants assistance. What's next? 

Biography 

Mr. McDonald graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Louisiana at 

Lafayette in 1994, with a major in Urban and Regional Planning and a minor in 

Geography. Was a surveyor in the United States Army from 1988 to 1992 and the 

Louisiana National Guard from 1992 to 1996. Altogether 12 years of land surveying 

experience. Achieved Floodplain Manager Certification in 2006. Currently the Senior 

Planner / Head Permits Official and Floodplain Administrator for Terrebonne Parish 

Consolidated Government with 10 years experience. Worked for approximately 2 years 

as a Floodplain Management Specialist for FEMA Region VI post Katrina / Rita. 

The Role of Responsible Floodplain Management in Long-Term Community 

Recovery after a Disaster 

Erin Miles, FEMA-HQ 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, through its Disaster Assistance 

Directorate, Emergency Support Function #14, Long Term Community Recovery, has 

undertaken an important mission to aid communities in effectively recovering after 

catastrophic events. By educating and informing communities about the risks associated 

with living in high hazard areas throughout the country, FEMA is undertaking a process 

that empowers communities to make decisions about their long term recovery in a 

responsible manner. Key to this process is an integrated planning approach with the 

floodplain management community at all levels – federal, state, and local – so that risks

are minimized and communities are better protected from the hazards associated with 

future disasters. Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, Texas on September 13, 2008. 

In its wake was devastation never experienced by the community. FEMA, in 

collaboration with the City of Galveston’s 300-member Long Term Recovery 

Committee, engaged in a comprehensive planning process that involved active 

participation by the citizens of Galveston to ensure a future that took into account the 

risks associated with living in a high hazard coastal area. This presentation will inform 

session participants about the importance of engaging the appropriate entities, including 

the floodplain management community, in a process to effectively and safely recover 

from disasters in high hazard areas such as Galveston, Texas. 

Biography 

Erin Miles currently serves as a Senior Specialist in the Long-Term Community 

Recovery (LTCR) Branch within FEMA’s Disaster Assistance Directorate. Erin has been 

a valuable resource and leader in many LTCR assignments throughout the United States, 

including Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Iowa, and Kansas. Most recently, Erin 

served as the ESF #14 Branch Director in Texas, providing coordination and planning 

support to communities impacted by Hurricane Ike. She also has served as a housing 

planner, recovery manager, communications and coordination manager, and Branch 

Director. In addition to her work in LTCR, Erin has worked extensively with the FEMA 

Individual Assistance program. With more than 14 years of public, private, and nonprofit 

experience, she led numerous national and international community rebuilding 

activities while working for an international housing non-profit and spearheaded housing 

projects throughout the US and in South Africa, Guatemala, South Korea, New Zealand, 

and Australia. Erin has a Bachelors Degree in Communication and Psychology from 

DePaul University and a Masters Degree in International Development from American 

University. 

D-2 – AECOM Showcase – High Impact Hazard Mitigation Projects 

Moderator: Dan Deegan, AECOM 

Unified Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning in Mecklenburg County, NC 

Darrin Punchard, AICP, CFM, AECOM 

Bill Tingle, PG, CFM, Mecklenburg County Stormwater Services 

In October 2009, Mecklenburg County launched a comprehensive update to its multijurisdictional 

hazard mitigation plan. Initially prepared in 2004, the plan seeks to assess 

and minimize risk from all natural hazards facing Mecklenburg County, the City of 

Charlotte and seven other participating towns. The plan was rapidly approved by FEMA 

to meet all federal requirements, which in turn provided the County with the opportunity 

to proceed on schedule with its large-scale floodplain acquisition program. The principal 

goals of the 2009-2010 plan update process is to ensure the plan remains in good standing 

with current FEMA planning requirements but also maximizes potential credit points

under the Community Rating System (CRS) for participating jurisdictions through quality 

plan development and implementation. It is anticipated that this plan update process will 

help the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County move beyond Class 5 in the CRS 

program, providing significant premium rate reductions for more than 3,000 NFIP 

policyholders. This presentation will provide an overview of the methods and practices 

used to update Mecklenburg County’s plan including the use of best available data and 

technology for risk assessment and mitigation action planning; innovative strategies for 

public outreach and risk communication; and the steps taken to maximize CRS credit 

points through a community-based planning process designed to achieve multiple 

program objectives. Mecklenburg County’s plan update process is scheduled to be 

complete in May 2010. 

Biography 

Darrin Punchard is a certified planner and floodplain manager who has spent his entire 

career working with local communities to become more resilient to disaster. He has 

nearly 15 years of applied experience in hazard mitigation planning with particular 

expertise in GIS-based risk assessment and land use policy. Since 2001 he has served as a 

consultant to FEMA, state agencies, regional councils, local governments, Indian tribes, 

universities, and school districts across the United States to assess and reduce their 

vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards. He was responsible for preparing some of 

the nation’s first FEMA-approved local hazard mitigation plans and to date has assisted 

more than 500 jurisdictions gain compliance under the federal Stafford Act. He has also 

been involved in the long-term recovery and redevelopment process for some of the 

nation’s worst natural disasters including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. 

Darrin’s public service career includes serving as the State Hazard Mitigation Officer for 

North Carolina. He began his career in Florida where he worked as a local hazard 

mitigation planner for Alachua County, and then later as a state mitigation planner for the 

Florida Division of Emergency Management. He earned a master’s degree in urban and 

regional planning from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in coastal zone 

management from the University of Rhode Island. 

Mastering the Logistics of a Large Scale HAZUS Project 

Shanna Michael, CFM, AECOM 

Stefan Zink, CFM, Michael Baker Jr, Inc. 

Chad Berginnis, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc 

HAZUS-MH is FEMA’s approved risk assessment software program that provides users 

with loss estimations for disaster scenarios involving flood, hurricane, or earthquake. 

HAZUS analyses are generally classified by their level of required effort and level of 

detail. Because a level 1 analysis requires minimal input, it is a suitable method to 

determine flood losses on a large scale. FEMA initiated an Annualized Loss Estimation 

Study for every county in the contiguous states using a HAZUS-MH MR-4 level 1 

analysis. While the manpower required to complete this effort might not be that 

significant, the required processing power is. BakerAECOM was tasked to conduct the

analysis for FEMA Regions IV, VIII, and IX. To carry out his task an approach was 

chosen that involved two processing centers. These were located in different locations 

and different approaches were chosen for each one to optimize performance at each 

location. This brought along significant logistical challenges, technical issues, and 

eventually solutions, which are worth sharing. This presentation will focus on our best 

practices and lessons learned with HAZUS, and steps taken to complete the project 

within the designated timeframe. 

Biography 

Shanna Michael has been working with FEMA and the NFIP for eight years. She is a 

Certified Floodplain Manager and a HAZUS Trained Professional. In 2004 she joined 

AECOM, formerly known as Watershed Concepts, continuing her role as FEMA Liaison 

and branching into other areas related to the NFIP, including DFIRM production, 

Compliance and Adoption regulatory management, HAZUS, mitigation planning, postpreliminary 

processing, and various tasks under the Map Modernization Program. She is 

currently leading projects related to HAZUS and working with various projects related to 

FEMA’s Risk MAP program. Ms. Michael graduated from the University of Missouri in 

Kansas City (UMKC) with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science in 2002. She 

obtained her GIS Certificate in 2006, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in 

Public Health and Emergency Management. 

Westside Creeks Restoration Project (Flood Loss Mitigation Track) 

Andrew Rooke, PE, CFM, Principal, AECOM 

Rudy Farias, San Antonio River Authority 

As part of the continuing program to restore the environmental condition of the San 

Antonio River and its contributing streams, the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) has 

initiated a project to restore 15 miles of streams on the west side of downtown San 

Antonio. The federal San Antonio Channel Improvement Project (SACIP) authorized the 

initial projects in 1954 to mitigate flooding in these areas, including river channelization 

and construction of flood control tunnels by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(USACE). In addition to the San Antonio River, portions of Alazán, Apache, Martínez, 

and San Pedro Creeks were included in these projects. Other than the flooding issues, the 

creeks had previously been a vibrant part of the Westside community; local residents 

relied on them as both a source of food and an opportunity for recreation. Many longtime 

residents still recall fishing and swimming in these creeks and recount stories of a 

diverse and fruitful ecosystem. Although the USACE river and creek channels provide 

flood control protection for much of the area, there are reaches that now experience 

severe flooding, along with the unattractive and environmentally insensitive design, with 

the bed and banks no longer conducive to recreational use. Over the years, changing 

views toward flood control techniques now allow for aesthetically pleasing and 

sustainable designs which also promote recreational use. This current project is in the 

conceptual design phase, working closely with the adjacent community to ensure that the 

plan not only fulfills the flood reduction and environmental restoration needs, but that it

is implemented in a way that will re-integrate the creeks back with the community. The 

plans developed in this project will be used to construct conveyance, environmental, and 

recreational improvements to the streams, along with serving as a community vision for 

related economic development projects to invigorate the community. 

Biography 

Andrew Rooke has 25 years of water resources planning and engineering experience 

across the United States, primarily in the Southwest and Texas. He has also provided 

guidance to associates across the globe, from Argentina to the United Kingdom to the 

Middle East to China. His experience includes FEMA Flood Insurance Studies, stream 

restoration planning, stormwater management, dam safety, flood prediction / detection / 

warning systems, emergency preparedness planning and response, long-range water 

availability and master planning studies. While employed by the City of Austin in the 

1980’s / 90’s, Andrew became involved with small scale stream bank erosion projects. 

After leaving the City, he became a member of the City’s Watershed Master Plan 

Advisory Group, providing council to the City on planning which would couple all three 

Watershed Protection missions: flood control, erosion control, and water quality control. 

Since then, Andrew has worked on several stream erosion / restoration projects, and even 

managed a restoration plan for a river in a volatile region of the Middle East. In his 

current role with AECOM, Andrew provides leadership for water resources planning in 

Texas, and is a key technical resource for H&H across the company. 

D-3 – Insurance 

Moderator: Laura Tessieri, PE, CFM, Delaware River Basin Commission, ASFPM 

Region 2 Director 

Rethinking Flood Insurance Policy For Areas Protected By Structural Flood Risk 

Reduction Systems 

André D. McDonald, Fort Bend County, Texas Levee Improvement District No. 2 

Gregory P. Frank, P.E., CFM, Costello, Inc. 

David M. Oliver, Jr., JD, LLM, Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP 

The National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”) was created in 1968 to reduce future 

flood damage by identifying flood risks, encouraging sound community floodplain 

management practices, and providing citizens with affordable flood insurance. For the 

first 35 years of its existence, the NFIP was a solvent insurance program, taking in 

sufficient premiums to cover the claims made by policy holders. However, the flood and 

hurricane losses of 2005 and 2006 left the NFIP in a position where it could not meet the 

claims of its policy holders nor pay back the debt incurred from the 2005-2006 claims. 

The NFIP’s recent problems have led to many calls for and several legislative efforts to 

“reform and modernize” the NFIP. Since its inception, the NFIP has not mandated the 

purchase of insurance for property protected by levees, dams, and other man-made 

structures (“Structural Flood Risk Reduction Systems”) that meet or exceed prescribed

design, construction, operation, and maintenance requirements. A disturbing trend in 

most of the proposals to “reform and modernize” the NFIP is the requirement that the 

purchase of flood insurance be mandatory for property protected by Structural Flood Risk 

Reduction Systems. 

The presenters support sound floodplain management activities designed to reduce the 

threat to lives and the potential for damages to property in flood prone areas. Moreover, 

the presenters support efforts to reform and strengthen the NFIP and improve public 

awareness of the flood risk in communities throughout the United States. However, the 

presenters are concerned with proposals to reform and strengthen the NFIP that include 

provisions mandating that homeowners and businesses situated on floodplains protected 

by Structural Flood Risk Reduction Systems participate in the NFIP by purchasing flood 

insurance. The recent proposals for a mandatory flood insurance requirement for 

property protected by Structural Flood Risk Reduction Systems appear to allow a new 

form of taxation in the guise of arbitrary insurance premiums levied for revenue rather 

than actuarial purposes. Such mandatory provisions treat all Structural Flood Risk 

Reduction Systems around the Country the same, and disregard efforts to design, build, 

operate and maintain stronger Flood Risk Reduction Systems. Further, these proposals 

ignore the flood risk, history of flood damage, and NFIP claims related to property that is 

not protected by Structural Flood Risk Reduction Systems and, in many cases, that is not 

located in the floodplain. Moreover, these proposals fail to distinguish between the 

multitude of flood risk profiles for communities throughout the Country. 

This presentation will provide a brief overview of the history and current state of the 

NFIP, as well as a review and analysis of the recent proposals to “reforming and 

modernizing” the NFIP. It will also review some of the differing local approaches to 

constructing, owning, and operating Structural Flood Risk Reduction Systems around the 

Country. The presentation will then explore alternate proposals for addressing the 

problems encountered by the NFIP, including (i) reforming the structure of the current 

NFIP in a more balanced, comprehensive manner that does not include an arbitrary 

mandatory flood insurance requirement for areas protected by Structural Flood Risk 

Reduction Systems, (ii) creating a consolidated Federal hazard insurance program that 

includes coverage for flood damage among the multitude of other hazards that are 

regularly funded in Federal disaster relief programs and (iii) implementing a new NFIP 

program that, among other things, takes into account the flood risk profile for a 

participating community, considers the design, construction, operation, and maintenance 

characteristics of the Structural Flood Risk Reduction Systems that protect the 

community, and allows the local sponsor of the Structural Flood Risk Reduction System 

to hold a regional flood insurance policy for all of the area protected by its Structural 

Flood Risk Reduction System. 


André McDonald currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Fort Bend 

County Levee Improvement District No. 2 of Fort Bend County, Texas, which has 

recently completed the successful re-certification of its levee system with FEMA under

the NFIP. Andre also serves as President of the Fort Bend Flood Management 

Association. André has more than thirty years of front line experience in heavy civil 

principal infrastructure and industrial construction. He has managed projects from 

conception to turnover for local, state, national, and international agencies, on both 

publicly and privately owned projects. He also has managed a private construction 

company with bottom-line, profit and loss responsibilities, as well as provided 

construction project management consulting services to diverse clients in local, national, 

and international markets. 

Greg Frank is licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Floodplain Manager. Greg 

is a founding partner of Costello, Inc. and manages their Hydrology and Hydraulics 

department. Costello, Inc. was established in 1991 as a full service civil engineering and 

surveying firm providing consulting engineering services to public entities on 

infrastructure projects and to private land developers. Costello, Inc. is currently 110 

persons strong between offices in Houston and San Antonio, Texas. Costello serves as 

District Engineer for six levee improvement districts in Fort Bend County, Texas, a 

drainage district in Galveston County and 45 municipal utility districts that provide 

water, sewer, and drainage services to communities in the greater Houston area. Greg 

has recently advised several levee improvement districts in the successful re-certification 

of their levee systems with FEMA under the NFIP. Greg holds a B.S. in Civil 

Engineering from Louisiana State University, with over 22 years of experience in 

Hydrology and Hydraulics along with several years in municipal and land development 

design. 

David Oliver is a partner in the Houston, Texas law firm of Allen Boone Humphries 

Robinson LLP where his practice is primarily dedicated to public entities and those doing 

business with public entities, with a particular emphasis on the construction, financing 

and operation of water, sewer, drainage, flood protection, and other public infrastructure. 

Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP represents numerous levee districts in the greater 

Houston area that have recently completed the successful re-certification of their levee 

systems with FEMA under the NFIP. David holds a B.S. in Accounting and a J.D. 

from Louisiana State University, as well as a Master of Laws from the Georgetown 

University Law Center. 

Demystifying Grandfathering (and Other Flood Insurance Options): What 

Floodplain Managers Should Know When Maps Change 

Bruce Bender, Bender Consulting Services, Inc. 

With Risk MAP in full swing, flood maps are being updated in coastal areas, areas 

behind levees and specific watersheds. This remapping effort continues to open a whole 

new world to floodplain managers, community officials and other stakeholders—a 

mystifying world full of misconceptions and misperceptions about a remappings' effects 

on flood insurance. It is important that floodplain managers and others stay up-to-date on 

the effects of map changes on flood insurance, as well as what options are available. 

What choices do property owners have when their homes are mapped into or taken out of

high risk zones? When can they grandfather in a new Base Flood Elevations (BFEs)? Can 

a change in vertical datum really affect the rates? What are the flood insurance options 

when levees are not accredited or become PALs? Is grandfathering always the best 

option? This presentation will answer these and other questions as well as provide 

examples and handouts. As a result, floodplain managers and other participants will gain 

a better understanding of grandfathering and other available insurance options, and 

therefore, be better prepared to discuss them with the public. 

Biography 

Bruce Bender has been specializing in outreach and risk communication services as well 

as insurance consulting services since 2002. He currently is consulting nationally on 

FEMA’s NFIP marketing campaign (FloodSmart) and the Risk MAP effort, and locally 

with counties and communities in helping them develop and implement successful 

outreach plans. In addition, Bruce has participated in FEMA-funded insurance studies 

with such research facilities as RAND Corporation in AIR’s Evaluation of the NFIP. 

Prior to consulting, Bruce worked in the insurance industry for close to 15 years, 

including managing one of the NFIP’s largest WYO flood insurance programs. Prior to 

that, Bruce worked for a petroleum engineering company, both in the US and abroad. 

Bruce has been active in several flood-related committees and associations, and is 

currently the Co-Chair of the ASFPM Insurance Committee. Bruce has a B.S. in Geology 

from The College of William and Mary……and a flood insurance policy! 

Case in Point: Consequences of What You Don’t Know About Flood Insurance 

Premiums 

Dorothy Martinez, CFM, H2O Partners, Inc. 

Sonja Wood, CFM, H2O Partners, Inc. 

This abstract submission is presented by H2O Partners, Inc, acting as FEMA's National 

Flood Insurance Program Training (NFIP) Contractor. The proposed workshop targets 

floodplain managers and will provide insight into how their floodplain management 

decisions can affect flood insurance rates and premiums. Its objective is to ensure that 

floodplain managers leave with a better understanding of how insurance rates and risk 

factors play a major role in determining the cost of flood insurance. This will be 

presented using a case study methodology. It will review three specific areas related to 

the dynamics of how flood insurance can be influenced by certain floodplain 

management decisions. Case studies will examine: 1. The impact of non-compliant 

structures on flood insurance premiums 2. The benefits of the NFIP Map and Zone 

Grandfather Rules 3. Letter of Map Amendment options related to mandatory flood 

insurance purchase and the NFIP Preferred Risk Policy Discussion in each case study 

will focus on how these situations can potentially benefit or harm the property owner 

with regard to flood insurance premiums. An open question and answer period will 

follow the presentation of the case studies.

Biography 

Dorothy Martínez is currently a Sr. Territory Training Manager for H2O Partners 

representing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Training Contract in 10 states. 

She has over 25 years of insurance industry experience with 17 years specializing in 

flood insurance. Dorothy has provided NFIP education, outreach and technical support 

during disaster declarations, instructor-led training and at local and national conferences. 

She received her national designation as Certified Floodplain Manager in 2003. 

D-7B – International Case Studies in Modeling and Mapping 

Moderator: Michael Buckley, Dewberry 

Rapid Two Dimensional Flood Hazard Mapping in the Auckland Region 

Robert Carr, DHI Water and Environment, Inc. 

Terry Van Kalken, DHI Water and Environment New Zealand 

With the recent flood events, continuing growth of the Auckland population and 

increased awareness of climate change, the need for identifying regions of high flood risk 

is becoming more important. The Auckland region covers an area of half a million 

hectares with a population of over 1.4 million. Detailed flood hazard assessments for 

some catchments have been undertaken, but a comprehensive assessment of the region 

utilizing a consistent methodology previously was not available. A systematic and simple 

methodology was undertaken using two dimensional modeling in MIKE-21, based on 

grid cells using 2005 LiDAR and applying the updated Technical Publication 108, 100— 

year annual exceedance probability storm event. This methodology allows for a low cost 

but effective solution to provide a regional scale assessment of the flood risk. The 

developed models can readily be used to assess other storm events and climate change 

scenarios. The flood maps allow the councils to identify at risk areas so that resources can 

be focused on areas which will benefit from subsequent flood mitigation and assist 

emergency management strategies. 

Biography 

Robert is a Civil Engineer of 30 years experience in modeling projects across river 

hydraulics, groundwater, flooding and wastewater, PhD from Iowa State Univ (1985) in 

3D finite element modeling of groundwater/surface water. In recent years more senior 

roles in large-scale project management for real-time control and decision support 

projects, e.g. Hydraulic Team leader for DHI’s Yellow River project in China, Project 

Director the MWD (Los Angeles) SmartOPS project and City of LA Wet Weather flow 

modeling project. For several years Robert acted as Peer Reviewer and Technical Mentor 

for Metrowater ICS project in Auckland NZ which was developing broad level 

stormwater, flooding and wastewater modeling methodologies to total catchment 

management of most of Auckland’s collection systems. Presently DHI’s regional 

director for North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Hydrologic Analysis for a Hyper-Arid Region in the Middle East 

Brian Murphy, PE, PH, CFM, CDM 

Ted Johnson, PE, CDM 

Flash flooding in a mountainous region of the Kingdom of Jordan, near the Red Sea, 

produces quick-response, high-volume and peak flow floods that have caused extensive 

property damage and loss of life. In February 2006, the combination of high relief and 

extreme climate aridity resulted in flash flood conditions that caused five fatalities and 

extensive damage to infrastructure. The flooding disrupted power and water supply and 

damaged the wastewater treatment plant, causing significant environmental degradation 

and substantial hardship for the people in the town of Aqaba, which is Jordan’s only 

shipping port. The port is crucial to the Jordanian economy and protection of the city 

from flood damage is critical to maintaining development and public safety. Recognizing 

the need to protect existing and future infrastructure, a flood hazard mitigation plan was 

developed for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority of Aqaba, Jordan, through a 

grant from USAID. This comprehensive study included a hydrologic analysis to predict 

peak flows and hydrographs. The hydrology methodology utilized available GIS tools to 

automate the generation of data needed for developed of a hydrologic model. Peak flow 

and hydrograph predictions were used as input for hydraulic and sediment transport 

analyses and the analysis of flood hazard mitigation alternatives. The presentation 

describes the data acquisition and methodology that was used to develop hydrologic 

characteristics and presents the hydrologic model used to simulate runoff hydrographs 

resulting from the design storm rainfall. 

Biography 

Brian Murphy is a Water Resources Engineer with Camp Dresser & McKee. His primary 

fields of work include watershed hydrology, hydraulic engineering, river restoration, 

fluvial geomorphology, and stormwater management. Many of the projects Mr. Murphy 

has worked on involve investigations and designs of surface water systems. His design 

experience includes drainage structures, erosion control measures, reservoir hydraulic 

structures, and river restoration. Mr. Murphy is licensed professional engineer in 

California and Colorado, a registered professional hydrologist, and a certified floodplain 

manager. He holds a BS degree in civil engineering from Santa Clara University and a 

MS degree in environmental science and engineering from Colorado School of Mines. 

Current, Innovative, and Standardized Elevation Data for Flood Modeling in 

Australia: The Murray-Darling Basin 

Kea Beiningen, GISP, CFM, Intermap Technologies 

The Australian Water Act of 2007 will require an advanced and thorough Geospatial 

Information System to assess and implement sustainable water management for the 

Commonwealth and citizens of Australia. Some of the tasks that are at hand for the Water 

Act of 2007 are collecting water information, performing analyses, and estimating future 

levels of water resources. To successfully accomplish these goals an accurate spatial

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) must be acquired and trustworthy flood models need to 

be computed. This paper will demonstrate the uses of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture 

Radar (IFSAR) in combination with high-resolution flood modelling for Australia’s 

Murray-Darling Basin. The resulting products will enable land use managers, insurance 

companies, citizens, and governmental agencies to have a current, standardized, and 

flexible platform for flood risk assessment across the entire Basin. 

Biography 

Ms. Beiningen is a Product Developer for Intermap Technologies Risk Management 

Group and is an expert in the development of the Flood Risk Zones for Europe and the 

Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFRIM) process in the United States. She received 

her Certified Floodplain Management (CFM) certificate in 2006 and her Geographic 

Information Systems Specialist (GISP) certificate in 2009. Her experience also includes 

GPS field mapping, creating DFIRMs for FEMA, and developing environmental 

assessment maps for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Ms. Beiningen 

graduated in 2004 from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Geography and 

Environmental Studies with an emphasis in GIS, Hydrology, and Remote Sensing. She 

and has been with Intermap Technologies since 2007. 

D-5 – Dam Risk Assessments 

Moderator: Jeff Sparrow, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc., ASFPM Region 3 Director 

NRCS Dam Assessments – Dam Breach Analysis and Risk Index 

Joe File, PE, CFM, AMEC Earth & Environmental 

In 2009, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) solicited proposals to 

complete dam assessments, designs, reviews, and construction management services. 

AMEC Earth & Environmental was selected as one of the agency’s IDIQ contractors to 

complete this work. AMEC was contracted to complete dam assessments in numerous 

states in FY 2010. In Kansas, AMEC is completing 45 assessments which include a 

visual dam assessment, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, dam breach analysis and 

inundation map, and development of a risk index ranking for each dam. The first portion 

of this presentation will focus on procedures and methodology used to complete the dam 

breach inundation mapping, which includes NRCS TR-60, TR-66, and the use of HEC- 

RAS unsteady flow models to route the breach downstream. Inclusion of bridge 

structures, hydraulic parameters, storage areas, and routing methodology will be 

discussed in this presentation. A summary of the dam assessment methodology and the 

assessment and documentation of the downstream “hazards” within the inundation area 

will be discussed. The remainder of the presentation will focus on the development of the 

“risk index” for the dam. Risk index is a function of the consequences of dam failure as 

well as the likelihood or “risk” of failure. Consequences are based upon parameters such 

as potential loss of life, potential loss of property, lifeline and infrastructure disruption, 

and environmental, social and economic impacts. Risk is based upon observations of

deficiencies within the dam design parameters, such as toe drains; location of the dam; 

and the dams ability to pass certain runoff events. In general, this risk is categorized 

from three scenarios which include static, hydrologic, and seismic, and each of these 

scenarios will be discussed in detail. 

Biography 

Joe File graduated from Kansas State University in 1997 with a BS in Civil Engineering 

and a secondary major in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Following 

graduation, Mr. File was employed with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division 

of Water Resources where he eventually became the Dam Safety Section Leader for the 

State, responsible for the safety of approximately 6000 dams statewide. In 2005, Mr. File 

went into private consulting where he has served as project manager and/or project 

engineer on a wide variety of water resources engineering projects, including dam design 

and repair projects, levee repair projects, dam breach analysis, inundation mapping and 

emergency action planning, flood studies, and numerous storm water analysis and design 

projects. Mr. File is currently Project Manager and/or Project Engineer on a number of 

dam assessment projects, levee certification projects, and FEMA DFIRM projects 

throughout the central US. 

Dam Hazard Consequence Assessment Pilot Studies 

James Demby, PE, National Dam Safety Program, FEMA-HQ 

James K. Murphy, PE, CFM, URS Corporation 

Edward G. Beadenkopf, PE, URS Corporation 

The objective of this paper is to present the process being undertaken by FEMA to 

develop a “best practice” procedure for communities to conduct an effective dam failure 

consequences analysis. This paper will give readers an insight into the initial findings, 

results and conclusions of this study. 

Traditionally the analysis of dam inundation studies has focused on the extent of the 

inundation zone and other key information required for development of an Emergency 

Action Plan (EAP). However the post disaster consequences of a dam failure or 

incidents are rarely quantified and considered when proactively planning for a 

catastrophic dam failure. 

The initial pilot study used to develop and evaluate a process focuses on the following 

topics for both the inundation area and surrounding community: 

Impacts on human health and safety including special needs facilities, industrial 

areas and other critical infrastructure assets 

Economic and environment impacts 

Direct impacts on local government capabilities and loss of critical government 

services 

Indirect effects associated with the disruption or loss of critical functions provided 

by facilities

Impact on public confidence including psycho-social and behavioral changes 

Upon conclusion of this study, FEMA plans to use the findings of the pilot study and 

recommend an assessment process to encourage and assist communities in quantifying 

and planning for the consequences of a dam failure. The process will present users with 

the best practices to perform their own analysis by leveraging lessons learnt from these 

pilot studies and will provide consistent methods to follow. 

Biography 

James Demby is the Senior Technical Advisor for FEMA National Dam Safety Program. 

Mr. Demby is a Professional Engineer registered in Virginia. He has a B.S in Civil 

Engineering and a Masters in Engineering from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. 

From 1990 - 2000, he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Norfolk 

District in the Geoenvironmental Branch. Mr. Demby duties included geotechnical design 

and analysis of military construction and civil works projects. He was also the program 

manager for Norfolk District's Completed Civil Works Inspection Program. Notable 

projects included Richmond Floodwall, Gathright Dam, and James R. Olin Flood 

Protection Project. From 2000 - 2003, he in the USACE South Atlantic Division and 

became involved with the following notable projects, Walter F. George Dam 

Rehabilitation, Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation, and the Portugues Dam (Ponce, 

Puerto Rico). In 2003, he became the lead geotechnical engineer and dam safety officer 

for the USDA Forest Service National Headquarters. Mr. Demby joined the FEMA Dam 

Safety Program in April 2007. 

Mapping Risk: The USACE Dam Break Inundation Mapping Program 

Nathan Lefkovitz, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Michael Crouch, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Justin Graham, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

This presentation will focus on the production of state of the art hazard maps created 

from readily accessible data for emergency planning. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(USACE) Office of Homeland Security (OHS) has tasked the Hydraulics and Hydrology 

Community of Practice to develop, on an expedited schedule, dam break flood inundation 

mapping initiatives on approximately seventy USACE dams. A major initiative within 

this effort involves the development of updated dam break flood inundation mapping and 

estimating populations at risk and economic impacts. This presentation will detail data 

collection, modeling, consequence estimation, and map production processes for this 

program. 

Biography 

Nathan Lefkovitz has 6 years of total GIS experience, two years with AMEC Earth & 

Environmental. He is currently a GIS Analyst in AMEC’s Water Resources unit base in 

Nashville, TN. He has used GIS in many capacities to complete projects in

transportation/road maps, real estate analysis, floodplain mapping, floodplain modelling, 

database management, and creating layouts including mapbooks. 

He received a bachelor’s of science degree in Geography from the University of 

Tennessee in 2001. Additionally, he has completed an AutoCAD course - CAD 1200 at 

Nashville State Technical College in 2005. 

D-6 – National Education & Outreach Strategies 

Moderator: Alisa Sauvageot, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc., ASFPM Region 9 Director 

Targeting Education and Outreach 

C. Warren Campbell, PhD, PE, CFM, Western Kentucky University 

Judging from steadily rising flood damages, current flood outreach is not as effective as 

desired. The most effective outreach is a major flood with millions in damages and 

deaths. Once a major flood occurs, the community understands at least for a few years the 

risks they face. During the period following a major flood, politicians are willing and able 

to act. They are sometimes unfairly criticized for not doing anything about a known 

problem, but politicians usually mirror the will of the electorate. Until the public 

perceives the risk, always scarce resources will not be allocated to a problem. Breaking 

the hydro-illogic cycle of flooding, accusations, rebuilding in the floodplain as before, 

complacency, and redestruction will require focused outreach to communities at greatest 

risk. The consistent history of increasing flood losses proves that the current blanket 

outreach for the entire U.S. is not working. The Community Status Book indicates that 

more than 200 communities have been suspended from the NFIP and more than 1900 

communities with known flood hazards do not participate in the NFIP. Aside of being an 

indication of ignorance of flood risk, it also indicates a failure in outreach. These 

communities may not have experienced a large flood in many years. While the chance of 

experiencing a 100-year flood in the life of a 30 year mortgage is 26 %, the chance of not 

experiencing a 100-yr flood in 40 years is 2 in 3. Some communities that are fugitives 

from the laws of probability become complacent. Aside from suspended or nonparticipating 

communities, people die each year while trying to drive across flooded 

roads. Effective outreach and education must be based on hard facts and data. 

Unfortunately, the spatial distribution of flood problems such as low water crossing 

deaths and rescues is not readily available. If it were, better signage and barriers could be 

designed and installed at these problem areas. This presentation will suggest to states and 

Federal agencies approaches for identifying communities at highest flood risk. It will 

promote a focused national strategic outreach and education plan based on spatial risk 

data. The plan would be aimed at community officials and the public in high risk areas 

and would strive to get the most from available resources. The goals of the plan would be 

clearly identified and the degree of success in achieving them readily assessable.

Biography 

Warren Campbell is a member of the ASFPM Certification Board of Regents and is an 

active member of the Education and Outreach Committee. He received his Ph.D. from 

Colorado State University in civil engineering with a specialty in fluid mechanics and 

water resources. He was the first City Hydrologist for Huntsville, Alabama. In 2004, he 

joined the faculty at Western Kentucky University and has developed an undergraduate 

Floodplain Management Minor which is the first in the United States. Initial student 

response to the minor was somewhat overwhelming, perhaps because of Hurricane 

Katrina and continues strong. Twenty-five of his students have passed the CFM exam in 

the past three years and one of them was the 2007-2008 Nick Winter Scholarship winner. 

He is the author of the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Western Kentucky University Stormwater 

Utility Surveys available as free downloads at www.wku.edu/swusurvey. The 2009 

survey was published this June with more than 1000 stormwater utilities in the U.S. 

identified. 

Communicating Risk and Risk MAP – Developing and Implementing a National 

Outreach Strategy to Reduce Risk to Life and Property 

Courtney Partlow, Accenture 

Vince Brown from FEMA HQ 

This presentation will provide a forum for stakeholders to actively engage in a discussion 

about FEMA's National Outreach Strategy, a critical component of launching and 

establishing FEMA’s Risk MAP Program in communities across the country. Key points 

of the strategy include ensuring stakeholders: 

Hear consistent information from multiple sources and multiple channels so they trust 

the information 

Feel that preparedness or mitigation is their own idea 

Feel motivated to act 

Know what is being asked and how to respond 

Additionally, there will be dialogue about the National Outreach Strategy’s alignment 

with the Risk MAP Solution and direction the program is heading to achieve its short and 

long term objectives. Objectives include increasing the public’s (and other stakeholders’) 

awareness of flood risk and then their understanding of flood risk. In the longer term, the 

National Outreach Strategy is designed to ultimately reduce vulnerability to flooding 

through behavior change. 

Biography 

Paul Huang is a Branch Chief in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal 

Emergency Management Agency’s Mitigation Directorate, overseeing outreach, 

information technology, and program planning and strategy for FEMA’s largest 

performance-based program Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP). In 

these roles, Mr. Huang works closely with FEMA’s 10 regional offices, and with local,

state, and other federal officials, coordinating risk communications and data collection to 

ensure optimization of local and Federal resources. Additionally, Mr. Huang has recently 

assisted in the successful delivery of the FEMA Flood Map Modernization program, 

which took paper-based flood hazard maps and modernized them into geospatial products 

for 92% of our Nation’s population. 

Innovative Hydrologic Products and Services from the National Weather Service 

Gregory P. Shelton, NWS West Gulf River Forecast Center; Fort Worth, TX 

Tracy A. Howieson, NWS Southern Region Headquarters; Fort Worth, TX 

Communities across the nation face increasing threats from river flooding due to 

floodplain encroachment and development. The mission of many local, state, and federal 

agencies is to increase awareness of flood risks and mitigate flood losses. The National 

Weather Service (NWS), through its 13 River Forecast Centers and 125 Weather Forecast 

Offices, provides deterministic river forecasts and flood warnings at approximately 4000 

locations across the nation. Over the last decade, the NWS has embarked on developing 

the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS), a multifaceted program to provide 

improved hydrologic products and services to the nation. 

As the AHPS program matures, the innovative products and services that have been 

developed can be divided into three segments. The first segment focuses on educating 

the public about flood risks, and includes programs such as the “Turn Around, Don’t 

Drown” campaign and the High Mark Sign project. The second segment provides 

communities the information they need to prepare for potential flood events, and includes 

products such as probabilistic forecasts and static flood inundation map libraries. The 

third segment aids communities in response and recovery efforts by providing decision 

support, and includes interactive chat services and real-time inundation mapping 

products. An overarching goal of these new products and services is to provide the 

uncertainty involved in hydrologic forecasts, thereby helping communities with river 

flood risk management. With the continuing evolution of the AHPS program, the NWS 

has strengthened existing collaborations and partnerships and sought out new ones as it 

develops new products and services. 

This presentation will review the NWS Hydrologic Services program with a primary 

focus on new products and services in the AHPS suite. Details of the flood inundation 

mapping, interactive chat, decision support, and education and outreach programs will be 

presented, including a detailed review of current products available on the NWS AHPS 

Web portal that hosts vital river and flood forecast information. 

Biography 

Greg Shelton holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University 

and has worked for the last 16 years for the National Weather Service. In 1999 he moved 

to the West Gulf River Forecast Center, where he has held four different positions in both 

hydrologic and meteorological capacities. Greg is currently the Service Coordination 

Hydrologist (SCH) at WGRFC. The SCH position is new to the NWS with job duties

focusing on outreach and partner coordination in order to educate RFC customers and 

improve RFC products and services. Greg has extensive outreach experience, and over 

the last decade he has been deployed to the FEMA/NWS Hurricane Liaison Team, given 

numerous presentations on hurricane readiness, and spoke on various weather topics at 

state and national conferences. He has also developed training materials on science and 

technology subjects for delivery to local, regional, and national NWS audiences. 

D-7A – Modeling and Mapping for Flood Warning 

Moderator: Victor Hom, NOAA National Weather Service 

Colorado's Flood Decision Support System 

Amy Volckens, PE, Riverside Technology, inc. 

Jay Day, PE, PhD, Riverside Technology, inc. 

Carolyn Fritz, Colorado Water Conservation Board 

Chris Sturm, Colorado Water Conservation Board 

The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is partnering with Riverside 

Technology, inc. (Riverside) to develop and implement a Flood Decision Support System 

(Flood DSS) for the State of Colorado. The Flood DSS provides a clearinghouse of floodrelated 

information for use by developers, floodplain administrators, emergency 

managers, recreationalists, the media, and the public. Data layers are organized into 

thematic components that include floodplain boundaries, historical flood information, 

real-time weather and flood outlook, multi-hazard assessment, weather modification, 

watershed restoration, and community information. The information is provided in a 

web-based geographic information system allowing users to zoom to their area of interest 

and select data layers based on their needs. This presentation will focus on several of the 

more interesting aspects of the Flood DSS, including: -Real-time weather and flood 

outlook: This aspect of the system provides information to emergency managers for 

rainfall-driven events that develop over several hours as well as snowmelt-driven events 

that develop over longer timescales. The data layers include current precipitation, 

temperature, streamflow, and snowpack conditions. Streamflow alerts from the State’s 

Satellite Monitoring System Alert System are available to users with restricted access. - 

Historical flood layer: As part of the system development, the State has begun developing 

a statewide historical flood layer with standardized fields describing significant flood 

events. In addition, the system contains links to reports and photographs available in the 

State’s document management system. -Data integration for resource management: The 

Flood DSS combines a variety of disparate information that can be used for planning and 

resource management. The intent of the Flood DSS is to provide links between planning, 

floodplain mapping, and hazard information allowing resources to focus on high risk 

areas. 

Biography

Amy Volckens is a Senior Water Resources Engineer for Riverside Technology, inc. with 

eight years of experience developing, calibrating, and applying computer models for 

flood control, water supply, pollution control, and risk assessment applications. Ms. 

Volckens is currently managing projects to develop hydrologic and hydraulic models for 

the National Weather Service River Forecast System (NWSRFS) and Army Corps of 

Engineers Water Management System (CWMS). Ms. Volckens has particular expertise in 

calibrating snowpack and soil moisture accounting models, developing consumptive use 

and regulation models, developing long-range ensemble forecasts for water supply, and 

snow updating techniques for operational modeling. She is knowledgeable about 

developing database systems to manage environmental data and support decision-making. 

She has field and laboratory experience with sampling protocols, calibrating equipment, 

and analyzing water quality constituents. 

Real-Time Predictive Floodplain Mapping 

Susan Janek, PE, City of Austin, TX 

Janna Renfro, PE, CFM, City of Austin, TX 

The City of Austin is located in the heart of Flash Flood Alley. Austin experiences high 

intensity rainfall rates and has generally unfavorable soil characteristics, small 

watersheds, and extensive urbanization – all leading to the potential for life threatening 

flash flooding. The City of Austin’s Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) relies on 

multiple tools to make educated, and potentially life-saving, decisions during flood 

events. Many of these tools are developed to highlight specific areas of flooding concern. 

However, it is equally valuable to have an overall picture of potential flooding throughout 

the City that allows emergency responders and FEWS staff to decide how to best direct 

their efforts and resources. To provide this information, FEWS engineers have developed 

a GIS mapping application that works in conjunction with real-time hydrologic and 

hydraulic (H&H) models. The resulting map is displayed on an intranet website and is 

automatically updated every 15 minutes. This solution provides FEWS staff and 

emergency personnel with a visual aide to quickly identify potential areas of flooding 

throughout the City and the time that flooding will occur – providing valuable lead-time 

in extremely flashy watersheds. The H&H models are run every 15 minutes using realtime, 

spatially distributed, ground-truthed radar rainfall data. The results of the model are 

then ingested into a custom GIS application and processed through Python scripting to 

produce a map of predicted flooding. The map contains attributes to help identify 

flooding at predetermined “watch points” and critical creek crossings. This presentation 

will provide a step-by-step explanation of the process and challenges behind predictive 

floodplain mapping and highlight emerging technology for better decision making in 

flood early warning. 

Biography 

Susan Janek is an Engineer with the Watershed Engineering Division of the Watershed 

Protection Department of the City of Austin, and she has worked for the Flood Early 

Warning System for the past five years. Prior to that she worked as a project manager for

the City working on large diameter water and wastewater line design and construction 

projects. She has a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a 

MS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a 

Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. 

Modeling Small Urban Watersheds with InfoWorks-RS 

David Schwertz, CFM, National Weather Service, Houston/Galveston , TX 

On average, over the past 20 years, flooding has claimed over 90 lives and caused in 

excess of $7 billion in property damage annually. Flooding can occur in all 50 states, at 

any time of year, and is responsible for more fatalities than any other severe weather 

related phenomena. Urban areas such as Houston, Texas, are particularly vulnerable to 

significant flood events due to an abundance of small, rapidly responding watersheds. 

Population density and increased areas of impermeable ground cover, which increases the 

amount of runoff from a particular storm, are also factors in urban flood events. 

Modeling of these watersheds is particularly challenging because of the rapid response 

times involved. InfoWorks-RS is a robust software package that models key elements of 

river and channel systems. It offers full solution modeling of open channels, flood plains, 

embankments, and hydraulic structures, and it can import data from a wide range of 

sources. The combination of hydrology and hydraulics, as well as, the ease of use and 

flexibility of this software package shows great promise for use as an urban hydrology 

tool. 

This study examines the use of InfoWorks-RS to model small watersheds in an urban 

environment, with the goal of utilizing it as a flood warning tool. Candidate watersheds 

include: (1) Brickhouse Gulley, a 12 square mile completely urbanized watershed 

located in west central Harris County; (2) Langham Creek, a 25 square mile semiurbanized 

watershed located in west central Harris County; and (3) Little Cedar Bayou, a 

6.5 square mile, coastal, semi-urbanized watershed located in southeast Harris County. I 

selected Little Cedar Bayou as my test watershed and to date, all components of the 

watershed have been modeled and calibration proceeds apace. Initial modeling results 

from this watershed look promising, and it is expected that future modeling results from 

all candidate watersheds will indicate that the InfoWorks-RS model can be useful as an 

urban flood warning tool. 

NOTE: Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures 

does not constitute an endorsement by the National Weather Service, NOAA or the 

Department of Commerce, and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable 

products or firms. 

Biography 

Dave Schwertz has been Senior Service Hydrologist for the Houston-Galveston Area 

National Weather Service since February 1992. In this capacity he developed and now 

leads the hydrology program for the Houston-Galveston Office. Included among the

significant events he has been privileged to work since coming to southeast Texas are: 

Tropical Storm Arlene (1993), the October 1994 floods, Tropical Storm Frances (1998), 

the October and November 1998 floods, Tropical Storm Allison (2001), Tropical Storm 

Fay (2002), and Hurricane Rita (2005), Hurricane Ike (2008). Dave has also been 

involved with national teams that developed the next generation of hydrology tools, 

developed the national Hydrology Program Management course, developed current 

policy for hydrology operations in the National Weather Service, and in 2006 led a 

Southern Region team in developing standardized procedures for the issuance and use of 

river flood contingency forecasts. Most recently Dave participated on the national team to 

standardize hydrologic databases used by the National Weather Service. Dave was the 

Southern Region nominee for the 2008 Max A. Kohler Award. Dave spent over five 

years on active duty in the U.S. Navy. He also spent three years in the Summer Support 

Division of the Naval Support Forces Antarctica working at McMurdo Station, Byrd 

Station, Darwin Glacier Field Camp, and South Pole Station. Dave earned his Bachelor’s 

Degree in Environmental Science in 1998 from the University of Houston Clear Lake He 

has been actively involved with the Texas Flood Plain Managers Association for more 

than 10 years and became a Certified Flood Plain Manager in July 2006. 

D-8 – Cost-Effective Floodplain Studies 

Moderator: Albert Romano, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Hazard Identification for Unstudied Flooding Sources 

Jamie Monohan, PE, CFM, Waggoner Engineering, Inc. 

Hazard Identification for Unstudied Flooding Sources The State of Mississippi, a CTP 

partner with FEMA since 2003, is working to address what we view as one of the most 

common and sometimes consequential misperceptions on the current FIRMs. 

Specifically, this misperception is that a stream shown on the FIRM without an 

associated flood hazard is a stream that does not present a risk of flooding. Of course that 

is almost always not the case; rather the stream has simply not been studied. Floodplain 

managers and other frequent users of FIRMs know this, but more casual users, and the 

general public, often do not realize that many streams shown on the FIRM are unstudied. 

This may be due to low population, small drainage area, or simply because of budgetary 

constraints on past Flood Insurance Studies. But whatever the reason, unstudied flooding 

sources, as they are currently depicted, can mislead the map user toward believing that 

the stream is non-floodprone. To help clarify this misperception, the State of MS 

advocates certain changes be made to the FIRM: Within corporate limits or other high 

population/high growth potential areas, we depict unstudied stream centerlines with 

drainage area greater than some threshold, say 100 acres, as a spatially accurate blue line 

(instead of black), the same blue color used for the boundary and pixilation of SFHA on 

ortho-based FIRMs, and label such streams on the FIRM as: Unstudied Flooding Source 

(See Notes to Users) We would include this symbology in the Legend, and in the collar 

notes, add a couple of sentences to elaborate on this ID, something like: Flood hazards 

associated with this Unstudied Flooding Source have not been determined, but flood risk

is present and should be investigated to ensure that existing or proposed development is 

reasonably safe from flooding. Flood insurance should be considered for existing 

structures that are situated in close proximity to this flooding source, especially those that 

have experienced flood damage in the past, or those with finished floor lower than twice 

the bankfull/pipefull flood depth. These changes would hopefully achieve a number of 

positive objectives, including (1) help citizens and communities recognize that all streams 

have potential to be flooding sources, and that streams without flood zones are not 

streams that don’t flood; (2) reinforce NFIP community’s responsibility per 44 CFR 

Section 60.3(a); (3) remind citizens and NFIP communities that flood insurance is indeed 

available outside the SFHA--another common misperception; (4) address some of the 

“localized” flooding for which we tend to shed responsibility, since drainage area is less 

than 1 sq mile; and (5) encourage communities or agencies to come forth with local flood 

studies or data. This proposal was received favorably at the Engineering and Mapping 

IPT conference call in September 2009, and currently the State of Mississippi is working 

with FEMA on a proof-of-concept project for inclusion in Mississippi’s Risk MAP 

Program. This presentation will explore the justification for better clarity and 

communication of risk along unstudied streams by describing past examples of where 

such clarification could have mitigated flood losses and/or public outcry. It will also 

provide explanation and illustration of the proposed mapping changes to the FIRM 

outlined above, and more discussion of potential benefits and objectives. Since this 

project is still at the conceptual stage, attendees’ comments, insights and suggestions are 

greatly encouraged. 

Biography 

Jamie Monohan is a Project Manager for Waggoner Engineering, Inc. based in Jackson, 

Mississippi. A Virginia native, Jamie holds a Master of Science Degree in Civil 

Engineering from the University of Virginia, and has 12 years experience in the water 

resources field. His primary responsibility is management of Map Modernization/Risk 

MAP projects for FEMA Region IV. 

How to Model 72 Miles of the Mississippi River on a 2 Mile Budget 

Mohamed Amin Bagha, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Dong Nguyen, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

In the post-Katrina world, the country’s attention has been focused on levees. FEMA 

ensures that existing levees are accredited by the levee owners before areas behind them 

are mapped as protected from the 1% annual chance flood. Even after accreditation, 

residual risk (Shaded Zone X) floodplains have to be mapped behind levees to show risk 

in the event of levee overtopping or failure. For the DFIRM updates in Drew, Desha, 

Ashley and Chicot Counties in Arkansas, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for the 

Mississippi River was not available. The challenge was therefore to map residual risk 

from levees along 72 miles of the Mississippi River and 15 miles of the Arkansas River 

despite the absence of available hydrologic and hydraulic modeling. Baker defined an 

acceptable, reasonable and defendable approach to delineate the Shaded Zone X

floodplains for these rivers within the original budget awarded for the redelineation task. 

This presentation will cover coordination with multiple USACOE districts to acquire 

available hydrologic and hydraulic models and analyses upstream and downstream of the 

project area. It focuses on the development of alternative and simplified modeling 

approaches, and obtaining concurrence from FEMA Region VI and the RMC on the 

assumptions, approaches, and results from the alternative modeling. The splicing of COE 

surveyed HEC-2 cross sections with overbank data and sensitivity analyses for peak 

discharge calibration is also covered in this presentation. 

Biography 

Mohamed Bagha is a Project Manager with Michael Baker Jr., Inc. in their Houston, TX 

office with nearly 10 years of experience in the Water Resources domain. His 

background includes advanced model development for hydrology and hydraulics, 

drainage design for transportation, and scour analysis. He also performs hydrologic and 

1-D and 2-D and unsteady hydraulic modeling, floodplain mapping, watershed planning, 

storm water management and drainage design. Mr. Bagha is a certified floodplain 

manager, has been part of Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance 

mapping initiatives at the national and regional levels, has expertise with hazard 

mitigation applications and is proficient in the use of Geographical Information System 

(GIS) applications in the water resources domain. 

Approximate Floodplain Mapping – Procedures and Approaches to Data 

Challenges 

Brett Addams, CFM, CDM 

Troy Thielen, CFM, CDM 

The translation of hydraulic modeling data to a final, end user map product is a primary 

task in the generation of Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Approximate floodplains are 

unique components of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps in that they manage to 

communicate flooding risks, but are often based on less detailed sources of data. Due to 

specific procedures that are necessary for the development of Approximate flood zones, a 

distinct set of challenges may be encountered during the development and mapping of 

floodplain data. Real‐world approaches must be considered in conjunction with existing 

engineering perspectives to overcome procedural and technical challenges of developing 

floodplains from imperfect data and scenarios. In this paper, we outline methods of 

mapping procedures and specific challenges relative to the development of Zone A’s in 

the Special Flood Hazard Area. The result of these methods delivers an efficient and 

effective product that communicates the appropriate level of risk required for 

Approximate floodplains. 

Biography 

Brett Addams is a GIS Specialist with over 3 years experience in GIS. He holds a 

Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from Colorado State University

and GIS Certificate from Northern Illinois University. Mr. Addams is proficient in 

ArcGIS Desktop and has performed floodplain mapping in several states including Ohio 

and Wisconsin. 

Session E 

Wednesday, June 19 3:45pm – 5:15pm 

E-1 – Coastal Modeling and Mapping 

Moderator: Doug Marcy, NOAA Coastal Services Center 

Development of a Regional Storm Surge and Wave Model for the San Francisco Bay 

Dale Kerper, PE, DHI Water & Environment, Inc. 

Kathy Schaefer, PE, CFM, FEMA Region IX 

FEMA Region 9 is currently undertaking a coastal hazard analysis and mapping study of 

the San Francisco Bay. Regional models for storm surge and waves covering the entire 

bay have been developed and provide boundary data to local coastal transect based 

analysis. The regional models simulate a continuous period of 31 years, from 1973 to 

2004. A 2-dimensional hydrodynamic model provides predictions of water levels based 

on tidal, oceanic, meteorological and riverine forcing. A 2-dimensional wave model 

predicts sea and swell wave conditions based on forcing from local winds and oceanic 

wave conditions while applying the time and spatially varying water levels as predicted 

from the hydrodynamic model. The wave model radiation stresses are fed back into the 

hydrodynamic model to provide the additional component of wave setup to the total 

water level. Significant focus will be placed on the treatment of wave setup, and the 

handling of levees and coastal structures in the modeling process. This presentation will 

summarize all aspects of the modeling tasks, including data collection, model setup, 

model calibration, model production simulations, and the ensuing analysis of model 

results to determine 1% and 0.2% extreme water levels and wave conditions around the 

entire bay. 

Biography 

Mr. Kerper has been performing physical and numerical hydrodynamic modeling for over 

20 years, and has been with DHI Water & Environment since 1993. He received a 

masters degree in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University in 1988 with a focus 

on Hydraulics and Ocean Engineering. Mr. Kerper has performed hydraulic modeling 

studies all over the world in coastal, ocean and riverine fields. These studies include 

hurricane and cyclone inundation studies in Australia and the U.S., storm surge 

forecasting in Venice, Italy, dambreak inundation modeling in Hawaii and California, and 

performing FEMA FIS studies in FEMA Region IX.

Coastal Storm Surge Modeling and Flood Hazard Mapping for South Carolina 

Jonica Vidrine Gibson, URS Corporation 

Lisa Jones, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is a FEMA Cooperating 

Technical Partner that initiated a statewide coastal flood study update. The study team is 

currently developing a storm surge study for updating FEMA’s Digital Flood Insurance 

Rate Maps (DFIRMs) for coastal South Carolina. Updated DFIRMs for Coastal South 

Carolina will be developed and issued to the communities in late 2010. This study uses 

updated methods, software and a high performance cluster that is vastly different than 

storm surge study methods used 20 years ago. In addition, we have experienced changes 

in NFIP policy and mitigation in coastal development, flood hazard identification, and 

flood hazard mapping in coastal regions. Improvements to the coastal flood study 

analyses and mapping include: • 2-D Hydrodynamic modeling coupled with wave 

modeling for large domains • Use of high resolution digital elevation data • Eroded 

conditions in storm surge and wave height analyses • Additional coastal mapping features 

(LiMWA) Coupled with updated modeling, flood mitigation practices in coastal areas 

have evolved dramatically in the last 20 years. SCDNR is working with its partners to 

outreach and educate coastal communities of the improvements to the methods used to 

develop their FIRMs, changes they may encounter in adopting and implementing their 

ordinances and practices, and how these improvements will enable them to be more 

resilient to coastal flooding. This presentation will give an overview of previous coastal 

studies in South Carolina, present the updated storm surge model and preliminary results 

of surge elevations, and provide an update on the flood hazard mapping that will be 

published. 

Biography 

Jonica Gibson is a Principal Engineer with URS Corporation. She has a BS and MS in 

Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware, where she focused on hydraulics and 

coastal engineering. She has spent most of her career developing FEMA flood studies in 

support of the National Flood Insurance Program. She is the Project Manager for the 

SCDNR Map Modernization program, overseeing the development of flood studies, 

mapping, and DFIRM production for almost 20 counties in South Carolina. She is 

currently overseeing the development of the ADCIRC Storm Surge Model for coastal 

South Carolina. She has also developed coastal flood studies in Mississippi, North 

Carolina, and Florida, and has been involved with numerous post-hurricane beach erosion 

assessments under FEMA’s Nationwide Infrastructure Support Technical Assistance and 

Hazard Mitigation Programs since the 1990s.

Coastal Field Reconnaissance GIS Application System for Flood Studies 

Jeff Gangai, Dewberry 

Jay Sadhu, Dewberry 

Ken Logsdon, Dewberry 

Robin Danforth, FEMA Region III 

Paul Weberg, FEMA Region II 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has initiated new coastal flood studies in 

2009. As part of these efforts a field reconnaissance task will be performed to collect 

data needed to perform overland wave height modeling. Overland height modeling is 

performed using the Wave Height Analysis for Flood Insurance Studies (WHAFIS) 

model. The WHAFIS model requires input parameters that define the obstructions to 

wave height propagation, such as buildings, vegetation, and marsh grass. These 

obstruction parameters are obtained and verified though field reconnaissance. Other 

critical data is also obtained through field work such as beach erosion conditions, location 

of the primary frontal dune, and coastal structure information. 

Traditionally coastal field reconnaissance comprised of taking pictures at the transect 

locations and manually filling out hard copy paper forms to document the information. A 

hand held GPS unit was used to obtain the coordinates of the location and was hand 

written on the form. After all the data was collected a week to two weeks of time is spent 

in post processing the data and transferring the hard copy form data to a digital document. 

The pictures had to be matched to the location and inserted into the digital form. The 

written down GPS coordinates had to be typed out and linked to the pictures in order to 

create a GIS picture linked shape file. 

This presentation will describe a coastal field reconnaissance GIS application to more 

efficiently collect the data out in the field as well as remove the time spent on post 

processing the data. This application uses a Panasonic Toughbook laptop with integrated 

GPS. The application also uses a camera that is GPS enabled as well as records the 

compass direction of the picture taken (the pictures are tagged with GPS coordinates and 

compass direction). The application works within a GIS environment to digitally capture 

data, including the pictures, linked to a geo-database as well as automates the recording 

of the GIS coordinates of the collected data. The application will allow for data to be 

collected at multiple locations along a single transect as well as location in-between 

transects. The data will then be able to be viewed in a GIS environment based on its 

location. The data can then be exported into a report for the study documentation. 

Biography 

Jeff Gangai has been practicing coastal engineering for over 14 years. He holds a 

Bachelor of Science in Maritime Systems Engineering from Texas A&M University at 

Galveston and a certificate in Coastal Engineering from Old Dominion University. His 

area of specialty is coastal hazards including coastal processes and marine structures. 

Before joining Dewberry he worked for five years with the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers at the Galveston, TX District. For over 10 years he has worked at Dewberry on 

the National Flood Insurance Program for the coastal regions of U.S., evaluating and 

reviewing coastal flood hazards. He serves as a senior coastal technical specialist and 

project manager supporting coastal flood studies. 

E-2 – URS Corporation Showcase – Climate Change: A Showcase of Innovative 

Tools, Programs and Policies Developed and Implemented for Hazard Mitigation 

Planning Initiatives 

Moderator: 

Climate change will have significant impacts on our Nation’s infrastructure as well as on 

human behavior, existing and future development. Risks and vulnerabilities will 

ultimately affect the way government agencies plan to adapt to climate change and act to 

reduce its negative effects. Through mitigation planning, communities can become more 

resilient to hazard impacts. We are keenly aware of the pressures and challenges that the 

public and private sectors currently face and of the issues that, if left unaddressed, will 

increasingly threaten the economic security and long-term sustainability of communities. 

Climate change threatens to increase the frequency and severity of hazard events. To 

effectively address the challenges of climate change, innovative and interdisciplinary 

strategies are required. URS recognizes the complexity of the issues associated with 

climate change and the importance of applying diverse expertise to develop and 

implement integrated solutions. 

URS experts include planners, environmental scientists, engineers, and risk management 

specialists with the knowledge and experience required to address complex problems at 

the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. We have an exemplary record providing allhazards 

mitigation, land-use, and environmental protection planning and in advising 

clients across the United States and internationally. 

Our hazard mitigation planners have worked with federal, state, tribal, and local officials 

to establish goals and identify critical paths for protecting assets and ensuring continuity 

of government and economic activity. Our expertise includes developing strategies and 

action plans to reduce the potentially devastating effects of natural hazards such as flood, 

hurricane, tornado, drought, wildfire, severe winter storms, and extreme heat. We fully 

understand the intricacies of creating resilient communities and the benefits of building 

local capacity. 

This URS Panel will showcase several examples of how URS has been pro-actively 

addressing the myriad of issues associated with the diverse impacts of climate change. 

While we bring direct examples of how climate change will exacerbate flooding impacts 

such as sea level rise, we also plan to demonstrate how other types of hazards (such as 

drought and wildfire) will impact future flood events.

Lessons from a Drought Tabletop Exercise and Catastrophic Drought Response 

Toolbox in North Carolina 

Jack Moyer, URS Corporation 

In 2008, as much of the State of North Carolina was experiencing persistent and 

worsening drought conditions, the North Carolina Department of Environment and 

Natural Resources (DENR), Division of Water Resources undertook a project to assist 

local water systems in their drought response planning. Major components of this project 

included developing and conducting an interagency tabletop exercise in the Neuse River 

basin to access the adequacy of drought response plans, conducting a follow-up 

workshop and developing a Catastrophic Drought Response Measures Toolbox. This 

proposed presentation will provide a review of the lessons learned from the tabletop 

exercise and toolbox development. The Table Top Exercise (exercise) was conducted in 

the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Emergency Operations Center 

(EOC) on May 9, 2008. The exercise included an introductory seminar and three 

sessions designed to assess the adequacy of Research Triangle area water shortage 

response plans. The seminar provided a review of the drought in North Carolina over the 

last year and discussed the current state of the drought as well as the outlook for the 

future. Throughout the exercise, several opportunities for improvement were identified, 

including: 

Additional drills and exercises to test the multi-jurisdictional response to a drought 

emergency in other parts of the state. 

Additional opportunities to enable water systems to test and refine their water 

shortage response plans. 

Opportunities to engage public officials in drought response exercises are needed. 

Improved communication and understanding between water systems and emergency 

management agencies. 

Additional drills and exercises to test the logistics of acquiring and distributing 

bottled water to a large population. 

Additional drills and exercises to test the mass evacuation of an urban area that has 

run out of water. 

The toolbox includes a range of measures for potential utilization in extraordinary 

drought conditions, divided into Water Reduction Tools, Alternate Water Supplies and 

Drastic Measures, including among many others: 

Rate modifications 

Rapid customer consumption feedback 

Engagement of major water customers 

Increased use of reclaimed water 

Mandatory use reductions and enforcement 

Placement of portable toilets 

System pressure reductions 

Emergency interconnections.

Post-Burn Flood Study: Accelerated Hydraulic Analysis following the 2007 

California Wildfires 

Mike Seering, PE, URS Corporation 

In October of 2007, wildfires spread through Southern California, destroying property 

and drastically altering the hydrologic and hydraulic conditions of local watersheds and 

floodplains in five counties. As part of the recovery and mitigation of damaged property, 

Region IX of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined the need 

for a rapid analysis to identify the new flood hazard areas for risk mitigation in order for 

the affected communities to re-build quickly. Flood hazard areas were delineated for the 

20% and 1% exceedance probability storm events. Two characteristics of the project, the 

accelerated schedule and the analysis of post-burn conditions, created a unique flood 

study. URS Corporation conducted flood studies in two of the five study counties: 

Orange County and San Bernardino County. The hydrologic analysis was performed by 

URS’ Albuquerque, NM office, and the hydraulic analysis was a collaboration of the 

Gaithersburg, MD and Overland Park, KS offices. The URS Gaithersburg office 

provided hydraulic analysis and floodplain mapping for approximately 16 miles of stream 

in just over a week. The hydrologic analysis will be touched upon only briefly in this 

presentation. The unique factors involved in the post-burn runoff analyses include the 

decrease in vegetation cover, change in soil properties, and the addition of a bulking 

factor to take into account increased sediment loading to the runoff. These alterations to 

the characteristics of the watershed resulted in much higher peak flows. The higher flows 

determined in the post-burn hydrologic analysis caused floodwaters to increase 

significantly in the hydraulic analysis. In addition to the change in flow, post-burn 

conditions also accounted for a change in the manning’s roughness values in the 

floodplains and channels, which were estimated by altering the pre-burn roughness value 

according to the intensity of burn at each cross-section in the study. Also, all bridge and 

culvert openings under road crossings were assumed to be clogged by debris from the 

post-burn, and were modeled as inline structures. Flood hazard areas were mapped for the 

pre-burn and post-burn scenarios for both the 20% and 1% exceedance probability 

events, identifying and mapping the risk. The risk maps were created to assist with the 

recovery construction efforts. The accelerated schedule of the project created the need to 

perform the entire study without any new study data. For URS, this meant using existing 

terrain data for cross-section geometry and floodplain mapping, and to assume channel 

depths based on flows. The assumption that all structure openings were obstructed by 

debris was not only reasonable and conservative to risk, but also adhered to the time 

constraint preventing on-site surveys. 

Somerset County, Maryland: Rising Sea Level Guidance 

Kyle F. Gulbronson, AICP, URS Corporation 

Somerset County received financial assistance through the Maryland Coastal Zone 

Management Program to retain URS Corporation to assess the County’s vulnerability to 

sea level rise and to review and develop workable revisions to the County’s plans,

development codes, and regulations to mitigate the identified impacts. Over the last 50 

years, the County experienced conditions that are now associated with the dynamic 

nature of coastal regions. These changes have resulted in erosion and, small, but 

incremental, increases in the water level in the Chesapeake Bay. Historical maps of 

Somerset County reveal these trends. Several bay-front communities once thriving in the 

early 1900s were abandoned and several of those areas are now under water. URS 

Corporation assessed the effects anticipated under various sea level rise scenarios, 

including those associated with coastal storm flooding, both intensity and frequency, and 

those associated with more gradual changes in groundwater levels and drainage. The 

vulnerability assessment described some of the associated problems that may occur, with 

particular emphasis on the effects related to coastal flooding and the associated public 

costs. In this presentation, URS will describe the their recommended modifications to the 

County’s planning and regulatory codes, including the Floodplain Management 

Ordinance/ Building Code, Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations, Comprehensive 

Plan, and Hazard Mitigation Plan to mitigate the results of sea level rise. 

Building Communities that are Resilient to Climate Variability - Incorporating 

Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKRs) into Planning and Capital 

Investment Decisions 

Robert Brodesky, URS Corporation 

Shubha Shrivasta AICP, CFM, URS Corporation 

Elisson Wright, URS Corporation 

With climate variability increasing, natural and man-built systems are facing additional 

threats and there is increasing concern regarding our system’s ability to mitigate and 

adapt to the impacts of climate change. Federal, state, and local leaders are beginning to 

face complex questions about the potential effects of climate change on the nation’s 

infrastructure and the basic systems that support our economy and quality of life. Today, 

government and industry leaders are discussing how to prepare for changes in 

temperatures, rising sea levels, hydrologic changes, and shifts in weather patterns. 

Increasingly, planners and other stakeholders will need to take action and make 

investments in mitigation and adaptation strategies to address the climate challenge. A 

key issue to consider in the long-term planning for climate change is to: (i) understand 

the location of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKRs); (ii) their vulnerability to 

higher sea levels, increased storminess, and other hazards; and (iii) how their 

performance under different environmental conditions will impact the performance of 

other assets, systems, and networks. This level of understanding is critical to developing 

effective mitigation and adaptation strategies and investments to reduce their 

vulnerabilities. This session will highlight the importance of including CIKRs in the 

planning process of different agencies at the local level. It will emphasize the need to 

share information and enhance collaboration among key agencies to ensure that issues 

related to CIKRs are incorporated into long-term planning processes conducted by 

various agencies. The discussion will focus on a case study on the work recently done on 

the update of Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)’s Long

Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Hillsborough County’s Planning and Growth 

Management Department on the Post-Disaster Recovery Plan (PDRP). 

E-3 – Compliance 

Moderator: Rhonda Montgomery, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

Risk-Based Community Assistance Visit Prioritization using GIS Methodologies 

Scott Edelman, PE, AECOM Water 

Bret Gates, FEMA-HQ 

One of the primary goals of FEMA’s Mitigation Directorate and the Risk MAP program 

within it is the reduction of loss of life and property, which in turn creates safer 

communities. The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Assistance 

Program has often used Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) to achieve this goal. 

CAVs are a tool used by FEMA to enforce floodplain management regulations, and to 

provide education and technical assistance to local communities across the nation. Due 

to the importance of identifying the communities with the highest risk or greatest need for 

assistance, a cost-effective method of prioritizing CAVs is necessary. FEMA, in 

conjunction with AECOM, has determined a method to identify and prioritize all CAVs 

in the Nation through the use of advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 

analyses. This project involves the acquisition, compilation and analysis of massive 

amounts of spatial data at the National level, resulting in numerous GIS data layers and 

associated metadata. Examples of the geospatial datasets that were leveraged include the 

Census block groups (CBG), FEMA’s communities shapefile, FEMA’s national flood 

hazard layer (NFHL), FEMA’s Letter of Map Changes (LOMCs), and population and 

housing unit projections. This presentation will provide an overview of the GIS analyses 

performed, how each of the risk factors are weighted and CAVs are subsequently 

prioritized, as well as potential applications of this dataset. 

Biography 

Scott Edelman is the Director of AECOM’s Water Resources team within North 

America, which is built upon the specialized practice of Watershed Concepts (part of 

AECOM since 2007) and many other well known water resources engineering teams. Mr. 

Edelman oversees AECOM’s floodplain mapping and mitigation work for FEMA as well 

as many state and local agency Cooperating Technical Partners. He has experience with 

the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and Flood Map Modernization from the 

perspective of national-level planning and program management, Regional 

implementation and study management, and state and local agency coordination. Mr. 

Edelman has been a key contributor to NFIP innovations through his role supporting 

FEMA headquarters on tasks such as creating the initial multi-year plan for Map 

Modernization, developing the initial concepts for FEMA’s Mapping Information 

Platform (MIP), contributing to the Guidelines and Specifications, and supporting special 

projects such as the Mid-course Adjustment and accompanying GIS-based risk analysis. 

Mr. Edelman was responsible for overseeing Watershed Concepts’ riverine and coastal 

Flood Insurance Studies for the past 23 years, including more than $200 million in 

floodplain studies contracted for projects in Regions II, III, IV, V, VI, IX and X.

Safety Net for Permitting and Compliance in a Culprit Zone A 

William Teague, PhD, CFM, White County, Arkansas 

MaryBeth Breed, PH, CFM, FTN Associates, Ltd. 

One Arkansas NFIP Community is utilizing an elevation safety net to determine 

minimally acceptable lowest floor elevations for a very large and difficult to manage 

Zone A. This approach will only help with proposed new or substantially improved 

structures that are relatively isolated in the area. It cannot be used in its present form for 

LOMA applications or for satisfying hydrology/hydraulics analysis requirements for new 

subdivisions. The culprit Zone A is an undulating 175-square-mile part of the Mississippi 

Embayment lying in east White County. This uninterrupted high flood risk region 

effectively aggregates flood sources responsible for its base flood potential, because it 

includes the confluence of the Little Red River with the White River, both reservoircontrolled, 

along with numerous tributaries and oxbows. However, local topographic 

relief and land surface elevations, as well as infrastructure, are sufficient to continue 

attracting new development. Unincorporated White County’s floodplain administrator 

was finding it impossible to provide a safe, fair, and consistent elevation policy for 

people wanting to build or relocate in the area, until help came from FEMA’s Map 

Modernization Program. During the Preliminary Phase of White County’s Map 

Modernization, FEMA’s contractor, FTN Associates supplied White County with digital 

Zone A boundary data, elevation contour files, and other base map data that became the 

initial building blocks for the safety net approach. The Map Modernization process also 

provided the avenue to initiate communications with the United States Army Corps of 

Engineers, which eventually led to the county receiving updated 100-year surface profiles 

for the two major rivers, our next set of safety net building blocks. Finally, while Map 

Modernization was underway, major flooding occurred along the White River in March 

and April, 2008. Elevations derived from reported stream gage readings on the two rivers, 

backwater elevations obtained using RTK-GPS, and limited high resolution aerial 

photography of backwater edges provided our third set of building blocks. Expressed in 

GIS map form, the safety net delineates a boundary for the offending Zone A, but it also 

shows the large area subdivided into irregular cells, each having its own assigned 

“minimally acceptable” lowest floor elevation. The assignment of elevations to individual 

cells was guided by the updated surface profiles, observed backwater elevations, stream 

gage readings, and aerial photography. This presentation will describe Unincorporated 

White County, AR’s safety net approach. We will review the mapping available to us, 

our permitting challenges, specifics of safety net construction, minimally acceptable 

elevation, and compliance. We will also show how we learned, in the case of east White 

County, the need for updated and detailed base flood elevations on major rivers, requires 

cooperation and coordination of federal, state, and local agencies in floodplain 

management. 

Biography

Semi-retired, Billy has provided part-time floodplain management and GIS support for 

White County, Arkansas, for the last five years. He has an MS in Mathematics (Purdue 

University, 1971) and PhD in Soil Physics (Texas A and M University, 1977). While 

working on his doctorate he received a fellowship in hydrology to support mathematical 

and computer modeling of the simultaneous movement of water and certain chemical 

species in soil water systems. Over the years he has taught college mathematics and 

graduate level Soil Physics courses, conducted research in soil-plant-atmosphere systems, 

and worked on various Extension water quality projects. Close to his heart are his wife, 

Rebecca, and three daughters, Lisa, Leslie, and Lynn, and their families. He owes a debt 

to the Lord that he cannot repay - thrives on learning, and hopes for open doors leading 

either to water-related foreign mission work, or to an MS level Arc-Hydro modeling of 

White County’s Indeterminate Zone A. 

Tracking Potential NFIP Violations Using Digital Orthophotos 

Colleen Hermans, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 

Miriam Gradie Anderson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 

As a CTP program, the WI DNR was responsible for identifying floodplain violations as 

part of the map production process. Lists of any violations were developed by the GIS 

and engineering staff and subsequently given to the Floodplain Management (FM) staff 

for review and compliance actions if necessary. The FM staff quickly realized that the 

process could be used to do broad area surveys of communities suspected of compliance 

issues. The violation data compiled could serve as the basis for prioritizing Community 

Assistance Visits (CAV) and Community Assistance Contacts (CAC) as well as 

illustrating areas where training workshops might be the most useful. 

The violation tracking process consists of a countywide digital orthophoto (DOP) 

comparison using the Swipe Tool in ArcMap. The most recent DOP available is 

compared against an older DOP from the effective year of the DFIRM. Therefore, 

changes made to the landscape in the flood hazard areas from the time the maps went 

effective could be a potential violation. If the ortho from the effective year of the 

DFIRM is not available, likely because it is from the 1980s, then the oldest available 

ortho will be used instead for comparison purposes. Once a violation was found, its 

location was marked on the photo as a point shapefile. Additional location and 

descriptive data were recorded in the shapefile’s attribute table. Symbols for a variety of 

violations were developed in conjunction with the FM staff. The GIS staff would then 

produce digital letter size maps of the suspected violation. The digital maps were then 

reviewed by the FM staff to determine if a violation did exist and what should be the next 

steps. 

While the manual comparison of the orthophotos by the GIS staff was time intensive, it 

resulted in detailed maps of potential floodplain violations. This enables FM staff to 

more efficiently use their time during a CAV, allows the FM staff to review properties 

not typically accessible by vehicles and provides a clear depiction of the property and 

violation in question during discussions with local officials.

This presentation will describe the process developed by the GIS and FM staff, review 

some of the problems which arose, explain the benefits of using orthophoto comparison 

for tracking violations particularly for CAVs and describe how the process was used 

during the FY09 CAP-SSSE contract year. 

Biography 

Ms. Hermans is a GIS Analyst with the Floodplain Map Modernization Program at the 

WI DNR DS/FM Program. In her current position, she is responsible for assisting in all 

phases of map production under the state’s CTP contract with FEMA. Prior to her 

position with the WI DNR, Colleen was employed as an Archaeologist for the USDA 

Forest Service. In her position, she was the point person for the GIS archaeological 

database for the entire 90,000 acre Valles Caldera National Preserve. She holds a BA in 

Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a GIS Certification from 

the University of Wisconsin – Madison Geography Department. 

E-4 – Mitigation Techniques – Completed Projects 

Moderator: Michael Grasso, CFM, CDM 

Elevation of Slab Structures in the Path of Rising Seas 

Jeffrey Heaton, Providence 

Coastal Louisiana is forecast to experience a relatively greater degree of sea level rise 

that any other coastline of the continental United States. Louisiana also has among the 

highest number of Repetitive Loss and Severe Repetitive Loss structures in the country. 

Updating of flood maps, decertification of levees and sinking of elevation benchmarks 

are all converging to reveal even more coastal Louisiana structures to be at high risk of 

flooding. Residential structures built on slabs are quite prevalent in coastal Louisiana. 

These structures are commonly thought to be difficult, if not impossible, to elevate. This 

presentation will demonstrate three different techniques for elevating residential 

structures built on slabs. Use of other post-Katrina funding mechanisms such as CDBG 

and NFIP in concert with HMGP will also be presented. This presentation will 

demonstrate the effectiveness in elevating slab structures as a methodology to reduce 

flood risk and prepare for sea level rise in coastal areas. 

Biography 

Jeffrey Heaton holds a Masters Degree in Oceanography from Old Dominion University 

in Norfolk, Virginia. His research considered the biological and chemical processes at the 

freshwater/saltwater interface in the Chesapeake Bay Estuary. After graduation, Mr. 

Heaton worked as an Oceanographer for the Naval Oceanographic Office in Bay St. 

Louis Mississippi. While there his work dealt with the temperature and salinity profiles of 

the world’s oceans. In the early 80’s, Mr. Heaton’s focus changed to water quality and he

worked at the New Orleans District Army Corps of Engineers and was involved with 

flood control projects and marsh creation. Later, as a private consultant, Mr. Heaton 

became involved in climate change and coastal protection. He is currently a Senior 

Project Manager with Providence. For the last decade he has focused on helping 

communities plan risk management and hazard mitigation strategies, apply for FEMA 

and other project funding, and implement those projects when funded. Mr. Heaton has 

managed the elevation of over 100 residential structures across southern Louisiana, all 

but one of which survived Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with no flooding. He has also 

directed the preparation of more than 30 Hazard Mitigation Plans for parishes and cities 

throughout Louisiana. 

City of Tulsa’s Flood Mitigation Program: A Tribute to ASFPM 

Ronald D. Flanagan, CFM, Flanagan & Associates, LLC 

In the early 1970s Tulsa was identified by Dr. Claire Rubin as America’s Most Flood 

Disaster-Prone City, with over 26,000 structures in the floodplain, and nine federal flood 

disaster declarations in 15 years. With the assistance of numerous ASFPM colleagues, 

Tulsa, in less than 20 years, became a national leader in floodplain management, with 

only 9,000 structures remaining in the SFHA and City Regulatory Floodplain. 

The City of Tulsa’s successful Floodplain Management Program is a tribute to the 

effectiveness and benefits of membership in the Association of State Floodplain 

Managers (ASFPM). ASFPM and its members provided key resources, personnel, 

contacts, experience, education and conferences to guide Tulsa’s program. 

Highlights of key aspects of Tulsa’s successful Flood Hazard Mitigation Program are: 

1. A Comprehensive Approach to Floodplain Management; 

2. Citizen’s Involvement, Public Information and Education; 

3. Legal Basis and Foundation for Floodplain Management; 

4. Basin-wide Master Drainage Planning; 

5. Innovative structural and non-structural mitigation projects; 

6. Multi-Objective Planning and use of Flood Management Facilities; 

7. No Adverse Impact 

8. CRS: going beyond the minimum National Standards, and 

9. A dedicated source of funding for Storm Water Management and maintenance. 

Biography 

Ron Flanagan, CFM, is Principal Planner with Flanagan & Associates, LLC, Planning 

Consultants, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The firm specializes in Natural Hazards Mitigation 

Planning, with an emphasis on floodplain preservation and non-structural Floodplain 

Management. He has served as the City of Tulsa’s Flood Management Consultant since 

1974, and developed Tulsa’s first and pilot Master Drainage Plan - Vensel Creek. He was 

Planner for the team that developed FEMA’s Manual of Procedures for the Interagency 

Hazard Mitigation Teams in 1982. He was planning consultant for Tulsa’s response and 

recovery from the devastating 1984 flood, which lost 14 lives, damaged over 6,800 

buildings, and cost $180 million. He was consultant to Tulsa’s flood acquisition program

that acquired over 300 flood-prone homes. Flanagan has planned and designed some of 

Tulsa’s most innovative Flood Mitigation Projects. He developed Tulsa’s Multi-Hazard 

Mitigation Plan, one of the first in the nation approved by FEMA. He has been Tulsa’s 

Community Rating System (CRS) consultant, a CRS Class 2 community. His projects 

have won many national design awards. He is Past-President of the Oklahoma Floodplain 

Managers Association (OFMA), an ASFPM chapter, a founding Board Member of the 

Natural Hazards Mitigation Association (NHMA), a founder of Tulsa Trails, recipient of 

FEMA’s Outstanding Public Service Award, and 2009 Oklahoma Emergency 

Management Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Management Award. 

The City of Tulsa has named the Mingo Trail system “Flanagan’s Way”, in his honor. 

OFMA annually awards the outstanding state non-structural projects the silver, gold, and 

platinum “Ronald D. Flanagan Project Award.” 

Reducing the Risk of Flooding along a Mountain River 

Kenneth Trefzger, PE, CFM, HDR Engineering, Inc. 

Existing communities that have been built adjacent to the river cannot readily remove the 

risk of flooding and residents aren't always willing to commit to a buyout but they can 

reduce the risk of flooding while providing some additional benefits to the community. A 

portion of the Town of Clyde sits on the bank of the Pigeon River in Haywood County, 

North Carolina. The Pigeon River has it’s origins in the mountains of North Carolina and 

when it rains heavy in the mountains, the river rapidly rises. Residents have been flooded 

in the past and understand that they will flood in the future, however, by purchasing 

property at the upstream side of Town, future development is limited and improvements 

to the land increases the river conveyance and provides recreational land for the 

community and opportunity to further educate the community on the risks of building 

within the floodplain. This presentation will show how the Town of Clyde is using 

available funding to reduce the risk of flooding and educate the public on the risks 

associated with living along the river. 

Biography 

Ken Trefzger is a professional engineer with over 23 years of experience in river 

hydraulics, floodplain mapping and stormwater management. Ken graduated from the 

University of Akron and began his career as a FEMA Flood Insurance Study reviewer in 

1986. Ken has spent the last 20 years performing all types of hydrologic and hydraulic 

modeling associated with the design of bridge openings, scour protection, dams, 

stormwater management facilities, floodplain improvements as well as the production of 

DFIRMs and LOMCs.

E-5 – Levee Action Processes 

Moderator: Patti Sexton, PE, CFM, Tetra Tech 

Best Practices for Scoping Expiring Provisionally Accredited Levees Agreements 

Rick Nusz, PH, CFM, FEMA Region VII 

Tadd Henderson, PE, Stantec Consulting 

In the summer of 2009 FEMA Region VII conducted a scoping project to address several 

Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) agreements that had either recently expired or 

were going to expire by the end of the calendar year. A total of twenty-two levee 

segments located within six counties and seven communities (six in Kansas and one in 

Nebraska) were included in the scoping project. In all cases the impacted community was 

actively involved in addressing FEMA CFR 65.10 compliance requirements, many 

having already expended hundreds of thousands of dollars in consultant fees. The scoping 

project was divided into three major activities: 1) a pre-scoping meeting, 2) scoping 

meetings: and 3) a post-scoping meeting. The period-of-time from the pre-scooping 

meeting to the post-scoping meeting was five weeks. A two-day pre-scoping meeting was 

held at Region VII with representatives from the Region and its Production and Technical 

Support contractor, Strategic Alliance for Risk Reduction (STARR). One major objective 

of the pre-scoping meeting was to reach consensus between the Region and STARR on a 

number of potentially sensitive issues in advance of the scoping meeting. At the 

conclusion of the meeting, a conceptual project was developed for each levee that would 

result in Physical Map Revision of the area behind the levee without undue delay. Staff 

from both FEMA and STARR attended each scoping meeting. Local representation 

included the levee owner(s) and the impacted community (ies). At most meetings, a 

contractor working on levee certification was also in attendance. The meeting agenda 

typically followed an outline that began with the Region refreshing the group on 

regulations and policies associated with levees and expiring PALs. The Region would 

then present study milestones leading to an Effective map that no longer shows the 

levee(s) as providing base flood protection. The levee owner/community or their 

contractor would then present activities completed to date, any planned activities, and a 

schedule for submitting a complete PAL-package. As group, future discussions were held 

that ultimately allowed the Region to address the likelihood of a levee(s) being mapped 

as not providing protection, either at the Preliminary or Effective map. At the completion 

of all scoping meeting, STARR prepared a draft scoping report for each expiring PAL. 

Each report included a summary of the scoping meeting; a project scope (including 

relevant quantities); and project schedules. The content of each report was presented to 

the Region for discussion and finalization. Any revision to schedules presented at the 

scoping meeting was shared with the levee owner/community. As a result of the scoping 

project a number of best practices were identified under each major scoping activity. 

These best practices proved valuable not only in the scoping effort, but also in building a 

favorable relationship between FEMA and various stakeholders. This presentation will 

further describe the various activities that took place during each major scoping activity 

and the best practices that were identified for scoping expiring PAL agreements.

Biography 

Rick is a Nationally Certified Professional Hydrologist and Flood Plain Manager with 

expertise in flood hazard identification and risk assessment. His principal duties have 

included field investigations, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and project 

management. As a Sr. Hydrologist with URS Corporation, Rick participated in flood 

hazard mapping projects and flood control feasibility studies throughout the country, 

primarily for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA). In his current position as Sr. Hydraulic Engineer with FEMA Region 

VII in Kansas City, Missouri he provides technical support to the Region and manages 

several flood hazard mapping projects. He has been an instructor in hydrology, 

hydraulics, and floodplain management at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute in 

Emmetsburg, Maryland and has served twice as President of the Kansas Section of the 

American Institute of Hydrology. 

The USACE Certification Process for the Federal Levees along the Big Sioux River 

in Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Colleen Horihan, PE, CFM, US Army Corps of Engineers – Omaha District 

The Sioux Falls, South Dakota Flood Damage Reduction Project (FDRP) was completed 

in 1961 by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District (Corps) and was designed 

to contain a discharge of 24,400 cubic feet per second along the Big Sioux River. A 

Construction General project was authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 

1996 to provide additional flood protection to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The non- 

Federal sponsor of the FDRP is the City of Sioux Falls. On June 6, 2007, the City of 

Sioux Falls signed a Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) agreement with FEMA. The 

PAL agreement was valid until August 16, 2009. In cooperation with the City of Sioux 

Falls, the Corps provided the city with a Levee Certification Report to address the levees 

in the PAL agreement. Without the levee certification documentation necessary to 

comply with 44 CFR Section 65.10, portions of Sioux Falls that were located in areas 

protected from the 1% annual chance exceedance flood could have been remapped by 

FEMA as Special Flood Hazard Areas on the revised countywide Digital Flood Insurance 

Rate Maps. This presentation will discuss the process followed in developing the Levee 

Certification Report by the Corps, conducted on behalf of the city, to certify the levees 

along the Big Sioux River in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

Biography 

Colleen has worked as a Hydraulic Engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- 

Omaha District for 17 years. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering 

from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the 

State of Nebraska, a Certified Floodplain Manager, and a member of ASFPM. Her work

includes serving as a Technical Specialist in the Flood Risk and Floodplain Management 

Section. She was the technical manager for the Levee Certification Study conducted for 

the City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, along the Big Sioux River. She has been the lead 

engineer on numerous Flood Insurance Studies, conducting the hydraulic analyses and 

developing Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Colleen has extensive working knowledge of 

many computer models such as HEC-2, HEC-RAS, HEC-GeoRAS, and HEC-FDA. 

Besides her experience in the Flood Risk and Floodplain Management Section, she has 

been the Chief of the Emergency Management Office, where she led the District response 

to the flooding that occurred in May 2007 along the Nishnabotna River in Iowa. 

Fort Bend County DFIRM: A Five-Year Project What We Have Done, What We 

Have Learned, What’s Next… 

Mark Vogler, PE, CFM, Fort Bend County Drainage District 

Juling Bao, PE, CFM, Fort Bend County Drainage District 

The Fort Bend County DFIRM (Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map) project started in 

August 2004, and the map will be preliminarily released in August 2009. The project 

lasted five years and was funded by FEMA, Fort Bend County, and the City of Sugar 

Land. A 90-mile segment of the Brazos River was studied in detail as part of this project. 

Based on the study results, about 20 miles of levee system will likely not meet the 

minimum freeboard requirements. While detailed reviews and modifications of the 

hydrology and hydraulic models were done by the County to insure the technical 

information to be presented to the public is accurate, the levee districts within the county 

spent over 45 million dollars in local money (without federal funding) to build or rebuild 

levees as necessary to protect up to the new 100-year flood elevation, and higher. Fort 

Bend County, levee districts, the study contractor, and FEMA worked together to solve 

the problems; the mapping release date was modified numerous times. To date all the 

levee construction is finished, and the preliminary map is ready to be released to the 

public. A web site was built by Fort Bend County to assist in the DFIRM release 

outreach. The public can access all the project products and information of the Fort Bend 

County DFIRM using internet. An interactive mapping tool, using new GIS technology, 

is also provided in this website for the public to view the new floodplain map by 

searching addresses or tax IDs. This presentation will discuss what we have done, what 

we have learned for the past five years from this project. We will also present our plans 

for moving forward to adopt the new DFIRM. 

Biography 

Mark Vogler graduated from Texas A&M University in 1982 with a BS degree in 

Engineering Technology. He was employed with Fort Bend County at the time of his 

graduation and has continued to work with them for 28 years. He is presently the 

manager and engineer of the Fort Bend County Drainage District. His responsibilities 

include overseeing maintenance and construction of drainage channels, reviewing 

drainage designs for new development and managing the recent updates to the County’s 

floodplain maps.

E-6 – Ways to Implement a Local Stormwater Management Program - Funding 

Moderator: Bill Brown, PE, CFM, City of Arlington, TX, ASFPM Urban Stormwater 

Management Committee 

The Practical and Financial Success of the Olathe Watershed Study 

Brenda Macke, PE, CDM 

Tami Lorenzen, CDM 

Andrew Sauer, CDM 

On October 4‐5 of 1998, a severe storm event passed through the Kansas City 



seven fatalities. Following this event, Johnson County, Kansas recognized that the 

existing FEMA floodplain maps did not accurately depict the extent of flood risk, and 

decided to revise the floodplain maps for all watersheds within the county. This 10‐year 

effort produced new FEMA floodplain maps that were adopted on August 3, 2009. 

Knowing that the FEMA floodplain map revision would result in changes to their 

citizens’ flood risk, the City of Olathe, Kansas hired CDM to perform a watershed study. 

There were four main goals of the study: 

Identify and quantify flooding locations 

Develop alternatives for flood mitigation 

Create a priority ranking system to incorporate projects into the existing City Capital 

Improvements Plan (CIP) 

Maximize the City’s financial investment by leveraging available funding sources. 

CDM recognized that the City was underutilizing a local funding source: the Johnson 

County, Kansas Stormwater Management Plan (SMP). The SMP, which is funded 

through a 1/10 cent sales tax levy, provides financial, technical and other stormwater 

assistance services to encourage regional solutions for protecting human lives and 

property, conserving natural resources, and promoting appropriate public use of Johnson 

County stream corridors. This program provides 75‐percent funding for eligible projects 

in cities, including the cost for study, design and construction. Funding for studies is 

provided for locations meeting a minimum criterion for flooding, and funding for design 

and construction is allocated using a cost/benefit ratio. The first step in the project was to 

identify and quantify flooding locations within the City. Twenty six locations with 

habitable structure flooding, road flooding, and/or erosion were identified and quantified 

using the SMP rating process. Of these 26 locations, 20 met the criteria to obtain 

75‐percent SMP funding for a preliminary engineering study (PES). 

Biography

Brenda Macke is a Project Engineer with CDM in Kansas City, Missouri with over nine 

years of technical, management, and marketing/sales experience in the civil engineering 

industry. She has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Kansas State University and an 

M.S. degree in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and is a licensed 

PE in Kansas and Missouri. Her experience in both the public and private has included 

hydraulic modeling and analysis, as well as construction improvement design, review, 

and implementation. She is currently working on several projects identifying and 

evaluating flood mitigation measures. 

Sapulpa, Oklahoma: A Building Block Approach to Flood and Stormwater 

Management 

Janet Meshek, PE, CFM, Meshek & Associates, PLC 

In 2007, the City of Sapulpa set out to implement a long-range, comprehensive Flood and 

Stormwater Management Program. Its “building block” strategy included the 

establishment of a funding mechanism, the preparation of a Citywide Master Drainage 

Plan, the implementation of its stormwater quality program and the development of a 

capital improvements program. One block at a time, Sapulpa successfully planned, 

funded and implemented its long-range, comprehensive Flood and Stormwater 

Management Program. Sapulpa’s success is due to its solid foundation built upon a 

dedicated funding source to finance other program elements. Its story is significant for 

other small to medium-sized “urbanized areas” facing flooding and stormwater issues 

including unfunded federal mandates such as Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge 

Elimination System (NPDES). Phase I of Sapulpa’s comprehensive plan began with the 

establishment of a stormwater utility fee to finance its remaining program. A rate study 

was performed to develop a fair, defensible fee based upon the square footage of 

impervious area contributing runoff to the stormwater drainage system. The rate study 

also laid the foundation for projecting the amount of annual revenue available for funding 

other program components. In the next phase, Sapulpa developed a comprehensive 

Citywide Master Drainage Plan by dividing the City into three distinct regions and 

funding each region individually over a 24-month period. Region by region, basin by 

basin, each area was studied. In this fiscal year, Sapulpa used its stormwater fee to 

finance a fully equipped truck with staff for its Phase II NPDES stormwater quality 

program. A review and update of Sapulpa’s Floodplain Ordinance and its Stormwater 

Drainage Criteria are also underway. Future components will include an operation and 

maintenance plan, a citywide prioritization methodology for all projects, and the 

construction of recommended projects. Community education and involvement also 

played a vital role. Meetings were well attended and citizens were actively involved. 

Approximately 100 citizen comment sheets provided valuable information regarding 

flooding problems. This presentation will focus on the importance of laying a solid 

foundation using a funding source, such as a stormwater utility fee, to finance the 

building of a long-range, comprehensive Flood and Stormwater Management Program 

one block at a time. It will present the process to establish a stormwater fee, its 

effectiveness in funding other program components and the importance of those 

components in developing a comprehensive approach. Public involvement will be

addressed as a significant contributor to the overall planning success. Sapulpa’s example 

demonstrates that even small communities can implement a “No Adverse Impact” 

approach by a “building block” view of stormwater management. 

Biography 

Mrs. Meshek has over 25 years of experience in the planning, hydrologic and hydraulic 

analysis and design of storm drainage systems, floodplain management, and flood control 

projects. Since forming Meshek & Associates, PLC, in 1988, Mrs. Meshek has served as 

the Principal in Charge or Project Manager for comprehensive drainage studies for 

numerous Oklahoma cities, ranging from small to large, the University of Oklahoma 

campus and the R.L. Jones Riverside Airport in Tulsa. Each study included the 

development of detailed hydrologic and hydraulic computer models; the evaluation and 

design of flood damage mitigation projects; and the preparation and coordination of 

comprehensive reports and presentations, as well as preparation of stormwater design 

criteria. Mrs. Meshek has also provided hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for roadway, 

storm sewer, culvert, bridge and detention pond design projects prepared by Meshek & 

Associates, PLC, and other consultants over the past 22 years. Mrs. Meshek has provided 

expert witness testimony in municipal, state and private litigation. Mrs. Meshek received 

her B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University. She is a 

registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma and Texas and a Certified Floodplain 

Manager. From 2002 to 2003, she served as the Chair for the Oklahoma Floodplain 

Managers Association. Mrs. Meshek has formal training using HEC-1, HEC-HMS, 

HEC-2, HEC-RAS, and DAMBRK. She has extensive hands-on experience using HEC- 

1, HEC-HMS, HEC-2, HEC-RAS, HMR52, TR20, and other hydrologic-hydraulic 

software. She is familiar with TP40, HYDRO35, and many other hydrologic/hydraulic 

programs, procedures, and references. 

Fee-in-Lieu of Detention, Tulsa, Oklahoma: Best Management Practice 

William (Bill) Robison, PE, CFM, City of Tulsa 

Chris Hill, GISP, CFM, Meshek & Associates, PLC 

Janet Meshek, PE, CFM, Meshek & Associates, PLC 

After devastating floods in 1974 and 1976, the City of Tulsa initiated proactive measures 

to mitigate existing flooding problems and reduce the potential for future flooding. One 

of these measures was the implementation of a Fee-in-Lieu of Detention which allowed 

developers to pay a set contribution toward the public construction of regional and subregional 

detention facilities “in lieu” of smaller onsite privately-constructed detention 

facilities. During the intervening 30 years, adjustments to the Fee-in-Lieu of Detention 

have not kept pace with public out of pocket costs to acquire right-of-way and construct 

detention facilities. A 2009 review of the fee structure resulted in a massive overhaul to 

remedy past inadequacies. By integrating the latest Geographic Information Systems 

(GIS) technology with existing and valid databases for land values and construction 

costs, a cost-effective and defensible methodology for establishing and updating the City

of Tulsa’s Fee-in-Lieu of Detention assessment was developed with application for other 

cities and counties. The proposed fee structure is based upon the total public cost to 

acquire and construct a square foot of additional impervious area by applying today’s 

construction costs and land values to five existing Tulsa detention facilities. Actual 

construction costs were calculated using unit costs from current City contracts. Land 

values were obtained from tax land records at the Tulsa County Assessor’s Office for 

properties surrounding each detention facility and adjusted to reflect acquisition costs for 

land from potentially “unwilling” sellers. Due to the magnitude of the fee increase using 

actual total costs, recommendations provide for phasing of the increase incrementally 

each year until the actual total land and construction costs are borne by the development 

community. After fully implemented, it is recommended that the fee undergo regular 

review and adjustment based on then current costs. By using existing, accessible and 

reliable databases and GIS technology, this methodology represents a best management 

practice by: (1) establishing a fee structure based on actual public dollars, (2) allowing 

quick and easy updates at relatively little cost to local governments, (3) promoting new 

development without passing development costs on to the public and (4) providing 

applicability to other communities. This presentation will provide a step-by-step process 

outlining the methodology to calculate the City of Tulsa total actual Fee-in-Lieu of 

Detention costs. It will describe the database sources, the formulas, the study results and 

the recommendations for implementation. GIS technology will be demonstrated. Finally, 

the “end of the story” or how the City of Tulsa implemented its fee increase will be 

discussed. 

Biography 

Since 1998, Mr. Robison has been as an Engineer, Designer, and currently a Senior 

Engineer employed in stormwater management at the City of Tulsa. During his tenure at 

the City, he has been responsible for stormwater design review, the design and 

construction of numerous small drainage projects and, presently, is the project manager 

for Tulsa’s CRS program, its Hazard Mitigation Program and its FEMA grant application 

programs. Prior to his service with the City of Tulsa, he has an extensive work history in 

construction design and management. Mr. Robison has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from 

Oklahoma State University and is a Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain 

Manager. He has over 15 years of experience in multiple software programs, including 

CAD, desktop publishing and spreadsheets. 

E-7 – Alternate Hydrologic Methods 

Moderator: Adri Verwey, Deltares, ASFPM International Committee 

Redesigning "Design" Rainfall 

Michael Nowlan, PE, CFM, Wood Rodgers, Inc. 

Reliable watershed hydrology and acceptable design of floodplain management 

infrastructure is dependent upon interpreting existing data and predicting future rainfall

peak, volume distribution and timing of runoff response. Rainfall measurements at gages 

have provided an incremental depth/volume history that requires significant interpretation 

before being re-expressed as design rainfall. For many watersheds in California longer 

duration storm patterns govern peak conditions and should be defined for each watershed 

by spreading the recurrent storm rainfall volume over time (as well as space) and 

reflecting the historical meteorological rainfall patterns without over-concentrating 

rainfall into shorter or more intense bursts than the original data provides. Statistical 

methods typically lump together rainfall volume and apply frequency distributions to 

determine how much total rain may be expected to recur for storms with longer durations 

ranging from 2 to 10 days. Subsequent hypothetical redistribution of rainfall will directly 

affect the timing and accumulation of volume in any subsequent hydraulic analysis and 

may greatly influence maximum flood stages. This presentation will provide hydrologists 

with the tools to better apply design rainfall to watersheds where long duration storms 

and rainfall volume conditions govern. 

Biography 

Michael has spent his entire 20-year career dedicated to water related issues with 

particular emphasis on flood risk determinations. He has been working with Wood 

Rodgers, Inc. (formerly Borcalli & Associates) since 1997 developing hydrology and 

hydraulics studies and revisions for FEMA, Cities, Counties, Special Districts and private 

interests. He currently serves as northern director on the board of the Floodplain 

Management Association (FMA) and contributes to ASFPM and FMA conferences 

regularly through technical presentations and volunteering. 

Log-Pearson Type III Moment Estimation: An Evaluation with Georgia Gage Data 

Amy Bergbreiter, PE, CFM, PBS&J 

Gary Guhl, PE, CFM, PBS&J 

In 1967, the Water Resources Council published Bulletin 15 recommending the log- 

Pearson Type III (LP3) distribution for approximating annual exceedance probabilities 

for use for all federal agencies. Through the following two decades several revisions and 

updates were made that provided further refinement and guidance. However no 

significant updates have been adopted since the Interagency Committee on Water Data 

updated the guidelines through Bulletin 17B in 1982. Bulletin 17B recommended a 

method-of-moments approach to fit the distribution with a regionalized approach for 

weighting the most unpredictable moment, the skew and detailed out a procedure for the 

incorporation of historic records. Since that time, significant literature has been 

developed evaluating all aspects of Bulletin 17B, from reconsidering the choice of an 

LP3 distribution to the methods recommended for approximating the moments. One of 

the major current movements is to adopt the Expected Moments Algorithm (EMA). EMA 

is considered to be a more accurate method in part based on the approach for the 

incorporation of historic records. This paper presents an analysis both the current Bulletin 

17B approach and EMA on several streams in Georgia with varying record lengths and 

available historical data sets. The goodness of fit of the probabilities distribution

developed using the EMA approximations will be compared to the goodness of fit of the 

Bulletin 17B results to the test the degree of variation of the two methods. The resulting 

discharges will then be mapped using effective FEMA models to compare the effects of 

the different discharges on the 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain and water surface 

elevations for the selected streams. 

Biography 

Amy Bergbreiter is a Senior Engineer in the Floodplain Hazard Management Division at 

PBS&J. She has over 6 years of experience in hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, 

stormwater facility design, and floodplain management services. She has been involved 

in the National Flood Insurance Program since arriving at PBS&J in 2004 through the 

development and review of approximate, limited detail, and detailed hydraulic and 

hydrologic studies. She holds a B.S.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from 

Princeton University. 

Joint Probability Distribution for Flood Risk Assessment 

Sheng Yue, PhD, PE, PH, CFM, Taylor Engineering, Inc. 

Study contractors for FEMA riverine flood insurance studies conduct a flood frequency 

analysis based on recorded peak flows to determine the 100-year flood event. FEMA 

treats the 100-year flood as a single variable event and thus ties flood risk to this single 

cause — peak flow. Typically, study contractors employ a Log Pearson Type III (LP3) 

distribution of peak flows to determine the 100-year flood. However, other variables such 

as volume, duration, and the shape of the flood hydrograph affect the severity of a flood 

event. Any of these variables, in combination with peak flows, determine the severity and 

associated damage of a given flood. As such, flood mapping based solely on peak flows 

does not fully account for flood severity and risk. To reflect a more reasonable flood risk 

in FEMA flood mapping, study contractors should employ a joint probability distribution 

of a flood event — i.e., joint probability distribution of peak flow, volume, and duration 

— to assess flood risk This presentation will demonstrate how to apply joint probability 

distributions to represent a flood event with multiple variables — flood peak, volume and 

duration, which may be mutually correlated and combined in various ways. A 

combination of variables could include a joint return period of flood peak and volume or 

flood volume and duration, or a conditional return period of flood peak with a specified 

return period of flood volume. The presentation will draw from a practical example to 

illustrate an application of a joint probability analysis of flood variables. 

Biography 

Sheng Yue has about 20 years of experience in physical and statistical hydrology, 

hydraulics, water resource and environmental engineering, including hydrologic and 

hydraulic modeling of water and wastewater conveyance/collection systems, stormwater 

BMP hydraulic analysis and design, flood protection and flood mapping, comprehensive 

watershed management, assessment of potential impact of climate changes on water 

resources, flood frequency and risk analyses, optimal reservoir operation, open water 

quality assessment, and hydrologic time series analyses. At Taylor Engineering, Sheng 

Yue, as Senior Engineer at Taylor Engineering, is responsible for FEMA Flood Insurance

Studies for Lake Okeechobee Basins, planning and scoping the project, conducting 

QA/QC, hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, and flood mapping. 

E-8 – Issues in Floodplain Mapping 

Moderator: David Knipe, PE, CFM, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, ASFPM 

Mapping & Engineering Standards Committee 

Risk Reduction/Building Science tools integrating Risk Map Products 

John Ingargiola, FEMA-HQ 

Risk Reduction/Building Science tools integrating Risk Map products by utilizing quality 

multihazard data that increases public awareness and leads to action that reduces risk to 

life and property. The flood hazard data and risk assessment products can provide the 

necessary tools, but to realize loss reduction a community must then use those tools to 

craft implementable solutions that address and incorporate the multiple hazards they face. 

This session will explore strategies for incorporating Building Science tools and practices 

with RiskMAP products and processes to enhance local flood loss reduction programs. 

This breakout session will also discuss the understanding of structural hydrodynamic 

loads from flooding and the critical part they play in building design. The Building 

Science Branch is exploring the depiction of flood risk--characterized by flood depth and 

flow velocity--and the associated impact on buildings to better achieve the Mitigation 

mission to providing guidance that focuses on creating disaster-resilient communities. 

This presentation will accomplish helping audience members understand the uses of the 

RiskMAP product from a Risk Reduction/Building Science perspective. 

Biography 

John Ingargiola is a Civil Engineer in the Building Sciences Branch of the Risk 

Reduction Division at FEMA’s Mitigation Directorate Headquarters in Washington, DC. 

The Building Science Branch is responsible for a broad range of mitigation activities that 

include; pre and post-disaster building sciences, working with model building code and 

standards-producing organizations; development of technical guidance documents related 

to hazard mitigation and coordination with various mitigation partners in the public and 

private sector. 

Floodplain Decision-making Under Uncertainty: The Local Response to FEMA’s 

2008 Digital Flood Map Release in New Orleans 

Earthea Nance, PhD, PE, CFM, University of New Orleans 

In November 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency released new digital 

flood insurance rate maps (DFIRMs) to the City of New Orleans that revealed best 

available information about actual flood risk across the city after Hurricane Katrina. 

Release of the New Orleans flood maps represented the culmination of tremendous public

investment in surge modeling and floodplain mapping by the US Army Corps and 

FEMA. Modeling and mapping of the areas of southeast Louisiana affected by Hurricane 

Katrina and levee failure were necessarily more complex than unaffected areas, and these 

jurisdictions were the last areas to receive revised flood maps. Nevertheless, New Orleans 

and most of the surrounding jurisdictions (known as “parishes”) did not adopt FEMA’s 

new flood maps. Why, when presented with the best available information on flood risk, 

did these parishes choose not to adopt the maps? Although the decision not to adopt the 

maps was publicly announced, little is known about the analysis that was conducted to 

support local decision-making. This presentation will trace the decision-making process 

taken by the City of New Orleans, the most complex of all the southeast Louisiana 

parishes in terms of flood mapping complexity, in response to FEMA’s release of the 

DFIRMs. 

Biography 

Dr. Nance is an assistant professor of environmental planning and hazard mitigation at 

the University of New Orleans, and is a fellow in the National Science Foundation’s Next 

Generation of Hazards and Disaster Researchers program. She recently served as the 

director of disaster mitigation planning and the director of infrastructure and 

environmental planning for the City of New Orleans during its recovery from Hurricane 

Katrina, and she previously held faculty positions at Virginia Tech and the Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology. Dr. Nance holds a B.S in civil engineering (1985) and an M.S. in 

environmental engineering (1991) from the University of California at Davis, as well as a 

Ph.D. from the department of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University 

(2004). She is a licensed professional civil engineer with over 17 years of professional 

experience as a principal and environmental engineer for several private and public sector 

organizations, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Her 

research focuses on environmental management and infrastructure development in 

vulnerable socio-economic settings and post-disaster areas. She has studied the role of 

community participation in expanding basic urban services to chronically underserved 

neighborhoods. Her research has generated new methods for critically evaluating 

infrastructure performance and new strategies for sustainable development in urban areas 

facing severe environmental challenges. 

Ethics in Flooding and Drainage Litigation Cases 

Walter Skipwith, PE, Halff Associates, Inc. 

John Ivey, PE, CFM, Halff Associates, Inc. 

T. Lynn Lovell, D.WRE, PE, CFM, Halff Associates, Inc. 

This paper will discuss ethical issues that are often encountered in lawsuits/litigation 

cases involving flooding, drainage, and floodplain management. Based on experiences as 

“expert witnesses” or consultants to attorneys in over 60 drainage-related cases, the 

authors outline many of the ethical or questionable practices they have encountered. 

These include issues with other expert witnesses, attorneys, plaintiffs, defendants, and 

judges. The paper will also illustrate how drainage-related issues including surveying,

mapping, hydrology, hydraulics, study methodology, reports, exhibits, and professional 

opinions can often become ethical issues. These issues can result from client/attorney 

pressure, pressing deadlines for expert witness reports or opinions, company or agency 

policies, conflicts of interest, unclear standards or regulations, availability or nonavailability 

of accurate mapping and engineering data, National Flood Insurance Program 

compliance, and financial impacts. Several examples of lawsuits with specific technicalethical 

issues will be discussed. Examples of technical issues include: selection of 

appropriate methodology to use for an expert witness study, report, or opinion; 

hydrologic/hydraulic models and appropriate parameters; correctly determining upstream 

and downstream flooding impacts; and comparisons to previous studies. Example legal 

cases will range from small floodplain delineation conflicts to large basin hydrologic 

modeling differences of opinion with professional conflicts. It will include will include 

comments on the difference between unethical behavior and poor technical judgment. 

The presentation will provide “lessons learned” and suggestions for planners, engineers, 

government officials, and floodplain specialists as they contemplate assignments in 

expert witness roles. This will include tips on trial preparation, expert opinions, 

depositions, and court room testimony. 

Biography 

Walter Skipwith is a Vice President and Team Leader at Halff Associates and a 34 year 

veteran of flood insurance mapping and floodplain management projects in the 

Southwest. In his early career, he prepared flood mapping that became the basis for the 

original Flood Insurance Rate Maps in many Texas Counties. Most recently, Mr. 

Skipwith has been the project manager for DFIRM preparation in 20 Texas counties 

under FEMA’s Map Modernization initiative. He has directed the analysis and 

coordination efforts between FEMA, the US Army Corps of Engineers municipalities and 

levee boards for the certification/de-certification of more than 20 levee systems. Mr. 

Skipwith has published and presented over 50 papers at technical conferences since 1975. 

He was co-chairman of the Urban Hydrology Symposium at the 1990 American Water 

Resources Association Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. 

Session F 

Thursday, May 20 10:30am – 12:00pm 

F-6B – Local Stormwater Management Technique Case Studies 

Moderator: David Fowler, CFM, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, ASFPM 

Natural and Beneficial Functions Committee, ASFPM Region 5 Director 

A "Green" Future for Storm Water and Greenway Management in Norman, 

Oklahoma 

Duke Altman, PE, CFM, BCEE, PBS&J 

Shawn O'Leary, PE, CFM, City of Norman, OK

Baxter Vieux, PE, Vieux, Inc. 

Jean Vieux, Vieux, Inc. 

Jim Carrillo, ASLA, AICP, Halff Associates, Inc. 

The City of Norman recently completed a citywide storm water master plan (SWMP) that 

provides a blueprint of methods to accommodate and manage existing and future storm 

water. Located in Cleveland County along highway I-35 just south of Oklahoma City, 

Norman is the home of the University of Oklahoma and consists of a growing community 

that is proactive on a wide range of issues that include protection of its land and water 

environments. A Greenway Master Plan (GWMP) was developed in concert with the 

SWMP as the two plans focused on waterways and floodplain areas that traverse the 

City’s 190 square mile area of gently rolling hills of urban landscape, native prairie 

grasses, scrub oak, and scattered hardwood trees. The two plans outline opportunities to 

build a better city by addressing the many existing issues related to storm water and 

recreational opportunities, developing a framework of recommendations and 

implementation plans that avoid the creation of new problems, integrating storm water 

and greenway improvements, identifying procedures to protect the local environment, 

and developing funding options for the needed investments. Topics covered in this 

presentation include an overview of the City’s challenges in protecting their water supply 

and the safety and welfare of its citizens, public involvement and input, watershed and 

stream assessments, greenway planning, detailed hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, 

problem identification and quantification, innovative and integrated solution 

development, key issues development and resolution, and investigations to select a viable 

set of funding options for the needed storm water activities and improvements. This 

presentation will also summarize how public input and project investigations were used 

to understand problems and develop innovative solutions for key issues that were 

identified during the project. Consideration of these key issues resulted in 

recommendations to dedicate “stream planning corridors” for water quality protection 

purposes in City streams draining to Lake Thunderbird, to implement structural and nonstructural 

water quality management measures in developing areas, to enhance 

maintenance practices in stream corridors and storm water control facilities, to provide 

adequate drainage easements in existing and new developments, and to implement dam 

safety provisions associated with the many existing and future storm water detention 

facilities located in the City. 

Biography 

Mr. Altman is a Vice President and Principal Technical Professional for water resources 

in PBS&J’s Austin, Texas office and holds Professional Engineering Licenses in Texas 

and Oklahoma. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Engineering from 

Texas Tech University and has over 36 years of experience in watershed hydrology and 

hydraulics, storm water management, watershed master planning, flood control, and other 

water resources related disciplines. He is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer and 

Certified Floodplain Manager. His Oklahoma experience includes managing the 

development of two urban watershed master plans in Tulsa, developing the 2009 Norman 

Storm Water Master Plan, and leading the various water resources and environmental

feasibility studies that culminated in creation of Oklahoma City’s “river-lakes” system 

that extends along a 7-mile stretch of the North Canadian River, now known as The 

Oklahoma River, and is bordered by landscaped areas, trails and recreational facilities. 

Garnett Regional Detention Facility: A Success Story in Managing NAI with 

Competing Interests 

Brandon Claborn, PE, CFM, Meshek & Associates, PLC 

Everyone knows that economic development is vital to a community’s long-term health. 

However, no matter how positive and worthwhile something can be, it can also have 

adverse impacts. The challenge that floodplain managers face is how to integrate 

commercial and residential development and other competing interests while maintaining 

a No Adverse Impact (NAI) approach. Even when a potential regional detention site will 

reduce hazard to lives and provide flood mitigation for downstream properties, competing 

interests emerge and must be addressed as a part of the planning and design process. 

Garnett Regional Detention Facility represents a success story in which the design of the 

facility achieved that delicate balance between NAI and other competing interests. The 

Garnett Regional Detention Facility provides over 100 acre-feet of stormwater storage 

volume immediately downstream of a rapidly developing commercial district. 

Approximately half of its storage volume is reserved for flood mitigation downstream of 

the pond site resulting in reduced flow rates for all storm frequencies. The remaining 

storage will be used as fee-in-lieu of onsite detention to offset the impact of current and 

future development of 100 acres and to facilitate funding of the project. Because of this 

facility, a significant amount of upstream development can now occur with No Adverse 

Impact on the downstream floodway and floodplain. The design had to consider other 

competing interests as well. These interests included obtaining an individual 404 Permit 

from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a 401 Water Quality Certification from the 

Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. These permits required a mitigation 

plan including a substantial amount of wetland and native species plantings. This 

presentation will discuss the technical and non-technical aspects of designing a regional 

detention facility balanced with NAI and other competing interests. In particular, the 

issues of downstream mitigation benefits, wetland mitigation program, creative funding 

methods, public safety and stormwater quality. 

Biography 

Mr. Claborn currently serves as the Manager of the Hydrology and Hydraulics Group of 

Meshek & Associates, PLC. His expertise focuses on the development of hydrologic and 

hydraulic models to analyze drainage problems and design solutions. He is experienced 

in drainage design review and has assisted communities with the development and 

implementation of their Phase II NPDES Stormwater Management Programs. He is 

currently the Project Manager for the Garnett Regional Detention Facility and for Master 

Drainage Plans for the City of Okmulgee, City of Sapulpa and the City of Claremore. Mr. 

Claborn has a B.S. and an M.S. in Biosystems Engineering from Oklahoma State 

University and is a Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager in the State 

of Oklahoma.

New Approach to Modeling Flow Path Uncertainty on Alluvial Fans, A Case 

History 

Jonathan Fuller, PE, RG, CFM, JE Fuller/Hydrology & Geomorphology 

Kathryn Gross, CFM, Flood Control District of Maricopa County 

White Tank Mountain Fans 1-2 are coalescing active alluvial fans located northwest of 

Phoenix, Arizona. The lower portions of the fan landforms were recently developed as a 

residential master planned community at the same time the entire landform was being 

mapped as an active alluvial fan using the approximate method geomorphic techniques 

outlined in the FEMA Guidelines, Appendix G. The Flood Control District of Maricopa 

County conducted a more detailed evaluation of the structural measures constructed 

within the active fan area to determine the adequacy of the flood control measures. 

Upstream and downstream of the structural measures, the revised floodplain delineation 

used a combination of geomorphic methods and FLO2D modeling. The structural 

measures themselves, which consisted primarily of lined channels and non-levee 

embankments were evaluated for capacity, conveyance, and sedimentation concerns 

using FLO2D, HEC-RAS and desk top methods. The hydraulic evaluation accounted for 

flow path uncertainty and flow attenuation on the fan surface with respect to design 

discharges, sediment transport, and hydraulic capacity of structures. This presentation 

will demonstrate an innovative approach to obtaining design discharges on points 

downstream of an alluvial fan apex in Maricopa County, Arizona. Currently, FEMA 

guidelines lack specific criteria for evaluating engineered flood control measures on 

alluvial fans. The presentation will provide recommendations for how such structures 

should be designed and evaluated. 

Biography 

Jon Fuller is the President of JE Fuller/ Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc., a small 

consulting firm with offices in Tempe, Tucson, and Flagstaff, Arizona. Over the past 24 

years he has worked on projects and studies in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, California, 

Colorado, and Montana. His specialties include, applied fluvial geomorphology, sediment 

transport, erosion hazard analysis, alluvial fan flooding, and arid land hydrology. Jon has 

a B.S. (Geology) from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a M.S. 

(Geomorphology) from the University of Arizona, and is a registered civil engineer in 

Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and Oregon, a registered Professional 

Hydrologist (American Institute of Hydrology), a Registered Geologist, a Diplomat 

Water Resource Engineer, and a Certified Floodplain Manager. Jon is active in the 

Association of State Floodplain Managers, ASCE, and served on the Board of the 

Arizona Floodplain Management Association from 1988 to 1998.

F-2 – NOAA Showcase – Summit to Sea Flood Forecasting: Recent Enhancements 

to NOAA’s Flood Forecast Products and Services 

Moderator: Doug Marcy, NOAA Coastal Services Center 

Kenneth Howard, National Severe Storms Lab, Norman, OK 

Suzanne Van Cooten, National Severe Storms Lab, Norman, OK 

Victor Hom, National Weather Service, Silver Spring, MD 

Doug Marcy, Coastal Services Center, Charleston, SC 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the lead federal 

agency for monitoring and assessing the environmental and economic health of our 

nation’s oceanic and atmospheric resources. NOAA provides essential services that 

touch the lives of every American. One of NOAA‘s authorities is to provide forecasts 

and warnings to the public to protect life and property and the enhancement of the 

national economy. Currently, NOAA provides water forecasts and warnings on various 

time scales for inland and coastal areas. Water information products normally range from 

90-day outlooks for water resource management, to large river flood warnings, to short 

fuse warnings for flash flood events. Collectively, the NOAA programs responsible for 

producing the various forecast and warning products are working on a next generation 

linked forecasting system that will provide more accurate timely forecasts and improved 

flood risk products from summit to sea. 

This session will begin by showcasing the latest in multi-sensor precipitation techniques 

developed by the National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) that include 1) advances in radar 

technology 2) data quality control; 3) multi-sensor precipitation classification; and 4) 

multi-sensor Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE). This system serves as a 

hydrometeorological platform for assimilating different observational networks and for 

creating high spatial and temporal resolution QPEs for flood warnings and water resource 

managements on the national scale. 

The new QPE system/data is being used in a demonstration project in the Tar River 

Basin, North Carolina, called the Coastal and Inland Flooding Observation and Warning 

project (CI-FLOW). CI-FLOW is made up of an ensemble of interactively-coupled 

models which dynamically exchange information between inland, coastal ocean, and 

atmospheric models. Each member of this ensemble creates a unique simulation of river 

discharge and total water level which are then combined to provide forecasters a snapshot 

of the entire range of water level predictions. It essentially incorporates all hydrologic 

and oceanic parameters that govern flash flooding, river flooding, and coastal flooding 

from storm surge. A demonstration of this new forecasting system, including results 

from recent tropical storms will be presented, and examples of research and development 

collaborations among federal, state, city, university and private organizations will be 

highlighted.

The NOAA Hydrology Program is also working to improve the communication of flood 

risks from flash flooding, riverine, to coastal flooding. Communication is being 

enhanced with in-depth understanding of the needs from officials within the Emergency, 

Floodplain, Stormwater, and Water Management communities, and their roles in 

reducing flood risks after NWS warnings are issued. One of the identified partnered 

needs include better understanding of the risks posed by floodwaters through inundation 

mapping. The last presentation will share efforts in the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction 

Service Flood Inundation Mapping Program, the future of this service, and NOAA’s role 

in flood forecast mapping for the Nation. 

F-3 – Post-Disaster Requirements and Lessons Learned 

Moderator: Edie Vinson-Wright, CFM, CDM 

Project Hands Across the Waters: Post Disaster Aid for the Atlanta Metro Area 

through Interagency Cooperation 

Terri Turner, AICP, CFM, Augusta-Richmond County, GA 

Jason Hunter, CFM, FEMA Region IV 

Project Hands across the Waters (Post Disaster Aid for the Atlanta Metro Area through 

Interagency Cooperation) By Terri L. Turner, AICP, CFM, Georgia Association of 

Floodplain Management - Chair Collis O. Brown, CFM, Georgia NFIP Coordinator Jason 

O. Hunter, CFM, FEMA Region IV, Floodplain Mgt and Ins. Branch Beginning on 

September 18, 2009, torrential rains flooded many counties located in Metro Atlanta, as 

well as several counties in the central and northern part of the State of Georgia. Prior to a 

Presidential Declaration, the Georgia Association of Floodplain Management (GAFM), 

in coordination with Georgia Department of Natural Resources (State NFIP 

Coordinator’s Office) and FEMA Region IV Floodplain Management and Insurance 

Branch, began to locate local floodplain managers throughout the State to serve as 

volunteers to assist with the substantial damage determinations. Although substantial 

damage determinations are a local community responsibility, resources deployed from 

various levels of government and organizations can assist with this critical post-disaster 

floodplain management requirement. Due to the enormity of the flood event, many 

communities found themselves having to make literally hundreds of substantial damage 

determinations with few or no trained staff members – not only did GAFM provide 

training in RSDE to the staff members within each community that they worked with, but 

they also provided much needed RSDE training to staff members in other affected 

communities, as well as to their own volunteers. Additionally, they provided much 

needed manpower (over 50 volunteers over the course of 3+ weeks) to assess the large 

number of substantial damaged structures that had to be assessed in the Metro Atlanta 

area. This presentation will (1) discuss the partnership between GAFM, GA NFIP 

Coordinator’s Office, and FEMA; (2) discuss floodplain management post-disaster 

assistance activities; (3) discuss lessons learned; and (4) solicit feedback and lessons 

learned from session attendees that have utilized partnerships to make substantial damage 

determinations in other location throughout the U.S.

Biography 

Terri Turner is the current Chair of the Georgia Association of Floodplain Management, a 

non-profit organization promoting the cause of sound floodplain management across the 

state of Georgia. Terri has served as the Assistant Zoning and Development 

Administrator of the Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission in Augusta, GA 

for the past 12 years, where she also serves in the capacity of Floodplain Manager. Prior, 

to Augusta, Terri served 3 years as a Planner and Floodplain Manager for the Aiken 

County Planning and Development Department in Aiken, SC, for a total of 15 years in 

the floodplain management arena. Terri brings a unique perspective to her job in that she 

worked in the development industry for 16 years prior to coming to the 

government/regulator side of the industry. Terri earned her AICP certification in 1998 

and her CFM certification in 2005. In her spare time, Terri serves on the Aiken County 

Planning Commission as a Planning Commissioner and spends much of her time 

promoting sound floodplain management throughout the state of Georgia. 

Floodplain Management Before and After a Catastrophic Flood Event 

David Stall, CFM, City of Shoreacres, TX 

This presentation gives real-life examples of how a community with limited resources 

prepared for the inevitable flood; and, how that preparation facilitated a rapid response 

and orderly recovery. It explores how good floodplain management practices can allow 

any community to maintain order, respond and recover from the most overwhelming 

flood event. CASE: Tidal flooding and the destructive storm surge generated by 

Hurricane Ike in 2008 devastated the small waterfront community of Shoreacres. More 

than 80% of all of the structures within the city’s jurisdiction were flooded. Within weeks 

it was determined that 10% of the city’s homes had been substantially damaged. Many 

more homes were damaged beyond their practical repair value. In addition to the 

extensive private property damage, every city owned facility flooded and sustained 

damage. With a City Hall staff of two, the City of Shoreacres communicated with its 

1,500 residents and property owners, coordinated damage assessments, accelerated the 

building permit process for those eligible to repair, and conducted weekly workshops for 

those substantially damaged. Today Shoreacres is still elevating and demolishing. New 

homes are continuing to be built in strict compliance with floodplain regulations and 

more stringent regulations are under consideration based on the experience of Hurricane 

Ike. OUTCOME: This presentation will demonstrate how a community with limited 

resources can be prepared for the inevitable flood; accomplish a rapid response; and, 

achieve an orderly recovery. 

Biography

David Stall brings thirty years of hands-on local government experience with planning & 

zoning, local government law, public finance, information systems, water and wastewater 

systems, gas utilities, storm drainage, floodplain management, emergency management, 

and public safety. Since 1976 he has been on the frontline of both coastal and inland 

communities responding to flooding and storm damage events. He has developed and 

implemented numerous management practices, training programs, and public 

communication programs. He has also personally designed and constructed flood control 

facilities. His specialty is achieving extraordinary results with minimal funds. 

After The Flood: Identifying and Applying the Key Lessons 

Manny Perotin, PE, PBS&J 

Jacquelyn Nicholson, PE, PBS&J 

Mike DePue, PE, CFM, PBS&J 

This presentation discusses the typical situations faced by community officials after a 

major flooding event has ended, and potential solutions to those scenarios. The discussion 

focuses on the rebuilding phase of the event as the community attempts to return to 

normality, and to reinvigorate the economic base. The presentation includes a review of 

the following topics: 

Assessing the actual extent of flooding versus the FEMA floodplain limits 

Evaluating the need to revise flood modeling or mapping 

Assessing infrastructure performance during the event 

Did my levee or floodwall perform as expected? 

Repairing damaged infrastructure within the confines of your floodplain ordinances. 

Will this same flood or a worse flood happen again? 

Did my floodplain ordinance perform as expected? 

Did my community flood infrastructure operation and maintenance plan function as 

expected? 

Grants and resources at the Federal and State level for mitigation and planning 

What are the biggest flood risks in my community? Employers, schools, etc. 

Incorporating multi-hazard analysis into my recovery process 

Working with multiple Federal and State agencies in the rebuilding process 

Do my citizens have the necessary resources to recover? 

Rebuild in place, or move? 

Low cost or no cost resources available to the community 

Biography 

Manny Perotin is a Senior Program Manager with PBS&J's Emergency Management 

Division. He specializes in response to disasters and has been a part of numerous afteraction 

teams for major flood events, including Hurricane Katrina. He has a Master's In 

Engineering Management from the University of Missouri-Rolla, and a Bachelor's in 

Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

F-4 – Visualizing & Evaluating Mitigation Options 

Moderator: Valerie Swick, CFM, Flood Control District of Maricopa County, ASFPM 

Chapter District 5 Director 

Nonstructural Risk Reduction - A Digital Process 

Randall Behm, PE CFM, US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District 

Jennifer Whitacre, GISP, MJ Harden 

This presentation will provide the audience with a better understanding of how LiDAR 

may be incorporated into the engineering analyses to assess potential nonstructural flood 

risk reduction projects for urban settings. From bare earth randomly spaced points to a 

detailed DEM consisting of breaklines and three dimensional buildings, a true surface, 

consisting of residential and commercial structures will emerge. Through the use of 

GEO-RAS computer software, Flood Damage Analysis software and incorporation of 

basin hydrology, an existing conditions model will be developed which can be used to 

visually identify the depth of flooding, the extent of flooding, and the structural damages 

associated with flooding. After assessing the existing flood conditions, formulation of a 

nonstructural project incorporating relocation of flood-prone structures, dry flood 

proofing, and elevation will be developed. The existing conditions DEM will be modified 

to reflect the nonstructural elements of the flood risk reduction project and a 3D 

visualization of the post-project conditions, with economic considerations, will be 

portrayed. This virtual presentation will illustrate the benefits of incorporating 

nonstructural engineering techniques into the plan formulation process for flood risk 

reduction and management. The audience will be introduced to another set of tools 

having the potential for drastically reducing future flood damages. 

Biography 

Randy Behm is the Chief of the Flood Risk and Floodplain Management Section of the 

US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. He has been in this position since July 

2001 and has been an employee of the Omaha District for 25 years. Mr. Behm is a Civil 

Engineer with an engineering degree from the University of Nebraska. Randy is also a 

member of the Corps' National Nonstructural Flood Proofing Committee. Jennifer 

Whitacre is the National Account Manager for LiDAR Solutions for MJ Harden. She is 

responsible for account management and oversight of all geospatial projects with 

emphasis on LiDAR and LiDAR solutions. Ms. Whitacre has over 13 years experience 

working in the geospatial industry. 

Flood Mitigation Solutions in an Ultra Urban Area – Potomac River Waterfront 

Flood Mitigation Study, City of Alexandria 

Mary Roman, PE, CFM, URS Corporation

Charlene Johnston, PE, URS Corporation 

Craig Perl, PE, City Engineer, City of Alexandria 

The City of Alexandria, Virginia, Potomac River waterfront area experiences frequent 

flooding which causes extensive damages and emergency response expenditures. The 

flooding affects residences, businesses, and infrastructure. As a result of extensive 

damages due to Hurricane Isabel, the City commissioned URS to identify and assess 

flooding problems and recommend solutions to reduce flood damages. The focus of the 

study was to recommend solutions to reduce flood damages that occur from a wide range 

of flood events including “nuisance” flooding which occurs during extreme high tides 

and “extreme” flooding (e.g., the 100-year event). URS utilized a standard problem 

solving process to identify and evaluate flood mitigation solutions. The process consisted 

of identifying the problems, determining the cause of the problems, identifying potential 

solutions, analyzing potential solutions, and selecting appropriate solutions for 

implementation. Twenty seven potential flood mitigation solutions were identified and 

discussed in a series of public meetings. A weighted numerical evaluation criterion was 

developed to select nine measures for further consideration. These measures included: · 

Large scale structural solutions (e.g., floodwalls, storm drain improvements) · Buildingbased 

solutions (e.g., floodproofing, acquisition, elevation) · Non-structural 

administrative solutions (e.g., emergency response improvements, public education 

programs, city ordinance revisions) Conceptual designs were prepared for two structural 

options along the Potomac River. They included a 3,900 linear foot floodwall along the 

Potomac River to provide protection against the 100-year flood elevation and a 1,280 

linear foot elevated walkway to provide protection from nuisance flooding. Additionally, 

a conceptual design for a 1,370-linear-foot earthen berm to an elevation of 13.2 feet was 

developed for an outlying area. The conceptual designs relied on available data, including 

the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS) data, field visits, and elevations 

collected through survey. Instrumental in the selection of flood mitigation solutions was 

the development of a conceptual benefit-cost analysis (BCA) which was performed for 

the large scale structural solutions, as well as floodproofing and acquisition alternatives. 

The historic nature of the City adds to the cost and complexity of the mitigation measures 

considered. The study resulted in recommendation of three structural measures: an 

elevated walkway to protect structures from nuisance flooding, dry floodproofing for 

residences and businesses, and inlet and roadway improvements. In addition, several 

nonstructural flood mitigation measures were also recommended for implementation. 

Those included specific revisions to City ordinances, elevating of internal supplies, and 

improvements to the existing sandbagging program. This presentation will describe 

challenges that must be overcome to provide effective flood mitigation solutions in an 

urban environment and further, that selection of a solutions to solve "all" flooding 

problems isn't necessarily the best or most cost effective solution. (The resulting highest 

priority recommended solution provides protection for less than the 10-year storm event.) 

Biography 

Mary Roman is a Program Manager with the URS Gaithersburg office, has 25 years 

experience in providing a wide array of water resources services. She is a registered

engineer and a Certified Floodplain Manager. She has performed numerous 

comprehensive watershed studies focusing on flooding, flood mitigation, water quality, 

and stream restoration and she has provided technical support for municipal and 

industrial NPDES stormwater programs. She is also involved with numerous projects 

related to FEMA’s mapping program. Ms. Roman is the current Chair of the Maryland 

Floodplain and Stormwater Managers organization. 

Evaluation of Flood Mitigation Alternatives for the Rainbow Valley ADMP 

Considering Multiple Contexts 

Burke Lokey, PE, PMP, CFM, Flood Control District of Maricopa County 

Elliot Silverston, PhD, PE, URS Corporation 

The Flood Control District of Maricopa County (District) has developed a holistic 

methodology for planning and designing flood mitigation projects. The purpose of the 

methodology is to develop solutions for regional flooding problems that both account for 

impacts to land and natural resources, and proactively collaborate with the affected 

communities to achieve desired multi-use outcomes. Previously, projects were developed 

with flood protection as the primary and often only focus. Multi-use/multi-objective 

opportunities were considered only as add-ons and frequently jettisoned due to budget 

constraints. The new methodology integrates Flood Hazard Context (effectiveness), 

Land and Natural Resources Context (compatibility), and Community Context 

(acceptability) using a Venn diagram approach to provide a nexus for the preferred 

solution space. This nexus is a measure of how well the proposed solution addresses all 

of the various context issues and ultimately leads to a recommended plan that is 

acceptable to the community and thus more implementable. In the Rainbow Valley Area 

Drainage Master Plan the process for determining flooding mitigation effectiveness 

(Flood Hazard Context) was established. 

In developing the Flood Hazard Context approach the District considered both the need 

for a solution in a given area as well as the appropriateness of different mitigation options 

to prioritize the planning efforts. Rainbow Valley is a 515 square mile watershed 

southwest of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The area is expected to become home to half 

a million citizens over the next 30 to 40 years. The City of Goodyear, a project partner, 

along with other agencies is currently planning the infrastructure to support the 

population growth in the area. Therefore the project is needed to focus on flood hazards 

in the population centers. 

First, the study area was divided into distinctive “planning units” that had similar 

landform and drainage characteristics. Next, a map was developed overlaying future land 

use and landform/flow characteristics to decide whether developable land would be 

susceptible to flooding and whether the flood hazard is high, medium, or low. 

Developable land in floodplains and alluvial fan areas are rated high risk, developable 

land where flow characteristics are uncertain or have the potential for shallow flooding 

are medium, while low density and public land are low flood hazard. Then an 

alternatives matrix was developed where project alternatives were considered for each

planning unit and flood hazard condition. Types of alternatives included structure 

conveyance, basins, regulatory and other scenarios. Each project was reviewed to 

determine whether it was feasible for the planning unit. Rainbow Valley had 6 types of 

alternatives and 11 planning units. Flood control projects (structural and non-structural) 

then evolved for each planning unit. The recommended plan utilized a combination of 

these alternatives as a result of an evaluation matrix that include Flood Context, Land and 

Resources Context and Community Context. 

This presentation will describe the evaluation process including the development of the 

Flood Hazard Context. It will describe how this context is integrated with the Land and 

Resources Context and Community Context in obtaining a recommended solution that is 

being moved forward as a conceptual design. The presentation will discuss how 

successful the process is as a collaborative tool for stakeholder buy-in (Community 

Context). Finally, we will describe the lessons learned by the District for future planning 

and design projects. 

Biography 

Mr. Lokey has been involved with the planning and design of flood mitigation and public 

infrastructure projects in the arid Southwest for more than 30 years. His work includes 

design of major transportation and flood mitigation facilities, mapping of flood hazards, 

and management of regional flood hazard mitigation planning projects. Having worked 

for both public and private sector organizations, he understands both the opportunities 

inherent to the development of regional planning solutions and the challenges presented 

by implementation of those solutions. 

F-5 – Levee Assessments and Investigations 

Moderator: Mark Seits, PE, CFM, HDR 

Just what goes into a Corps of Engineer's Periodic Levee Inspection - And What 

Does it Mean for Floodplain Managers? 

Jonathan Keeling, PE, CFM, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. 

Jim Martell, PG, US Army Corps of Engineers – Tulsa District 

This presentation will cover the current USACE Periodic Inspection program for levees 

that is being undertaken across the nation, from one consultant's perspective (with Tulsa 

District USACE personnel input as available). Topics to be covered include an overview 

of the inspection program process, discussion of typical deficiencies being seen in the 

program for various levees, the outreach, education and local sponsor coordination 

involved, and what the next steps will be in the program (risk assessments of levee 

inventories and beyond). In addition, connections will be made and discussed with 

regards to local sponsor/owner floodplain management duties in relation to the levees, 

and potential connections between this program and FEMA's PAL process. Of local 

interest to the host city for ASFPM, experiences in the USACE Tulsa and Little Rock 

Districts, including the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri, will be

discussed in general terms. This presentation will provide some overview about the levee 

inspection program to local floodplain managers and those responsible for levee systems, 

whether they be federal or non-federal projects. In addition, it is hoped that the 

presentation will encourage discussion of the connections possible between the levee 

inspection program, and FEMA's PAL and RiskMAP processes. 

Biography 

Jon Keeling has over 16 years of experience, and is a project manager for Stantec 

Consulting Services, in their Lexington, Kentucky office. Jon currently manages 

floodplain mapping and detailed stream modeling projects for FEMA Region 5 as part of 

the STARR team, is manager of dam breach analysis and mapping services for NRCS, 

and also serves as manager of periodic levee inspections for various U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers Districts, including Tulsa and Little Rock Districts. He has been a certified 

floodplain manager since 2003, and is active in groups such as ASFPM, ASDSO, and 

ASCE. Away from work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, fishing, 

reading, and supporting his Kentucky Wildcats! 

A Unique Approach to Investigating Levees - A Toolbox Approach 

Michael Sotak, PE, Tetra Tech 

Amanda Grint, PE, CFM, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District 

The process of levee certification is evolving across the United States as communities 

that benefit from their levees are proactively preparing their levees for certification and 

FEMA accreditation or brought into the mix through timeframes associated with the 

Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) process. Construction and engineering costs 

associated with the certification of levees can be formidable, depending on the 

information available on the levees and their original design and construction methods. 

Tetra Tech and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District are working together 

to reduce both investigative costs and risks to the levee stakeholders with a new approach 

to this problem. During the investigative phase of the levee certification effort, a 

combination of new tools were used to help identify potential reductions in the 

geotechnical analysis while improving the understanding of the associated risk. A GISbased 

analysis of the project area was conducted to help identify potential “problem 

areas” in terms of the required geotechnical investigation of the levees. Available 

information was obtained to help delineate soil types, ancient channels and other factors 

that could contribute to high seepage or possibly poor stability along the levees. This GIS 

analysis also logged existing sub-surface information so that areas with high risk factors 

associated with geotechnical design could be identified. The second approach was to run 

a geophysical investigation along the levees to help categorize sub-surface soils and again 

look for areas along the levees that could pose the same risks to the geotechnical integrity 

of the levees. Collectively, both approaches significantly reduced the unknowns often 

associated with geotechnical investigations and also reduced the risks to the levee 

owners, engineers and other stakeholders. Additionally, a more focused geotechnical 

investigation was planned to validate the geophysical investigation, fill in any gaps in the

data, gather the needed material information and focus on the areas identified as high risk 

in the investigative phase. Once the geotechnical investigation is fully scoped, the project 

team will have a better handle on how this investigative analysis reduced the required 

geotechnical investigation and reduced the risk to the levee owners and engineers. This 

presentation will help portray a different approach to the geotechnical investigation of 

Federal levees and hopefully enlighten the levee community as to how our 

certification/rehabilitation dollars can be stretched further. 

Biography 

Mike Sotak: Senior Consultant/Office Manager Education: B.S. Civil Engineering, Univ. 

of Nebraska (1991) Masters of Business Administration, University of Nebraska (2002) 

Professional Experience: Mike has spent most of his 20 years in the engineering 

profession in watershed development projects that include the technical, financial and 

environmental investigation of structural and non-structural measures as means of 

protecting agricultural and urban watersheds. His technical background is largely in the 

H/H analysis of dams and channels. He has a strong civil background in plan 

development for grading, civil and dredging projects. He has experience in the HEC- 

packages as well as the NRCS package of economic benefit analysis softwares; TR- 

20/55, WSP2, ECON, URB1, etc. He has also been involved in incorporating those 

software package methodologies into HEC-FDA. Lastly, he worked on one large USACE 

Watershed Development project in the 206 program that utilized the ECO-EASY 

software package for non-dollar quantifiable incremental analysis required for 

environmental restoration projects. In his spare time, Mike likes to hunt, fish and play 

golf. He also spends many evenings coaching his sons' baseball and football teams and 

watching his daughter play soccer and softball. 

Identifying and Evaluating Levee System Improvement Alternatives - The City of 

West Sacramento, CA 

Michael Vecchio, PE, HDR, Inc. 

The City of West Sacramento (the City), on behalf of the West Sacramento Area Flood 

Control Agency (WSAFCA), has embarked on a program to improve the 55-mile levee 

system that surrounds and protects the City from flooding. The goals of the program are 

a) to obtain certification of the system and accreditation in the National Flood Insurance 

Program (NFIP) and b) to provide protection from the flood event having an 0.5% chance 

of occurring during any given year (200-yr event). The City contracted with HDR 

Engineering Inc. to complete a levee system evaluation and provide recommended 

upgrades to meet these goals. HDR delivered a draft problem identification report to 

WSAFCA and reviewing agencies, including the California State Department of Water 

Resources (DWR), the United States Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District 

(Corps) and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board (CVFPB) in May 2008. That 

phase of the study resulted in the finding that there are deficiencies in the existing levee 

system that make it inadequate for protecting the City from flooding caused by a 100-yr 

or 200-yr event, and that an alternatives analysis for upgrading the system to provide

protection from the 200-yr event was needed. This presentation will summarize the 

findings of the draft problem identification report and the draft alternatives analysis for 

upgrading the West Sacramento levee system to a level that provides protection from the 

200-yr flood event. Levee deficiencies identified in the problem identification report 

correspond to those several of the levee performance and design characteristics required 

for levee certification under 44 CFR 65.10, including levee geometry, freeboard, seepage 

and stability behavior, erosion, and utility encroachment. A variety of corrective 

measures are considered for mitigating the levee deficiencies identified over 9 separate 

reaches comprising the 55-mile system. These measures are evaluated with respect to five 

criteria: system continuity, community impact, environmental impact, operation 

maintenance and reliability, and construction cost. Recommendations are then made for 

the upgrade of all 9 reaches based on the outcome of that criteria-based evaluation. 

Biography 

Mr. Vecchio has over 20 years of professional experience in the engineering and 

education fields. His general areas of expertise are environmental and water resources 

engineering, with project experience in surface water hydrology and hydraulics, water 

quality, and embankment systems. He holds bachelor degrees in English and geological 

sciences, and a masters degree in civil engineering, with a concentration in environmental 

engineering - all obtained from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a registered 

professional engineer in California and Texas. Over the last 8 years, Mr. Vecchio has 

focused on surface water management systems and levee and embankment systems for 

public and private sector clients. These efforts have included solid and liquid waste 

management components and design conformance with applicable regulations, as well as 

more conventional levee-related project components, such as development of 

embankment upgrade alternatives, feasibility and cost studies; conveyance design and 

upgrade, seepage control systems, and development of construction plans and 

specifications. 

F-6A – Communication Aids for the Communicators 

Moderator: David Stroud, CFM, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Building Blocks of Effective Communication 

Mary Margaret Connell, NFIP FloodSmart Marketing Campaign, FEMA 

Communities across the country are facing a variety of issues affecting the flood risk and 

flood insurance needs for their residents. Map changes, expiring PAL agreements, 

heightened flood risks due to wildfires and damaged dams are just a few. What is the best 

way to engage residents in a conversation about their individual flood risk and need for 

flood insurance? Advertising? Social media? Through local advocates like you? All of 

the above? This presentation will examine the building blocks of a truly effective, local 

outreach campaign, from collecting and applying research trends, to developing an 

integrated marketing approach, to creating specific tools to reach and engage the public

and your advocates. You will hear from FEMA, FloodSmart team members and a local 

community representative about local outreach campaigns from across the country that 

worked. Attendees will leave with research approaches, marketing and outreach tools, 

messages and ideas to help you develop an outreach campaign for your community. 

Biography 

Mary Margaret began with JWT in 2006 and was hired as the Integrated Account 

Director leading the FEMA NFIP account. She is the day-to-day leader of the FloodSmart 

campaign, the central point of contact with the FEMA clients, and directs and coordinates 

all activities between clients and agency partners. Mary Margaret oversees the 

development of annual Communications Plans and corresponding budgets. Mary 

Margaret is responsible for the oversight of all integrated business activities on the 

FEMA account, including managing partner activities, creative development, fiscal 

responsibilities, and working directly with multiple clients, influencers and stakeholders 

to set strategic direction and short and long term goals. Mary Margaret presents at all 

major conferences, association meetings and client meetings. Mary Margaret brings 

experience from both the client and agency perspectives. Prior to joining JWT several 

years ago, she was with The Martin Agency where she worked on Blue Cross Blue Shield 

of Virginia, Amgen, Alltel, KinderCare and Men’s Health Magazine. She then worked 

for Mullen and oversaw the entire agency team on the Nextel Partners account. On the 

client side, Mary Margaret served as brand manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North 

Carolina and as national sales and marketing manager for an apparel company. Mary 

Margaret received a BS degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a 

JD from University of Richmond, Virginia. 

Effective Risk Communication: Understanding Stakeholder Motivations 

Ben Accurti, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Richard Wild, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

If we are to reduce the disastrous effects of flooding nationwide, community-wide and 

individual action to mitigate the effects is vital. During this session, attendees will receive 

information on theoretical and practical risk communication approaches taken from a 

research-based white paper authored by the presenters focusing on how people seek out 

and process information. This presentation will help communication professionals, 

floodplain management professionals, and government officials improve risk 

communicate with stakeholders, media, and the public. 

Biography 

Ben Accurti is an outreach specialist with Michael Baker Jr., Inc., in their Alexandria, 

VA, office. He has supported the NFIP for over 10 years with Baker. He is the project 

manager for national outreach and risk communication efforts in support of the FEMA 

Risk MAP project. In that role he coordinates and supports risk communication, 

education, and public outreach initiatives. Prior outreach efforts Mr. Accurti helped

develop and implement include FEMA’s national Map Mod outreach strategy, FEMA’s 

levee outreach, and the Mississippi coastal mapping project following Katrina. Mr. 

Accurti holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and English from the University of 

Delaware and currently is pursuing his Masters in Communication from Johns Hopkins 

University. 

From Concept to Reality – “WARD’s Stormwater Floodplain Simulation System” 

for Education and Outreach 

Mark Walton, CFM, NOAA - National Weather Service 

This presentation will provide insight on how to get education and outreach activities for 

floodplain managers into the marketplace. Mark Walton, Service Hydrologist, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS) 

Weather Forecast Office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and David Chapman, Earth Science 

Teacher, Okemos High School, Okemos, Michigan, teamed up with WARD’s Natural 

Science to mass market a “hands-on” table top Stormwater Floodplain Simulation System 

for use in outreach and education. Funding for the initial concept was provided by the 

Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association. This presentation will discuss how we 

brought this concept into reality. The stormwater floodplain simulation system will be 

part of an Outreach workshop at the conference that allows attendees to get “hands-on” 

experience with the “WARD’s Stormwater Floodplain Simulation System” and gain a 

better understanding on how to use this simulation system for local education and 

outreach activities. 

Biography 

Mark Walton is a hydrologist with the National Weather Service and manages the 

hydrologic program for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Grand Rapids, 

Michigan. He received his B.S. in Watershed Management at the University of 

Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1980, and his M.S. in Natural Resources/Remote Sensing at 

the University of Michigan in 1983. He joined the National Weather Service in 1984, and 

for six years worked as a research hydrologist in the Hydrologic Research Laboratory of 

the National Weather Service's Office of Hydrology in Silver Spring, Maryland. There he 

worked on the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) project. He then spent four 

years as a Service Hydrologist at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in White 

Lake, Michigan, before taking on his present position in 1995 as a Senior Service 

Hydrologist with the National Weather Service Office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He 

also serves on the board of the Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association, is a 

member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, a Certified Floodplain 

Manager (CFM), is a charter member and Chairman of the Michigan Committee for 

Severe Weather Awareness, and serves as a member of the NEXRAD Technical 

Advisory Committee.

F-7 – Hydrology in a Changing Environment 

Moderator: Gaston Cabanilla, CDM 

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Floodplain Delineation: Are We Ready? 

John Henz, CCM, HDR Engineering, Inc. 

The No Adverse Impacts (NAI) initiative has successfully contributed to the development 

of effective upgrading of this nation’s floodplain delineation program. In many cases the 

floodplain re-delineation was based on the definition of the 100-yr and 500-yr 

floodplains. The definition of the return frequency of both the 100-yr and 500-yr 

floodplains was based on using design storms based on precipitation, radar-estimated 

spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation and stream flow records. Several articles 

have touted the “death of stationary climatology” in the development of design storms or 

design criteria. The practice of using partial duration series based on 20-30 years of 

precipitation or stream flow data at multiple sites to provide “extended data bases” 

providing over 1,000 years of storm data seem to be most at risk. The risk comes from 

the possibility that natural variability may have contributed to the distribution of either 

above or below average precipitation or stream flow records during the period used for 

design. Climate change research over the past has suggested that we still have much to 

learn about both the natural variability of climate and potential man-made influences on 

climate. This paper will explore the possibility that natural variability appears to play a 

significant role in the distribution of above or below average precipitation or stream flow 

over a significant part of the country. Thus the selection of the period of record of data 

used to develop either design storms or return frequencies of events used for flood plain 

delineation could result in either the over- or under-design of the floodplains. If potential 

man-made influences on climate change take place, the occurrence of stronger, more 

frequent and possibly more intense precipitation events could occur in the range of 50- 

100 years from now. These possible impacts beg the question: “ Should we be 

considering potential climate change impacts on floodplains, and if so, how should this 

consideration be quantified”. This presentation will make the floodplain manager aware 

of the possible impacts of both natural variability and potential man-made climate change 

on floodplain delineation studies. 

Biography 

John Henz is a Senior Professional Associate and National Atmospheric Science Practice 

Leader with HDR Engineering, Inc. in Denver, Colorado. He joined HDR in November 

2000 when HDR purchased his firm, Henz Meteorological Services. He has specialty 

practices areas in hydro-meteorology, severe weather, weather prediction and forensic 

meteorology. While at HDR he has developed several innovative hydro-meteorology 

tools and techniques for use of hydro-climate indices in Water Year water supply 

prediction for major river systems, quantitative radar precipitation mapping (QRPM) 

using an atmosphere-truth Z-R relationship, a scientifically-defensible design storm using 

WSR-88D Doppler data for defining the spatial and temporal characteristics and an

Extreme Precipitation Analysis Tool (EPATS) used as a standard for dam design and 

rehabilitation work in Colorado. John became a C.C.M. in 1980. He served two terms on 

the AMS Severe Local Storms Committee in the 1980’s and participated in the developed 

of several AMS statements on severe weather, tornadoes and flash floods. He has 

authored several reviewed professional articles on hydro-meteorological subjects and 

given numerous conference papers at AMS conferences. He received a Special Award, in 

1977, from American Meteorological Society “for the exceptional use of radio and 

meteorological knowledge in the public interest during the flash flood situation in the Big 

Thompson Canyon on July 31 and August 1, 1976”. 

Unsteady Analysis to Support the NAI concept: The Harris County Experience 

Christopher Johnson, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Mohamed Amin Bagha, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Development in the floodplain is regulated by all communities participating in the NFIP. 

Most communities apply the NFIP minimum standards to floodplain regulations. Few 

communities go the extra step to regulate discharges, water surface elevations as well as 

volume. Harris County, Texas is one such community where floodplain storage volume is 

also a criterion for floodplain use. A proposed project in Harris County will overlap the 

White Oak Bayou (Harris County Flood Control District Unit E100-00-00) floodplain 

and floodway. Due to its critical objectives, portions of the project along White Oak 

Bayou will be elevated above the 0.2% annual exceedance probability (AEP) flood. 

Because the 1% and 0.2% AEP floods, and the regulatory floodway, overlap a part of the 

project site, fill within portions of these designated zones is proposed. The reduction in 

floodplain storage volume due to fill placement will be mitigated by the construction of a 

storage mitigation area on the north bank of White Oak Bayou. This presentation 

examines the impacts of the project described above without mitigation measures, 

outlines the unique mitigation measures proposed, and describes how the impacts and 

mitigation measures were modeled. The presentation will detail the gradually-varyingflow 

spreadsheet-based calculations performed to establish that the mitigation area 

provides additional floodplain storage greater than the amount of floodplain fill, while 

remaining an area of non-conveyance. Proposed maintenance issues will also be covered 

as a part of this presentation. 

Biography 

Christopher Johnson is the Assistant Vice President and Director of Water Resources for 

the Texas division of Michael Baker Jr., Inc. He has over 25 years of experience with a 

wide variety of water resources engineering projects, including serving as Principal-In- 

Charge, Project Manager, and Project Engineer. His experience covers virtually all 

phases of the design process, including feasibility studies, planning studies, impacts 

analysis, preliminary design, preparation of bidding documents, and forensic analysis. 

Mr. Johnson has also taught classes nationally for ASCE and other clients on NFIP, 

HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS and Dam Safety. He has provided hydrologic and hydraulic 

engineering services for reservoirs, water supply systems, drainage and flood control

facilities, wastewater systems, and pump stations. Mr. Johnson holds a bachelors degree 

in civil engineering (specializing in water resources) from Texas A&M University. He 

has been married for 26 years, has two daughters, and currently resides in Denton, Texas. 

Using the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration and Spatial Analysis to Assess 

Increased Flood Risk from Urbanization 

Tim Ward, Greenhorne & O'Mara 

The Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA) is a method developed by Brian D. 

Richter to analyze the hydrologic effects of an ecological disturbance. The IHA generates 

33 hydrologic parameters from USGS stream data. It groups the parameters into five 

categories: magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and rate of change. Each group is 

looked at on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly scale. The results reveal hydrologic 

changes and trends from the ecological disturbance. Although the IHA was originally 

designed for an ecological disturbance, it has been proven to be effective for disturbances 

due to urbanization. Urbanization changes the physical landscape by increasing 

Impervious Surface Coverage (ISC) which alters local hydrology. Central Maryland is 

one area that has experienced some of the regions highest rates of urbanization. One of 

the challenges of trying to analyze and improve this problem is a lack of data and 

methods. In this study I examine the hydrologic effects of urbanization in Baltimore 

County over a ten year time period. I used image classification techniques to quantify the 

amount of urbanization that has taken place over these years based on each stream gage 

catchment. Next, I collected USGS stream data from multiple stream gages throughout 

the county. I used the IHA to generate statistical variables from the stream data. To 

eliminate error from meteorological events, precipitation data were used to standardize 

these variables. Finally, I used spatial and statistical analysis to assess the change in flood 

risk from urbanization. The results showed an overall increase of urbanization and flood 

risk in each catchment. However different catchments had varying degrees of change in 

both urbanization and flood risk. This concludes that urbanization increases flood risk, 

and the IHA along with spatial and statistical analysis can be effective and useful for 

assessing flood risk and urbanization. This presentation will demonstrate the impact 

urbanization can have on flood risk and the implications associated with it. It shows that 

the methods used have the ability to understand the change in flood risk that has taken 

place from urbanization, and indicate how flood risk might change in the future in 

relation to local urbanization and ISC. Storm water and floodplain managers can use 

these methods and apply them to various locations and situations. It will provide them 

with quantitative and statistical measurements and aid in decision making for storm water 

and floodplain practices. 

Biography 

Tim Ward is currently a GIS Technician for the Water Resources department at 

Greenhorne and O’Mara. He has over two years of working experience and previously 

worked for the National Park Service on Assateague Island. After obtaining a Bachelor’s 

Degree in Geography from West Virginia University, he is working on a Master’s Degree

in the Geography and Environmental Planning program at Towson University. He is 

focusing on spatial analysis and has done previous research regarding coastal 

geomorphology on Assateague Island. 

F-8 – Technological Advancements in Quality Control and Flood Data Viewing 

Moderator: Heidi Carlin, CFM, URS, ASFPM Training & Outreach Committee, ASFPM 

Region 6 Director 

Layered Flood Theme and an Integrated QC Module 


Janghwoan Choi, PhD, Dewberry 

Huidae Cho, PhD, Dewberry 

ArcGIS integrated QC module that leverages a layered flood theme approach and 

automated QC for Terrain, Hydrology, Hydraulics, and DFIRM Mapping. The FEMA 

Flood Insurance Study mapping workflow generates many GIS layers within the 

engineering and mapping process. Constructed within a GIS, these layers begin as whole 

polygons that cover the entire flooding area. However, as these flooding layers are 

brought together it is required that they be split apart into pieces in order to maintain GIS 

topology without any overlapping areas and represent the data correctly on a map. The 

complexity of maintaining correct topology is exacerbated when mapping lines are added 

on top of the various polygons. As these layers are developed, multiple automatic and 

manual review processes may be required to help identify geometry issues and maintain 

the engineering integrity, topology, component agreement, and data relationships. 

Individual GIS checking tools have been used in the past to help check GIS data once it 

has been well advanced. However, most of these tools do not provide a multilateral 

approach to identify and evaluate construction issues so that better decisions are made 

earlier in the study process. The Layered Flood Theme attempts to represent the data as it 

is constructed within the engineering stage. GIS tools produce complete polygons and 

there is no need to begin enforcing polygon topology or even introduce lines that are 

required for mapping purposes. Each flood layer covers the entire modeling area and is 

layered on top of each other – floodway on top of 100 year on top of 500 year. In this 

way the engineer is able to focus on developing the flood theme without the rigors of 

final GIS construction. As the Layered Flood Theme is developed and visually 

represented within GIS, many engineering problems can be exposed and checked along 

the way. An Integrated QC Module has been developed within ArcGIS that supports 

detailed checking for terrain, hydrology, hydraulics, and DFIRM mapping. Each of these 

stages represents a different level of data construction and has differing QC needs. This 

module exposes the appropriate data within each of the study process steps so that 

multiple reviewers can easily perform QC at any stage in the study process. Because each 

project member can access and run the appropriate QC filters for their work steps, issues 

can be identified and resolved earlier in the study process. THIS PRESENTATION 

WILL ... expose the attendees to a layered flood theme approach where GIS rigors are 

applied at the right place in the FEMA study process. The module will reveal how

automated QC can be performed throughout the study rather than after data has been 

developed too far. 

Biography 

Mr. Logsdon leads the Technology Solutions Department within Dewberry's Hazard 

Engineering Resources division. Under his leadership, his team has developed the 

GeoFIRM engineering and mapping enterprise system used on FEMA mapping projects 

over the last 5 years. Their work has been recognized in ESRI ARCNEWS, Point Of 

Beginning, Surveyor Magazine, and received several awards including ACEC National 

Finalist. 

Using FEMA Tools to Access Digital Flood Data 

Scott McAfee, CFM, GISP, FEMA Region IX 

Bruce Buckerfield, PE, LS, FEMA Region IV 

As FEMA has scaled back the distribution of paper maps, users of flood information are 

encouraged to use the various tools FEMA offers to access the digital products. DFIRMs, 

FIRM Scans, and the National Flood Hazard Layer can be accessed with a variety of 

tools offered free from FEMA. This toolbox includes: • MapViewer – Web: An online 

tool for viewing and getting information from the NFHL. • MapViewer – Desktop: A 

stand-alone tool installed directly on a computer for viewing and getting information 

from a DFIRM. • FIRMette – Web: An online tool to view and print 8x11, 8.5x14 or 

11x17 portions of FIRM Scans online. • FIRMette – Desktop: A stand-alone tool 

installed directly on a computer to view and print 8x11, 8.5x14 or 11x17 portions of 

FIRM Scans. Full size plots can also be printed from this application. • NFHL Web 

Mapping Services (WMS): Tools to access the NFHL from your own WMS client, such 

as Google Earth or GIS software. An overview of new data products for Risk MAP will 

also be presented. This presentation will help users get a better understanding of what 

tools are available to help them access digital flood data as we transition away from paper 

maps. 

Biography 

Scott McAfee has been working on the application of geospatial technologies to hazards 

and disasters since the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, when he worked for California 

OES. He currently works for FEMA Headquarters and Region IX out of the Oakland, 

California FEMA office. His work includes supporting the implementation of the “Digital 

Vision” of Map Mod, especially through the development of standards and tools that 

enhance the usability of DFIRMs for NFIP business and risk communication.

DFIRM Quality Review Tracking Database 

Jason Sweet, STARR RSC 7 

Alex Sirotek, CDM 

FEMA states “The vision for Risk MAP is to deliver quality data that increases public 

awareness and leads to action that reduces risk to life and property.” The level of public 

awareness and the amount of action depend on the quality of the product. In an effort to 

ensure the highest quality, STARR has developed a database for conducting and tracking 

the DFIRM Quality Reviews (QR3, QR5, and QR7). The database ensures consistency 

between reviews and across FEMA Regions. It also allows STARR to track the 

comments and their frequency which leads to additional training for Mapping Partners. 

This presentation will display the database and provide one example of how submission 

quality has been improved. It will also discuss future revisions to the database and review 

process. 


Jason graduated from Kansas State University with a MA in Geography in May 2006. He 

worked for the Kansas City District Corps of Engineers for three years, serving as the 

GIS Technical Lead on the Corps' MapMod National Product Delivery Team. He began 

working for the Regional Support Center in Kansas City in July 2009. 

Alex Sirotek is a GIS Specialist at CDM (a member of the STARR joint venture), 

working at the Region 1 Regional Service Center. He joined CDM two and a half years 

ago to work on DFIRM production for FEMA's map modernization program. Prior to 

that, he worked as a contractor at the Woods Hole USGS office on a deep sea coral 

geodatabase. He received a B.A. in biology from Kalamazoo College in 2005. 

Session G 

Thursday, May 20 2:00pm – 3:30pm 

G-1 – Coastal Floodplain Mapping Application 

Moderator: Stephen King, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Coastal Barrier Resources System Map Modernization 

Katie Niemi, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Stephen R. Kalaf, CFM, Dewberry 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is responsible for oversight of the Coastal 

Barrier Resources System (CBRS), comprising more than 3 million acres of coastal lands 

and waters in 23 states and territories. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) of 

1982 created the CBRS to restrict most federal funding (including federal flood 

insurance) that encourages development in high-risk and biologically rich coastal

habitats. The CBRS boundaries are depicted on a series of Congressionally-adopted maps 

that were last updated more than two decades ago using antiquated manual ink-on-paper 

cartographic methods. The underlying base maps on which the CBRS boundaries are 

drawn are, on average, 30 years old and in some cases inaccurately depict the features the 

CBRS boundaries are intended to follow. The maps are not suited to today’s GIS-based 

environment, thereby making it difficult to precisely determine whether certain properties 

or proposed projects are located within the CBRS. The official maps of the CBRS are 

maintained and revised by the Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

depicts the CBRS boundaries on their Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Congress has 

directed the Service to modernize the CBRS maps using digital technology. Modernizing 

the maps using digital technology will help improve compliance with CBRA and yield 

long-term benefits of improved customer service, programmatic efficiency, and easy to 

access information for coastal infrastructure planning. In 2009 the Service took the first 

significant step towards comprehensive map modernization with the submittal of its 

Digital Mapping Pilot Project report to Congress. The report contains draft digital maps 

for approximately 10 percent of the entire CBRS and describes the feasibility, data needs, 

and costs of completing digital maps for the remainder of the CBRS. The Service held a 

120-day public comment period on its pilot project report and draft maps in 2009. The 

Service will make adjustments to the pilot project maps, as appropriate, based on the 

public comments received, CBRA criteria, objective mapping protocols, and newer aerial 

imagery that is now available. The final recommended maps will be included in a report 

to Congress, per the directives of the Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act of 

2005 (P.L.109-226). The pilot project maps will not become effective until they are 

enacted by Congress through new legislation. This presentation will give an overview of 

CBRA, the digital mapping pilot project, and the next steps for modernizing the 

remainder of the CBRS maps. 

Biography 

Katie Niemi has served as the National Coastal Barriers Coordinator at the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service since 2003. Ms. Niemi oversees a national program responsible for 

administering the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA). From 1996 to 2003, Ms. Niemi 

held positions at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

including working on policy and strategic planning issues for the National Ocean Service; 

providing programmatic support to the NOAA Science Advisory Board; and serving as a 

Research Assistant to the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program, Marine and Coastal 

Ecosystem Directorate. Ms. Niemi received a Master of Public Affairs degree with a 

concentration in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management from Indiana 

University in 1999. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from 

Lawrence University in 1996.

Mapping of Primary Frontal Dunes within Region I 

Brian Caufield, CDM 

Timothy Hillier, CDM 

Kerry Bogdan, CDM 

The coastlines of New England are diverse in their geological settings. Many are the 

location of terminal moraines formed by the last glaciation period. These terminal 

moraines form the basis for large dune complexes along the New England coastlines. In 

order to identify the risk of coastal flooding within Region I, STARR has an established 

method for mapping Primary Frontal Dunes (PFD). STARR utilizes the method 

established by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management with some 

additional modifications. This presentation will provide the framework for which STARR 

maps PFDs as well as test cases of dune identification in Connecticut, Rhode Island and 

Massachusetts. 

Biography 

Mr. Caufield is a Coastal Engineer/Project Manager at CDM with specialization in the 

areas of wave mechanics, coastal processes, and FEMA’s map modernization program. 

He received a M.S. in the field of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from The 

University of Michigan in 2003. 

Improving FEMA’s Coastal Flood Plain Mapping 

Darryl Hatheway, CFM, AECOM Water 

Jonathan Westcott, PE, FEMA-HQ 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requested a study on the “Impact 

of Climate Change on the National Flood Insurance Program and Improving Coastal 

Flood Plain Mapping” in the fall of 2008. Two of the three study objectives are related to 

improving the identification and mapping of coastal flood hazards on Digital Flood 

Insurance Rate Maps. These two objectives are: (1) To evaluate and provide 

recommendations for improving FEMA’s primary frontal dune (PFD) regulations and 

policies; and (2) To conduct an investigation of a new coastal flood insurance zone, the 

Coastal A Zone, to better account for the increased risk to property or loss of life in areas 

close to the shoreline. AECOM was selected by FEMA through a full and open 

competitively bid contract to perform this study. 

The PFD Study and Coastal A Zone study final recommendations will be provided to 

FEMA in 2010 and will include an assessment of NFIP coastal mapping and alternatives 

for the PFD and Coastal A Zones areas; an assessment of flood insurance impacts; and 

development of floodplain mapping, floodplain management, mitigation, and insurance 

policy recommendations. The final draft results of these studies will be completed by 

mid-2010.

This presentation will provide a summary of the potential impacts to the NFIP if the final 

recommendations from the PFD Study and Coastal A Zone Study are implemented, 

including: implementation strategies and recommended guidance, specification, policy, 

and regulation changes to the NFIP to improve coastal floodplain mapping. 


Darryl Hatheway is a Senior Coastal Scientist with the BakerAECOM Production and 

Technical Services Team (AECOM Water), and has over 30 years of experience in the 

areas of coastal and oceanographic engineering, His specialization is in the area of FEMA 

coastal FISs, coastal erosion hazard assessments, wave height and runup analyses, 

hurricane inundation and storm surge modeling, DFIRM production, and QA/QC of 

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map products and publications. 

Jonathan Westcott is a Coastal Engineer and Program Specialist in the Risk Analysis 

Division of FEMA’s Mitigation Directorate. He has been working for the NFIP for 10 

years as both a contractor and a Federal employee. Jonathan has been with FEMA since 

July 2006 and is currently a coastal subject matter expert in the Engineering Management 

Branch. 

G-2 – NAI & NBF Policy Committees Round Table: Strengthening the Protection 

and Restoration of Naturally Beneficial Floodplain Functions 

Moderator: David Fowler, CFM, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, ASFPM 

Natural and Beneficial Functions Committee, ASFPM Region 5 Director 

Round Table Representatives: 

David Fowler, CFM, Natural and Beneficial Functions Committee 

Dave Carlton, Natural & Beneficial Functions Committee 

Christy Miller, No Adverse Impact Committee 

Kimberly Bitters, No Adverse Impact Committee 

Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers 

Development in flood-prone areas of the United States continues to destroy the natural 

functions and resources of floodplains (defined as all riparian areas, lake and ocean 

coastal zones, wetlands, and estuaries). The critical functions and resources of these areas 

are well-documented, and include flood storage, storm buffering, habitat, water filtration, 

groundwater recharge, recreation opportunities, carbon sequestration, and others. At the 

same time, flood losses continue to rise and the National Flood Insurance Program 

currently faces a debt to the U.S. Treasury of over $19 billion from Hurricane Katrina 

and other major floods over the past five years. The onset of climatic changes, 

accompanying potential for sea level rise, a burgeoning population, and the urbanization 

of watersheds are stressors that will only exacerbate the degradation of water-related 

ecosystems in the future. Although some consideration has been given in national policy 

to the importance of the “natural and beneficial functions” of floodplains, much more is 

needed. For progress to be achieved it will be necessary to fully incorporate such values

into legislation, policy, regulations, and programs, and to make sure that existing and 

future policies are implemented vigorously. To protect future generation’s well-being, 

defense of these floodplain attributes must be strengthened and, in many cases, be 

restored to a healthy condition. 

Many existing laws, policies, and programs address the protection of floodplain resources 

and functions, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, Executive 

Orders 11988 and 11990, The Water Resources Development Act, the Unified National 

Program for Floodplain Management, the National Environmental Policy Act, the 

National Flood Insurance Program, Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Act, and many 

others. The ASFPM plays a pivotal role in promoting sustainable development practices 

through the No Adverse Impact (NAI) initiative. The NAI philosophy represents a new 

approach to floodplain management that requires the identification and mitigation of all 

adverse development impacts including loss of naturally beneficial floodplain functions. 

NAI suggests that locating development out of harm’s way can serve multiple benefits 

including flood risk reduction and protection of naturally beneficial functions of both 

riparian and coastal floodplains. 

What can we do to strengthen protection and restoration requirements that will reduce 

flood losses? What form should such changes take in order to provide better protection 

for natural floodplains? How can implementation be improved so that resources do not 

suffer further? What new measures are needed? Come hear from the co-chairs of the NAI 

and NBF ASFPM policy committees and join in the discussion. 

G-3 – Oklahoma FPM Highlights 

Moderator: Bill Smith, PE, CFM, Oklahoma Floodplain Management Association 

Oklahoma Oil and Gas Floodplain Management 

Amy Brandley, CFM, Canadian County, OK 

As one of the leading states in oil and gas production as well as a national leader in 

floodplain management, Oklahoma is breaking ground in oil and gas floodplain 

management. The Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association is working closely with 

the oil and gas industry to develop statewide standards that will allow the industry to 

safely build production sites in our floodplains in a consistent way across the state. In 

addition, OFMA is training county floodplain administrators to apply the NFIP 

requirements to the oil and gas companies drilling in their floodplains. Floodplain 

ordinances and regulations require the permitting of all development in the floodplains. 

However, many communities across the nation have done little to assure that oil and gas 

floodplain development adheres to the same standards as other development, especially in 

the unincorporated areas of states where the majority of oil and gas drilling and storage 

takes place. The oil and gas industry is heavily regulated, but in Oklahoma, state 

regulation through the Oklahoma Corporation Commission does not include any 

floodplain management practices, which are left up to the local communities. Until oil

and gas companies become aware that the local community is enforcing floodplain 

regulations, the floodplain administrator (FPA) will have to seek out the drillers to inform 

and educate them about the floodplain permitting requirements. Methods for finding oil 

and gas sites will be discussed. Unless the floodplain administrator has some kind of 

background in the petroleum industry, he/she is probably unfamiliar with the types of 

equipment and processes being regulated. Our PowerPoint presentation shows slides of 

the various equipment used to drill and store product on a site and gives brief 

explanations of the processes and equipment. We discuss how to regulate the building of 

the drilling site, the drilling process, and most importantly, the storage of equipment, 

which must be anchored down, elevated, or moved out of the floodplain. Many slides are 

provided to show examples of compliant and non-compliant well sites. Documents 

required for a floodplain permit that may be unique to the oil and gas industry are 

presented. Procedures for following through with the permit application process are 

discussed. This presentation will demonstrate in detail how local floodplain managers and 

states can implement their own oil and gas floodplain management program. Oklahoma is 

providing an example to the nation of how to effectively manage oil and gas development 

in our floodplains. A good working partnership between floodplain management and the 

oil and gas industry is the ultimate goal. We discuss ways that our state, through the 

Oklahoma Water Resources Board, OFMA, and the legislature, is working with the oil 

and gas industry to develop successful oil and gas floodplain management practices. 

Biography 

Amy Brandley is Floodplain Administrator and GIS Coordinator for Canadian County, 

Oklahoma and is a nationally accredited Certified Floodplain Manager. Brandley is the 

secretary of the Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association and is a recipient of that 

organization’s Special Recognition Award for her groundbreaking work in oil and gas 

floodplain management at the state and national level. Brandley was named Floodplain 

Manager of the Year by OFMA in 2008. She attended Cornell University and the 

University of Oklahoma and lives outside of El Reno, OK with her daughter, Rosemary, 

on the family farm. Her interests outside of floodplain management include holistic 

health, photography, and the outdoors. 

Natural Gas Production in Floodplains: Chesapeake Energy's Methods and 

Procedures 

Cheryl Tramell, Chesapeake Energy Corporation 

Chesapeake Energy attempts to minimize impacts in developing and operating gas well 

sites. To this end, each new location is screened for a variety of potential environmental 

issues. Planning to address environmental concerns begins from the time a well is staked 

to be drilled and follow-up continues throughout the life of the well. This presentation 

will explain the process Chesapeake Energy takes to ensure floodplain regulations are 

met on applicable locations. In addition to describing the screening and permitting 

processes, it will cover the procedures that are enacted to floodproof a location, including

an overview of the equipment on locations, and the challenges industry faces from 

operating in multiple state and local jurisdictions. 

Biography 

Cheryl Tramell has worked at Chesapeake Energy for five years. As a Senior Field 

Specialist, her responsibilities include addressing environmental issues at new locations 

including treatment of locations near sensitive water bodies, wetlands, wellhead 

protection areas, and habitats of threatened and endangered species, as well as floodplain 

issues. She holds a MS in Biology and has a background in water quality issues. 

Where’s the Flood? 

Leslie Lewis, PE, CFM, Oklahoma Department of Transportation 

Jean Vieux, Vieux & Associates, Inc. 

On February 2, 2009, rainfall occurred over Oklahoma. The general areas affected could 

be identified by looking at maps of rainfall totals and radar data accumulations over the 

day. These sources of information could not indicate, however, where actual flooding had 

occurred. Which basins experienced enough rain to cause flooding? 

Many factors play a role in determining where rain water flows once it hits the ground. 

Not only how much rain falls, but how fast it falls is important. Characteristics of the 

watershed including channel cross-sections, soil type and moisture conditions, land use, 

and slope also play critical roles in determining where flooding occurs. Tracking rainfall 

and simulating how much water runs off the surface, where it is going and when it will 

get there, is a way to predict flooding. 

In this presentation, photos of the Purcell Bridge and post-flood waterline will be shown 

along with the system that predicted the flood. Accurate rainfall data and simulation 

software that predicts flooding are fed into a framework of bridge information system 

that is useful for emergency management and infrastructure monitoring. The system 

development and features will be presented and discussed. 

Biography 

Ms. Leslie Lewis graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a Bachelors of 

Science in Civil Engineering in 1991. She has become a licensed Professional Engineer 

and a Certified Floodplain Manager. She is a member of ASCE and has participated on 

the AASHTO technical committee for Hydrology and Hydraulics. Leslie also serves on 

the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association as a Regional 

Representative. After graduation, Leslie began to work for the Oklahoma Department of 

Tourism and Recreation where she worked on the Capitol Improvement Projects at the 

State Parks. Three years later Leslie transferred to the Oklahoma Department of 

Transportation. Upon completion of the engineering training program, Leslie chose 

bridge hydraulics as her permanent assignment. She was promoted to State Hydraulic

Engineer in 2004. During the seventeen years with the State of Oklahoma, Leslie has 

performed Hydraulic and Hydrologic bridge analysis, theoretical scour analysis and 

FEMA flood studies for state construction program. She also works with many other 

local, state, and federal agencies in acquiring funding, data, coordinating efforts, and 

obtaining permits. Leslie enjoys going to the lake, boating with family and friends, and 

most outdoor activities. She lives in Oklahoma City with her daughter Mary and father. 

G-4 – Gimme A "P" - Mitigation Planning and RiskMAP 

Moderator: Jeff Sparrow, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc., ASFPM Region 3 Director 

Risk Assessment and Planning: Trends Analysis 

Chad Berginnis, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Darrin Punchard, AECOM 

As required by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act, as amended by the Disaster 

Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA), and as required by the Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as 

amended by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004, one of the goals of Risk 

Mapping and Assessment and Planning (RISKMAP) is to aid the States, Tribal, and local 

entities in the development and review of compliant hazard mitigation plans. This 

presentation will look at the mitigation plans that have been reviewed during the first year 

of the RiskMAP Program and discuss the common deficiencies that have been found and 

present an analysis on the trends that have been exposed. A presentation will focus on 

steps to describe the risks and vulnerability assessments and planning required for a 

mitigation plan that will evolve into grant applications and successful projects. 

Biography 

Chad Berginnis is a senior specialist with Michael Baker Jr., Inc. in their Columbus, OH 

office. From 1993 to 1998, and again from 2000-2005, he worked in the Ohio Floodplain 

Management Program. He has been involved in creating/administering the Appalachian 

Flood Risk Reduction Initiative, a partnership initiative where participating communities 

receive technical assistance to create natural hazard mitigation plans. He also 

administered the Community Assistance Program and was co-author and project leader of 

the revised model state floodplain management regulations. In 1998, Mr. Berginnis 

became the planning director in Perry County, OH. He administered land use, economic 

development and floodplain management programs. Additionally, Mr. Berginnis 

authored the Village of Corning’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application and 

served as project manager. From 2005-2008, he was the State Hazard Mitigation Officer 

in Ohio overseeing statewide hazard mitigation planning and FEMA’s hazard mitigation 

programs. He oversaw the state’s hazard mitigation operations in three federally declared 

disasters and authored the 2008 update of the State’s mitigation plan. Mr. Berginnis holds 

a Bachelor of Science in natural resources from Ohio State University and is a certified 

floodplain manager.

Tribal Mitigation Planning - Updates and Options 

Diana Coho, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

Effective October 1, 2008, FEMA established a new type of hazard mitigation plan 

specific to Indian Tribal governments. Nearly 90 tribes have developed approved plans 

under previous state or local plan requirements that remain on their approved expiration 

and update cycles. All tribal plans approved by FEMA after October 1, 2008, are called 

Tribal Mitigation Plans, must meet the new requirements at 44 CFR §201.7, and are 

approvable for a five year period. This presentation will explain the rationale for creating 

this new type of plan, explain the planning process and flexibility for tribes in meeting 

public participation requirements, as well as mitigation options for flooding and other 

hazards. Options for tribes to participate in multi-jurisdictional plans with other tribes 

and/or other local governments will be discussed as will potential State roles in the plan 

review process. Grant options for tribes to participate in FEMA grant programs using this 

new plan type as either a grantee or a subgrantee will also be highlighted. 

Biography 

Ms. Diana Coho is a Community Planner and a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) in 

the Assessment and Planning Branch, Risk Analysis Division, Mitigation Directorate, 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Headquarters in Washington, DC. She 

develops policy, guidance, training, and outreach materials for planning and other 

Mitigation programs addressing multi-hazard planning, Tribal issues, floodplain 

management, disaster operations, and related topics. During the last twenty years, she has 

coordinated and administered grant programs, developed and delivered multi-media 

training and outreach programs, and participated in several ASFPM conferences and 

activities. 

Strategies to Integrated Core Hazard Mitigation Planning into RiskMAP Scoping 

Processes: Highlights of RiskMAP Data Opportunities in State, Regional and Local 

HIRA Updates 

Corinne Bartshire, AICP, CFM, Dewberry 

Shubha Shrivastava, AICP, CFM, URS Corporation 

Tess Grubb, CFM, FEMA Region III 

Deborah Gordon Mills, CFM, Dewberry 

During 2010 FEMA will begin implementation of the five-year Risk MAP investment in 

the next generation of flood and coastal hazard risk characterization products. As 

mitigation planning provides the foundation for reduction of risk, FEMA has sought to 

seek synergies between the flood and coastal hazard risk assessment processes and hazard 

mitigation planning. The flood mapping products envisioned for Risk MAP will provide 

increased, enhanced utility to state, local and university planners to more accurately 

pinpoint and characterize flood hazards, assign risk using HAZUS derived products such 

as depth grids, and analyze societal vulnerability. This effort, required through §322 plan 

guidance and crosswalks, will provide planners and their stakeholders with a more

accurate view of flood and coastal hazards that will drive development of targeted risk 

reduction strategies and projects in hazard mitigation plans. To implement the vision of 

full program integration, mitigation planning must be included throughout a local 

jurisdiction’s Risk MAP process. Strategies to integrate planning processes into the Risk 

MAP kick-off meeting, prioritization, and outreach and product utilization will be 

discussed. 

Biography 

Corinne Bartshire is a project manager and hazard mitigation planner for Dewberry's 

Disaster and Mitigation Services group. She also serves as the deputy lead for RAMPP's 

Communications, Outreach, and Training team as part of the implementation of the Risk 

MAP High Level Solution. Corinne's experience managing DFIRM development projects 

provides her with an understanding for the local perspective on floodplain management. 

As a professional planner by education and training, she develops custom hazard 

mitigation plans and conducts the necessary public and stakeholder outreach to ensure a 

comprehensive planning process. Risk MAP is an opportunity to combine hazard 

mitigation planning with floodplain management and Corinne is committed to the success 

of both fields. She is experienced in developing appropriate and actionable mitigation 

strategies based on technical risk assessments. Her commitment to client satisfaction 

results in quality writing and organization in all products. Corinne also serves Dewberry's 

Hazard Mitigation Technical Assistance Program team through Hazard Mitigation 

Assistance program grant application review, benefit cost analysis training, and postdisaster 

tasks such as perishable data collection (high water marks, etc.). 

G-5 – Dam/Levee Breach Modeling 

Moderator: Steve Jencen, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Preliminary Estimate of Dam Break Peak Discharge and Development of Dam 

Failure Impact Classes 

Kaveh Zomorodi, Ph.D, PE, CFM, Dewberry 

Dam break analysis and floodplain inundation mapping is usually performed to assess the 

flood hazards downstream of a dam. However, currently formal floodplain studies (such 

as the ones conducted for FEMA) do not include a dam break analysis. The floodplain 

management community is trying to find practical ways to consider the impacts of a dam 

failure in floodplain studies downstream of existing dams. The problem is that dam break 

modeling usually requires a relatively complicated and costly engineering study and it is 

not practical to provide such as study for every floodplain. This study presents a short 

cut methodology that enables preliminary estimates of peak flow discharges from a dam 

under Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) with and without dam failure due to overtopping. 

The dam PMF inflow and outflow is estimated by a new equation using the watershed 

area and curve number and the 6-hour Probable maximum Precipitation (PMP) depth. 

Also, based on previous dam break studies an empirical relationship is established

etween two dimensionless ratios: 1- ratio of the volume of PMF to the reservoir storage, 

2- ratio of dam break to no dam break PMF peak outflows. A new equation is developed 

to estimate the ratio of dam break to no dam break peak outflows. The overall impact of 

dam break in increasing the peak flows from a dam under PMF conditions may be 

categorized into three Dam Failure Impact Classes. These impact classes as well as the 

constant in the new equation are evaluated for dams in Virginia in this paper. The 

equation constant and the limits of the impact classes may have to be adjusted for other 

locations. 

Biography 

Dr. Kaveh Zomorodi is a Senior Water Resources Engineer at the Dewberry Companies. 

He received a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Hydrology and Water 

Resources) from Utah State University in 1988. He has twenty years of work experience 

in academic and consulting engineering work dealing with surface water, groundwater 

and water resources planning and management. Dr. Zomorodi has published over 30 

technical papers in various journals and conference proceedings and numerous R&D and 

project reports. His recent work has led to the development of new simplified approaches 

to several flood hazard analysis problems including frequency analysis of flood damage 

data and evaluation of average annual number of floods for evaluation of costeffectiveness 

of flood mitigation projects. Dr. Zomorodi has developed a short-cut 

methodology for estimating post-fire peak flow rates for California wildfires and for 

estimating Probable maximum Flood and dam break discharges. Dr. Zomorodi has led 

multiple riverine studies throughout the United States and has been instrumental in 

advancing Dewberry’s dam safety analysis and compliance program. 

The Impact of Dam Breach Inundation on Floodplains: A Comparative Mapping 

Assessment of the Residual Risk to Riverine Flood Zones 

Laura Rightler, EI, CFM, PBS&J 

Daven Patel, PE, PBS&J 

Floodplain and dam inundation mapping have similar objectives in estimating and 

visually illustrating the risk to life and property as accurately as feasible, following floods 

and/or dam failure. The maps can provide a quick reference through which decisions on 

infrastructure and land planning, hazard response and mitigation, and actuarial insurance 

rates, can be made. These events are not always mutually exclusive and it has been found 

that dams will often break during a single low probability flood. A sunny day, or “blue 

sky”, breach can occur, independent of a flood event passing through the reservoir. 

The impact of dam breach inundation has risen to the forefront due to the ageing of dams 

and the effects of climate change possibly leading to an increased frequency of failure. 

An increase in population, development and settlement in flood prone areas compounds 

the matter. This is especially the case for in-line impoundments and those that do not 

meet Dam Safety standards. However, the analyses, reporting and publication of 

floodplain and dam inundation mapping are not integrated, even when they describe the

same geographical area. In order to effectively and efficiently identify and communicate 

risk, monitor exposure to multiple flood hazards and implement flood warning and 

response operations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, through the Risk 

MAP initiative has provided an opportunity to address these issues by applying a holistic 

approach to floodplain mapping. 

This presentation will specifically evaluate the results obtained from the hydrologic 

analyses and hydraulic modeling of the regulated riverine floodplains located 

downstream of a dam, then superimpose the potential inundation of dam breach events 

using vertical and plan overlays. Several dam breach scenarios will be discussed and the 

impact on the regulated floodplain will be assessed. 

Biography 

Ms. Rightler is a water resources engineer with PBS&J and a certified floodplain 

manager. As an engineer at PBS&J, she develops hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) 

models, and floodplain mapping used for the preparation of Digital Flood Insurance Rate 

Maps DFIRMs, inundation maps, and FEMA map revisions. She has over seven years 

professional experience in civil engineering, design and modeling with a focus in 

stormwater management and floodplain mapping. She holds a B.S. degree in Civil 

Engineering from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 

Nairobi, Kenya and a M.S. in Information Design and Technology from the Georgia 

Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia. 

A Research on Techniques and Models for Dam Break Modeling 

Rahul Parab, PE, Taylor Engineering, Inc. 

Michael B. Kabiling, PhD, P.E., CFM, Taylor Engineering, Inc. 

After the 2005 flooding in New Orleans resulting from levee breaks during Hurricane 

Katrina, governments all over the world are re-evaluating levees and dam safety 

procedures. As part of the dam safety procedures, many government official in-charge of 

maintaining dams are revisiting risks associated with dam break failure. Out of the 108 

dam breaks in the last 100 years, about 85% of the dam breaks are due to piping or 

overtopping. 

Today, several computer-based modeling tools provide the means to evaluate dam break 

flood and damages related to the flood. Most of these models require inputs of dam 

breach parameters like maximum breach width, breach height, breach side slopes and 

breach formation time. Empirical equations based on historical data and physically 

derived erosion based equations can provide estimates of these dam breach parameters. 

Case studies in literature show empirical equations based on historical data typically tend 

to either underestimate or overestimate dam breach parameters and the breach outflow 

volumes. This inaccurate prediction of breach outflow may result in larger inundated 

flood areas than the actual case. In order to overcome inaccurate prediction of breach 

flows, it is sometimes desirable to rely on soil erosion-based equations that provide more

ealistic breach flow. Erosion-based equations are particularly suitable in dam breaks 

where breach flow is influenced by both upstream and downstream (e.g., backwater in 

flat floodplains) hydraulic conditions. 

There are over 30 computer-based mathematical dam breach hydraulic models to 

simulate a dam break using empirical equations and soil erosion-based equations. Two 

models — MIKE11 from Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) and HEC-RAS from U.S 

Army Corps of Engineers — are widely used to simulate dam breach and flood. MIKE11 

can simulate dam breach by calculating dam breach parameters using the National 

Weather Service (NWS) empirical based equations or Engelund and Hansen erosion 

equations. HEC-RAS simulates dam breach using breach progression curves. 

The present case study presents the differences in dam breach flow and flood routing 

from MIKE11 and HEC-RAS models. The hypothetical case study assumes a closed lake 

with an area of 100 square miles, with a maximum water depth of 25 ft. NWS and 

erosion-based equations provide dam breach parameters in MIKE11. MIKE11 provides 

the maximum breach formation time and dam breach progression in HEC-RAS. A 

comparison of breach outflow hydrographs from MIKE 11 and HEC-RAS models using 

similar breach formation techniques shows marginal differences. In cases where the 

backwater effects are significant, erosion-based equations tend to provide more intuitive 

breach formation parameters than empirical regression equations. 

Biography 

Mr. Parab obtained his Bachelors in Engineering (Civil) from University of Mumbai, 

India and Masters in Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo, Ohio. 

He is currently working as a Project Civil Engineer in the Hydrology and Hydraulics 

Group at Taylor Engineering Inc.’s Jacksonville office. His work involves hydrology and 

hydraulic modeling studies for FEMA’s Flood Insurance Program, design of flood 

control systems, drainage studies and watershed modeling. He also serves as a project 

manager for countywide flood insurance studies. He is a registered Professional Engineer 

in the State of Texas. 

G-6 - Evaluating the Effectiveness of Stormwater Management Techniques 

Moderator: Paul Woodward, PE, CFM, Olsson Associates, ASFPM Urban Stormwater 

Management Committee, ASFPM Region 7 Director 

LID Stormwater Solutions for a Midwestern Community 

John Ruhl, PE, CFM, Black & Veatch 

Stormwater management is an important issue for communities across the nation. The 

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and its mandatory 

compliance programs, aging infrastructure, streambank erosion and flooding, and 

increased citizen interest in improving water quality and promoting sustainable

landscapes is driving cities to prioritize capitol expenditures, develop monitoring and 

educational programs and adopt new design standards. Innovative low-impact 

development (LID) techniques allow stormwater on a developed site to be managed in a 

manner that retains predevelopment hydrologic and ecological functions, while 

addressing major NPDES compliance requirements. However, communities and 

developers debate the economic and fiscal benefits and impacts of LID. The authors 

compared life cycle costs and water quality benefits of LID scenarios with traditional 

development scenarios to help evaluate the cost-effectiveness of LID approaches and to 

inform future policies and design criteria. An economic analysis and water quality 

modeling were performed at the site level. To evaluate a variety of redevelopment 

opportunities, the authors selected three distinctive sites. These sites represent a mixed 

use commercial redevelopment, a multi-family development, and a typical single family 

residence. The study applied a tiered approach to alternative site concepts. The base LID 

design scenario satisfies the regional American Public Works Association (APWA) 

Manual for Best Management Practices for Stormwater Quality (BMP Manual) and 

regional stormwater drainage design standards. The second, more comprehensive LID 

scenario meets the regional BMP design standards and exceeds the regional stormwater 

drainage design criteria. The capital costs in the base LID scenario are actually lower in 

one case and are offset by lower maintenance and operations at the commercial and 

multifamily residential sites. In the base scenario at both sites, the return on investment is 

comparable to a traditional version of the same site. This study concludes that a more 

comprehensive application of LID (the second tier approach) increases development costs 

without proportionate water quality benefits but does reduce runoff significantly. This 

study also concludes that residential retrofits provide significant water quality benefits 

and that cities should consider incentives for homeowners. To actualize the potential 

benefits of LID development, the study provides recommendations to update codes and 

ordinances. The city of Mission’s existing codes did not significantly conflict with LID 

concepts, but several revisions could provide additional options. To increase the 

application of LID practices and realize potential water quality benefits identified in this 

study, the most significant step would be to adopt the regional BMP Manual. The City 

plans to use this study as a foundation moving forward and implement substantial 

changes to the Municipal Code in order to not only allow but require improved 

stormwater and environmental management strategies. This presentation will address the 

following areas: • Compare the life-cycle costs and benefits of LID and traditional 

redevelopment. • Analyze the developer’s potential return on investment for LID and 

traditional redevelopment, and • Provide policy and ordinance recommendations made to 

the City of Mission, Kansas which may be applicable to other communities. 

Biography 

Mr. Ruhl is a water resources engineer with Black & Veatch in Overland Park, Kansas. 

He has 31 years of experience with the firm. He has extensive experience in hydrology, 

hydraulics, and water resources planning and design. He has provided services for the 

National Flood Insurance Program since 1979. Mr. Ruhl has recently functioned as 

Program Manager for the Black & Veatch participation on the National Service Provider 

team. He formerly led study and mapping contract engagements with FEMA Regions V

and VII. He has also worked for numerous Corps of Engineer districts on floodplain 

mapping projects. Mr. Ruhl was the project manager for the Rock Creek Watershed 

Planning Alternative Futures Study performed for the Corps of Engineers, Kansas City 

District. The study looked at storm water low-impact development (LID) techniques and 

their applicability to areas of redevelopment in Mission, Kansas. The study will be of 

particular interest to community floodplain managers in considering the applicability of 

LID techniques in their own communities. 

NAI - More Than the Base Flood 

Ellen Stevens, PhD, PE, CFM, Ellen Stevens, PhD, PE, PE, PLLC 

Bill Barfield, PhD, PE, Woolpert 

Most floodplain ordinances and floodplain administration practices are oriented to 

regulating the 1% Annual Chance Event, commonly referred to as the 100-Year Event. 

This works as long as the objective is primarily reducing damage from flooding events. 

Managing floodplain development to protect the natural and beneficial functions, 

however, requires are more comprehensive approach than merely maintaining base flood 

elevation and base flood discharge at current levels. For example, one aspect of 

protecting natural flood storage and conveyance is maintaining a stable channel which 

does not lose capacity through sediment accumulation. Research done by the EPA and 

others has shown that the more frequent events – 2-year and smaller storms – represent 

the primary source of problems with stream degradation. This has led the EPA to recently 

propose rules related to controlling runoff and peak discharge from percentile storms, 

usually 85 or 95 percent. For example, a 95 percentile storm is one rainfall event whose 

magnitude is, on average, equal to or greater than 95 percent of the storms occurring in a 

year. Another example is protecting the chemical and biological integrity of floodplains. 

Again, research by the EPA and others has shown that the most damaging impacts to 

habitat, aquatic life, and riparian zones result from the incursions of sediment and toxic 

substances carried by storms that occur several times per year. Currently, the EPA is 

proposing water quality regulations for a percentile storm. A final example is that the 

impact of increases in runoff volume, particularly as experienced repeatedly in the 

smaller events, are not mitigated by floodplain management strategies that focus on 

controlling the peak discharge and water elevation of the base flood. Increased runoff 

volume has been identified as a principal source of collapsing streambanks and loss of 

riparian vegetation. In addition, the extra runoff volume brings with it more nutrients, 

pesticides, and other toxic materials. Therefore, controlling the impacts of smaller, more 

frequent storms is critical to preserving natural and beneficial floodplain functions and 

will likely be a requirement once the proposed EPA rules are adopted. Different types of 

stormwater management structures (BMPs) for controlling runoff volume, sediment, and 

nutrients will be presented, along with techniques for analyzing their effectiveness. One 

means of evaluating the effectiveness of a BMP is through analysis of its impact on the 

average annual runoff volume or average annual load of sediment and other pollutants. A 

technique for making this assessment will be presented. This presentation will provide 

community floodplain managers with information to assist them in promoting and

enforcing “No Adverse Impact” management strategies and in being compliant with the 

proposed EPA rules. 

Biography 

Ellen Stevens is a Civil Engineering consultant specializing in stormwater systems, 

floodplain management, and water infrastructure planning. In addition, she advises both 

private and municipal clients on stormwater and erosion control compliance issues. She is 

involved in research and advocacy for smart growth and green development and sits on 

the OKC Green Infrastructure Task Force. In addition, she is the contract city engineer 

for the City of Piedmont, OK. Ellen has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from 

Oklahoma State University, is a registered professional engineer in Oklahoma and 

Mississippi and a Certified Floodplain Manager. She is presently the Chair of the 

Oklahoma Floodplain Manager’s Association and is a past president of the Oklahoma 

Society of Professional Engineers and the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation. 

Green Tools for Urban Stormwater Quality 

Ted Blahnik, PE, Williams Creek Consulting 

This presentation will look at how a city can utilize Green Infrastructure (GI) for 

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) abatement, cost savings at wastewater treatment 

plants, improved water quality, decreased erosion, decreased run-off and improved 

aesthetics. The presentation will look at an in-depth technical and financial analysis of the 

potential outcomes of implementing Green Infrastructure Best Management Practices (GI 

BMPs) on a large scale throughout Indianapolis, Indiana. Results indicate up to 30% 

reduction in peak flows where GI BMPs are implemented and approximately 1.6 billion 

gallons per year of stormwater to be removed from the CSO system. The most cost 

effective GI BMPs appear to be on-lot residential rain gardens, dual use passive 

recreation and distributed storage bioretention systems along streets and alleys. The 

Mayor of Indianapolis started the Office of Sustainability and the SustainIndy Fund in his 

bold and innovative enterprise for making Indianapolis more sustainable. SustainIndy is 

aimed at delivering long term cost savings to tax payers and improving our local 

environment. The Green Infrastructure Master Implementation Plan was one of the first 

initiatives taken on by the Office of Sustainability to look at options for cost savings 

while improving aesthetics for the visitors and residents of Indianapolis. This 

presentation will educate attendees about the types of GI BMPs, average costs for 

treatment and effectiveness for stormwater management and CSO abatement. 

Biography 

Ted Blahnik, PE is a Founding Principal of Williams Creek Consulting and is a registered 

Professional Engineer in eight states. He has 20 years experience in ecological and 

environmental consulting focusing on design and construction of natural systems for 

resource mitigation, stormwater management, wastewater treatment, and CSO abatement. 

He has applied experience in the current practice of Low Impact Development, Green

Infrastructure Best Management Practices and LEED techniques for stormwater 

management in industrial, commercial, and residential developments along with 

municipalities. Mr. Blahnik holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from 

Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters of Science from Louisiana State 

University. 

G-7 – Model and Data Management 

Moderator: Scott Edelman, AECOM, ASFPM Foundation President 

Community Engagement in Model and Map Maintenance Program 

Ataul Hannan, PE, CFM, Harris County Flood Control District 

Beth Norton, FEMA-HQ 

The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), is a Cooperating Technical Partner 

(CTP), with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). First action was 

executed by the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP). TSARP resulted in 

the restudy of 22 major watersheds and approximately 1300 miles of channels. HCFCD is 

one of the few CTPs that identify ways to keep the models, mapping, and data and 

current following the map modernization process. Over the past two years, HCFCD has 

worked with FEMA on post-TSARP activities including Mapping Activity Statement for 

Continuous Updates (MAS-14), which was recently signed by both parties. The objective 

of the Continuous Update MAS-14 is to manage a master set of current and accurate 

hydrologic and hydraulic models and their supporting data for watersheds within Harris 

County, and to make this available to the NFIP communities and other users. HCFCD is 

committed to maintaining the models and data. HCFCD will continuously update the 

models after LOMRs are approved by FEMA. This paper discusses the HCFCD approach 

and processes to keep models current and accurate. This paper also discusses each of the 

update process and the implementation of appropriate policies to prevent adverse 

impacts, and develop tools to efficiently maintain and keep the models up to date into the 

future. HCFCD with FEMA started the systematic model and map maintenance process. 

HCFCD had a significant investment in the web application product called the Model and 

Map Management (M3) system. The M3 system will provide the District and the 

development community with a set of tools, maintenance of up-to-date models, and 

provision for notification of potentially overlapping studies, provision of efficient model 

request and submittal functionality and seamless integration into the FEMA LOMR 

process. This presentation will discuss HCFCD approach and processes to keep models 

current and accurate and also discuss MAS-14 advantages towards LOMR delegation 

program. Recently FEMA awarded HCFCD the LOMR delegation responsibility. LOMR 

Delegation is a natural extension of these activities done by the Continuous Update 

MAS-14 program and the M3 system. Combined, they would ensure accurate and 

updated mapping and modeling that would be of significant benefit to Harris County and 

FEMA.

Biography 

Mr. Hannan is a water resources engineer with over twelve years experience in watershed 

management and water resources engineering. He provides technical support to FEMA’s 

NFIP and Disaster Relief Program. He performs critical reviews of hydrology and 

hydraulic analyses, and assists in resolving complex problems. He was the lead project 

engineer for North Carolina state wide mapping project and TSARP project (Harris 

County). He has worked as a project engineer for numerous Flood Insurance Studies in 

Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, and 

California. Projects have been primarily associated with water resources engineering and 

have included hydrology, hydraulics, floodplain determination, drainage and flood 

control, storm water, detention, bridge scour, sediment transport and alluvial fan. Mr. 

Hannan is working as a Project Manager in the district and he is the Program Manager for 

the LOMR Delegation and Continuous Update program. Mr. Hannan is the author of 

more than 75 papers and abstracts on a variety of H&H, NFIP regulations and floodplain 

mapping topics. 

Data Flow in the Information Age 

Glenn Wright, AECOM 

Daniel Aguilar, San Antonio River Authority (SARA) 

As we proceed down the path of becoming a “paperless” society, we continue to utilize 

and publish greater volumes of information. The recent Map Modernization program is a 

good example of this, with huge amounts of digital data used to create digital maps. With 

Risk MAP starting this year and the cessation of paper mapping products, it has become 

even more important to communicate with communities, contractors, and FEMA to track, 

create, and disseminate information. Many ways of communication are already being 

used whether it is e-mail, phone calls, or meetings. However if one computer, server, or 

site could store and distribute all the project data, communication, and management 

information seamlessly it could save time and money. In this presentation, we will 

illustrate some of the issues at hand, along with some novel solutions that can be used to 

facilitate a shared service to communicate more freely with getting information overload. 

First, we will illustrate projects that developed and used these solutions in Bexar County, 

Texas (DFIRM appeals & protests blog, Westside Creeks project portal). Then we will 

display the options considered for Risk MAP and the development of a system that will 

hopefully be used with the new Risk MAP initiative to not only aid project management 

but increase Community Outreach and the free flow of information to communities. 

Biography 

Glenn Wright is a Professional Engineer and a Certified Floodplain Manager who has 

been involved in floodplain determination and management for his entire career. He 

holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and has been performing floodplain 

modeling and mapping for FEMA for over 10 years. Since 2004, he has worked as an 

assistant project manager and technical advisor for FEMA’s Map Modernization program

in Region VI and is now a project manager for several Risk MAP studies in Region IX. 

In these roles he has conducted scoping meetings, coordinated topographic and survey 

data collection and processing, performed floodplain studies, performed quality control 

checks on studies and floodplain mapping, and collaborated in the development of 

various strategies for outreach related to floodplain mapping projects. 

Data Management – Keeping Track is half the Fun 

Eric Pescatore, AECOM 

Keeping track of the latest standards and engineering decisions can be a challenge, 

especially when a project has team members and/or mapping partners in different parts of 

the county. The amount of data that has to be managed can be staggering. As new flood 

mapping techniques and new engineering decisions are developed, managing and 

documenting the information generated by these changes can drastically affect the quality 

assurance processes performed by mapping partners. This paper will explore different 

ways of sharing and documenting data between different mapping partners or offices 

processing floodplain management information, with a focus on data management plans, 

knowledge sharing programs and document management systems, as well as the quality 

assurance/quality control documentation process. 

Biography 

Eric Pescatore is a GIS Specialist at CDM in Cambridge, MA and has been with the firm 

for over 6 years. He received his BA in Geography and Studio Art (Graphic Design) from 

Clark University, MA in 2003. He has worked on a wide variety of design projects and 

became involved in the FEMA Map Modernization Project in 2007. He’s worked on 

many aspects of the MapMod/RiskMAP programs, ranging from preliminary scoping, 

DFIRM production, data/project management, QAQC rolls, application development and 

more. 

G-8 – DFIRM Mapping Issues 

Moderator: Laurie Carrette, PE, CFM, HDR 

Mapping Communities in Multiple Counties: A Recommendation to FEMA 

Jason Wilson, PE, CFM, AMEC Earth and Environmental 

Matt Hudson, EIT, LEED® AP, AMEC Earth & Environmental 

As it transitions from Map Modernization to RiskMAP, FEMA is venturing into 

unchartered “waters” in an attempt to expand upon the current flood insurance rate map 

format. Perhaps now is a better time than ever to evaluate some of the most basic 

concepts in producing FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps. It is common knowledge that 

water does not follow artificial lines such as county and community boundaries. The 

knowledge that communities don’t necessarily follow county boundaries is far less

common. After mapping all 67 counties during the map modernization program, the 

State of Alabama Office of Water Resources and AMEC Earth and Environmental fully 

understand the good and bad aspects of multi-county community mapping. 

Many counties were mapped in countywide format for the first time during map 

modernization. Effective maps from the unincorporated areas were merged with maps 

from individual communities, resulting in a seamless set of maps in a countywide format. 

This process worked well in cases where communities were entirely contained within a 

single county, but when community boundaries cross the boundaries of two or more 

counties, problems arise. Appendix K of the FEMA Guidelines and Specifications for 

Flood Hazard Mapping Partners outlines three processing options for multi-county 

communities. In the past, FEMA and its Regional Support Centers have encouraged 

multi-county communities to be processed entirely within a single county, including areas 

that extend outside of that county. That option, known as “Processing Option 2”, 

prevents the multi-county community from having to regulate using multiple sets of maps 

with different effective dates. 

To the casual observer, this would sound like a reasonable approach. As map 

modernization comes to a close and map maintenance begins, the problems caused by 

multi-county communities are now becoming more evident. This presentation will 

discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each processing option for multi-county 

communities and provide recommendations to FEMA on how to improve their handling. 

Biography 

Mr. Wilson has over five years of experience as a water resources engineer. He is 

presently serving as Water Resources Engineer / Project Manager in Birmingham, 

Alabama. Mr. Wilson manages the State of Alabama Map Modernization / DFIRM 

project as a satellite office of Nashville Water Resources. . He has experience 

performing hydrologic and hydraulic modeling using one-dimensional models. He has 

worked on various water resources projects, including drainage studies, stormwater 

utilities, water quality studies, scour analysis, stormwater infrastructure projects, and 

DFIRM production. He has also served as Project Manager for projects involving 

hydraulic analysis in several residential developments. Mr. Wilson has extensive 

experience with several computer programs, including HEC-1, HEC-2, HEC-HMS, 

HEC-RAS, and SWMM. Mr. Wilson is also familiar with several CADD and GIS 

programs including AutoCAD, MicroStation, Arc-View, and ArcMap. 

Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map Panel Management Module 

Katherine Hermann, CFM, Dewberry 


Huidae Cho, PhD, EIT, CFM, Dewberry 

With the advent of Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), detailed datasets are 

created for the production of the DFIRMs, however the organization and issuance of

DFIRM panels is still done manually. In order to improve the efficiency of preliminary 

and post-preliminary DFIRM issuances, Dewberry created an automated DFIRM panel 

management module to visually review impacts of adjacent county mapping initiatives, 

auto-assign map panel suffixes, and track the DFIRM issuances. A case study is 

underway using this module for new stream restudies in North Carolina. The North 

Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP) has transitioned from FEMA’s Map 

Modernization program to a maintenance phase, focused on providing map updates in the 

form of Physical Map Revisions (PMRs) for riverine and coastal restudies. A statewide 

paneling scheme is used in North Carolina to organize the over 10,000 DFIRMs 

produced. Because of the statewide paneling format, flood hazard data is shown across 

and along all corporate limits on the statewide panels. Map maintenance restudies are 

performed in a watershed-basis for map maintenance. As stream restudies are needed, the 

affected communities are provided new flood hazard data and updates to DFIRMs are 

frequent. The revisions for map maintenance will cause many DFIRM panels to be issued 

preliminary and effective multiple times, due to the statewide paneling scheme. As the 

NCFMP third-party QA/QC and program management contractor, Dewberry is 

responsible for ensuring panel updates (including suffix advancement) are accurate and 

for issuing preliminary data to affected communities. The module performs a variety of 

analyses on geospatial databases and visually organizes printed panels for multicounty/community 

DFIRMs. County and Statewide databases are accessible by multiple 

users using ESRI’s Spatial Database Engine (SDE). For the North Carolina case study, 

the digital data is in the North Carolina DFIRM database geodatabase format. When 

DFIRM production is complete and the DFIRM panels are sent to Dewberry for the 

QA/QC review from the engineering and mapping contractor, draft digital data in 

geodatabase format is submitted as well to assist in performing a complete QA/QC 

review. The submitted data is clipped to include only new flood hazard data for the new 

stream restudies in each county. This data is then loaded into to the module and timestamped 

for archival purposes. The module analyzes the stream restudy data and 

develops tables to assign new suffixes for each panel affected by a new flood hazard 

study. The module also uses data from contiguous counties and/ or communities to 

determine how the new and/or revised flood hazard studies affect each contiguous county 

and/or community. The tables and viewer allow the reviewer to evaluate suffixes while 

understanding how new flood hazard data may affect a contiguous county and/or 

community. Preliminary and effective panel issuances are tracked to ensure the correct 

suffix is utilized and the correct DFIRM panels are printed and mailed for each county 

and/or community. This module provides Dewberry with a streamlined process for 

tracking revision issuances and DFIRM suffixes, thus eliminating the need for the 

traditional manual processing. This presentation will explain the need for the module, 

explain the use of the module, and show a demo of the module using real digital data. 

Biography 

Katherine Hermann has 5 years of experience in flood hazard mapping and has supported 

the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP) since 2005 by overseeing 

DFIRM QA/QC reviews and program support activities at Dewberry. She provides 

technical and program support on issues impacting the program, such as the map

maintenance program, technical mapping issues associated with statewide mapping, levee 

certifications and mapping, appeal and protest resolution, and post-preliminary 

processing. Also, Ms. Hermann develops program support media including reports, fact 

sheets, presentations, and training seminars – and assisted the NCFMP in development of 

annual 5-year Business Plans. She coordinates extensively with state and local personnel. 

She is also a CFM. 

DFIRMs: Now That You Have Them, What Do You Do With Them 

Chris Budd, CFM, PBS&J 

Joe Martinenza, PE, CFM, PBS&J 

As FEMA’s Map Modernization Program draws to a conclusion, many counties now 

have a Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM). Using the flooding layer from the 

effective DFIRM Database, a Community Official can make accurate and fast permitting 

decisions as well as have the confidence that that their decisions are protecting life and 

property from flooding events. Simple attribute labeling techniques can be applied to add 

as much or as little freeboard as desired. Clipping your community’s parcel layer with the 

flooding layer can produce a targeted list of individuals where additional outreach 

including mailings, open houses, and general informational can be disseminated to best 

communicate the risk. When disasters occur, having plans in place to collect highwater 

marks that can be transferred into your data is valuable for calibrating effective modeling. 

Major discrepancies between data sets can help prioritize stream reaches that require new 

analyses. Communicating with the State and Federal agencies tasked with updating the 

maps is also a vital step so that your community’s mapping needs and prior unmet needs 

are heard and documented. These factors will help ensure that your community is 

sequenced as early as possible in future mapping cycles. This presentation will provide 

Community Officials with tools and methods that allow them to take advantage of the 

digital data and focus on specific things that they can do to make the most of their 

DFIRMs and position them for future map updates. Additionally, this will engage the 

officials to take part in validating their data which will help ensure their needs are 

captured. 

Biography 

Chris Budd is a Project Manager with ten years experience in the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). His 

experiences within the NFIP include the production, and management of Letter of Map 

Changes (LOMCs), quality assurance reviews (audits) for FEMA’s other Map 

Contractors, and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) production for FEMA 

Regions IV, V and VII. Mr. Budd also is involved in various outreach and training 

modules regarding the NFIP and the Association of State Flood Plain Manager’s 

Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Program. Mr. Budd is the currently a Project 

Manager for the Georgia Map Modernization Program. His main role is to offer technical 

support to the State of Georgia with their mapping projects and to provide public 

outreach in various forums. He is also responsible for overseeing the daily production of

DFIRMs for Georgia and conducting Preliminary DFIRM Community Coordination 

meetings. 

Session H 

Thursday, May 20 4:00pm – 5:30pm 

H-1 – Watershed-Level Assessments 

Moderator: Bob Freitag, CFM, ASFPM Region 10 Director 

Regional/Watershed Interagency Flood Risk Management Team: Collaborative 

Risk Reduction 

Bruce Munholand, PE, PMP, US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District 

Regionalization of flood risk management & risk reduction measures across watershed 

and multi-state boundaries provides opportunity for states and local agencies to work 

directly with federal agencies, including US Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, NRCS, 

USGS, USFWS, NOAA/NWS and others, to collaboratively address flood risk reduction 

and communication holistically. The framework is designed to ensure critical interagency 

dialogue continues beyond the aftermath of a disaster event, and fill the void where 

federal and state actions are coordinated as they relate to infrastructure, flood protection, 

and hazard mitigation issues in the 2-10 year timeframe after an event. Some of the 

primary goals are to 1) carry out local, state, and federal flood risk and watershed 

management programs and activities that compliment existing mitigation activities and 

address regional needs holistically, 2) ensure non-structural measures that have regional 

merit are given equal consideration to traditional structural solutions, 3) provide oversight 

of regional/watershed activities in consonance with the National Flood Risk Management 

Program, and 4) grow in understanding of state long-term mitigation plans and enable the 

implementation of those plans. This presentation will validate the tremendous value of 

long term multi-state and federal interagency partnerships to impact traditional 

approaches to flood risk management, reduction, and communication by highlighting 

regional collaborative efforts that resulted in national, regional, and local policy 

revisions, immediate non-structural measures analysis, data sharing, emergency 

preparedness, and rapid dissemination of information at all levels. 

Biography 

Bruce Munholand has been with the US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District 

since September 2006 occupying his current position as head of the District's Project 

Management Branch, responsible for oversight of the execution of the major flood risk 

management, navigation, and ecosystem enhancement design and construction projects. 

In July 2008 Bruce was asked to lead an Interagency Levee Task Force (ILTF) that was 

activated to provide a regional forum for collaborative flood disaster response oversight 

in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB), in response to flooding that occurred in

June 2008 in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. In that 

capacity Mr. Munholand was tasked with establishing the full-working partnership within 

6 weeks after the emergency declaration. He functioned in that capacity until the ILTF 

was de-activated in July 2009. The partner agencies saw great value in continuing the 

effort on a long term basis, so Bruce has been assisting with laying the foundation for a 

long term Regional Flood Risk Management Team in the states containing the UMRB. 

Prior to coming to St. Louis, Bruce spent 26 years in Alaska District having a variety of 

responsibilities in project management, engineering, and construction divisions, spanning 

across all aspects of Civil Works and Military design and construction. Mr. Munholand 

worked in private practice for 5 years before joining the Corps of Engineers. Mr. 

Munholand graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor Degree in Civil 

Engineering, is a registered professional engineer in the State of Minnesota since 1981, 

and became a Certified Project Management Professional in 2008. Bruce resides in St. 

Charles, MO, with his wife Keri and 2 children, and a third much more independent child 

still lives in Alaska. 

Integration of International Flood Protection and Spatial Planning in the Odra 

River Basin 

Janusz Zaleski, PhD, WARR Wroclaw &Wrocław & Institute of Meteorology & Water 

Management Warsaw 

Bogdan Nowak, PCU Wrocław & Wrocław University of Technology 

In response to floods caused by climate change and human activities in the Polish river 

valleys, the European Commission has prepared a Directive on the Assessment and 

Management of Floods (2007/60/EC). This important supplement to the Framework 

Water Directive (2000/60/EC) sets up protection measures with regard to all types of 

waters within the Community. Integration of International Flood Protection and Spatial 

Planning in the Odra River Basin introduces a new European regulation/standard and 

illustrates implementation of this directive into the trans-boundary portion of the Odra 

River Basin. Flowing through the territories of three countries, respectively, Czech 

Republic, Poland and Germany, the Odra River Basin is approximately 120.000 sq. 

kilometers. In 1997, these waters were classified as a thousand-year flood when an 

unprecedented storm affected the international boundaries. Flood losses on Polish 

territory was estimated at $3.5 billion USD. The Czech Republic accounted for 

approximately €550 million in losses, while Germany tallied up 330 million in losses due 

to the flood. Since this incident, floods have hit the region, mostly in mountainous areas 

of the basin, almost every year, and a sizable flash flood inundated the region in the 

summer of 2009. In 2005, a modern flood monitoring and warning system for flood 

protection strategically placed in the Odra River Basin, with support from World Bank, 

was implemented. Since 2008, an innovative project designed to improve flood 

protection is underway with a completion date of 2014 and a budget of 505 million. This 

project is a collaborative agreement between the World Bank and the Council of 

European Development Bank. Due to the Odra River Basin’s international significance, 

integration of actions on a national level, in accordance with European directives, in 

particular with the Flood Directive adopted by the European Parliament in 2007 and its

draft versions, serve as a road map for completion. The project ODERREGIO Spatial 

Planning for Preventive Flood Protection in the Oder Catchment Area, co-financed by the 

European Union from 2003 to 2008 was a joint initiative between Polish, German and 

Czech public institutions responsible for flood protection. A joint team consisting of 

German, Polish and Czech experts, with full participation of implementing agencies 

responsible for flood protection and spatial planning, have collaborated on implementing 

a plan for the entire Odra River floodplain, as flood issues impact each country affected 

by flooding waters. As a result, on a coordinated national level, measures are now aimed 

at improving flood safety for the entire affected region. This paper presents a study of the 

main influences of this project and its significance for further joint international actions 

within the Odra River Basin. Significant results of the study include high risk maps, 

inundation maps and potential damages maps of the Odra floodplain, which also includes 

an International Action Plan for the entire Odra floodplain integrating flood risk 

reduction activities for all three countries affected. This study also presents information 

for implementation of an EU Flood Directive for the entire Odra River Basin. Outcomes 

of this ongoing project have been presented and utilized in the work of the International 

Commission for the Protection of the Odra River against Pollution, which, after the 1997 

flood, received a mandate from the governments of Poland, the Czech Republic and 

Germany to coordinate catchment-based flood protection measures and actions aimed at 

implementing the EU Flood Directive. 

Biography 

Janusz Zaleski, Ph.D., is a professor at Wroclaw University of Technology, southwest 

Poland. His extensive research at the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in 

Warsaw engulfs water management and flood mitigation. Mr. Zaleski’s expertise in the 

field of flood protection includes a role as PCU director of the World Bank Flood 

Recovery Project (2001-06), where he implemented a flood protection warning and 

forecast system for Poland. Continuing in that role, he is on board for the World Banksupported 

Odra River Basin Flood Protection Project set for 2008-14, with a budget of 

750 million USD. Since 2000, Mr. Zaleski is internationally recognized as the specialist 

and chairman of the International Odra River Commission (2000-01; 2008-present). As 

lead author of the Polish Governmental Program, established by the Polish Parliament in 

2001 with a budget of 3.6 billion USD, his goal is an integrated water management 

program for the Odra River Basin, with a keen focus on flood control. 

Ohio River Basin Comprehensive Reconnaissance Report 

John Yeager, CFM, US Army Corps of Engineers – Huntington District 

The Ohio River Basin encompasses all or portions of the 15 States of Illinois, Indiana, 

Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, 

Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and Maryland. Project 

Stakeholders: Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Environmental Protection in 

all 15 states, USF&WS, USEPA, National Forest Service, National Park Service, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Science Foundation, NOAA,

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Conservancy Districts, The Nature Conservancy, 

National Weather Service, FEMA, USGS, the state's Homeland Security and Emergency 

Management Offices, Ohio River Basin Water Resources Association, Ohio River Valley 

Sanitary Commission, Industrial users, Tribal affiliations, Ohio River Basin Consortium 

for Research and Education, city governments, and residents of the basin. Project 

Background: More than 23 million people live and work within the Ohio River Basin. 

This diverse system spans portions of 15 states within America's heartland. The Ohio 

River Basin contains over 204,000 square miles of land and water area divided into 120 

distinct watersheds. This region produces nationally significant energy resources, wood 

products, chemical, steel, agricultural products, technology, military technology and 

hardware, and a diverse variety of natural ecosystems. Following a series of devastating 

floods in the 1920's and 1930's, a system of flood control projects was constructed 

throughout the basin. Today the Corps' fully-integrated system has over 84 multi-purpose 

flood control lakes and more than 95 local protection projects. Countless other water 

resource development projects were built by TVA, NRCS, and various state Conservancy 

Districts. Through 2004, the Corps' projects prevented an estimated $19 billion in 

damages, saved countless lives, and supported productive use of the basin's floodplains 

and navigable waterways. Other outputs of the system include: water supply, 

hydropower, navigation, ecosystem protection, and recreation. Despite years of 

continuous, reliable operation, components of the system are in need of rehabilitation or 

replacement. A more diversified user base is demanding services and outputs of the 

system not anticipated six decades ago. Annual costs for maintaining operational 

readiness are rising as are the cost for emergency repairs during extreme flood events and 

are competing with local sponsor's and the Federal Government's limited financial 

resources for appropriate levels of funding. A majority of the structures are more than 60 

years old. In January 2005, numerous lakes within the system experienced record flood 

control pool elevations. Rapid agency responses and emergency repairs avoided potential 

catastrophic failures at several of those projects. However, conditions continue to exist 

for projects to perform below the expected levels of protection included in the original 

designs. Project Description: This presentation will raise awareness of the need for the 

development of a comprehensive watershed analysis of and strategy for the 

administration and management of the Ohio River Basin system that will fulfill the 

following purposes: 1) to identify the extent and quality of existing multi-jurisdictional 

management provided by our Federal, state, regional and local partners, 2) to identify and 

document stakeholder water resource issues and their needs for water resources products 

and services that are now or could be generated by the current system, 3) to determine the 

current condition of the system's infrastructure and whether it can meet the diverse needs 

identified above, 4) to forge collaborative partnerships between all stakeholders and 

partners that will promote a systems based, integrated problem solving process and 

governance, 5) to formulate a strategic framework for and prioritization of reinvestments 

or new investments in the basin's infrastructure that will strengthen the system's 

relevancy to the region and the nation. Four preliminary recommendations have been 

identified in the Recon Report: 1) basin-wide water management plan: 2) basin-wide 

strategic investment/reinvestment strategy; 3) establishment of a governance 

organization; and 4) implementation of sub-basin water management and investment 

plans. The first two recommendations can only be effectively implemented with 100%

Federal funding and support: however, cost sharing laws and policies may be barriers. To 

facilitate communications among all interested parties on this project, a website was 

established: www.orboutreach.com 

Biography 

Mr. Yeager holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Urban 

Planning degrees and has over 31 years experience. This includes over 13 

years in the private sector with A/E firms. Projects included: Recreation 

Master Plans for USACE, Market and Feasibility Studies, Economic Impact 

Studies, Comprehensive and Downtown Plans, and NEPA documents. Since joining 

the USACE, Huntington District in 1991, Mr. Yeager has worked in the Plan 

Formulation Section, Environmental Resource Section, and he completed a 

five-month developmental assignment at the North Atlantic Division in 

Brooklyn, New York. Projects experience includes: the Partners for 

Environmental Progress program, Flood Damage Reduction Economic Studies, and 

a Reconnaissance Study for an 8000 sq. mile watershed. The majority of his 

work experience is in Environmental Infrastructure where he was Program 

Manager for four programs covering six Corps Districts in three states. Over 

150 projects are either complete or in progress. In 2002 he was selected as 

Chief of the Floodplain Management/Special Studies Section. The section is 

responsible for Section 202* non-structural floodproofing implementation, 

Section 202 Detailed Project Reports, several Environmental Infrastructure 

programs, Floodplain Management Services, and Planning Assistance to States. 

(* Note - Section 202 was enacted is 1980 and provides authority for the 

USACE to implement flood damage reduction projects in areas of WV, KY, and 

VA impacted by the April 1977 flood event.) 

H-2 –ASFPM’s International Committee: Adapting Floodplain Management 

Techniques and Regulations for Climate Change 

Moderator: Will Meyer, CFM, Booz Allen Hamilton, International Committee 

Evaluating the Impact of Climate Change on the National Flood Insurance Program 

David Divoky, AECOM 

Mark Crowell, FEMA 

Perry Rhodes, AECOM 

At the request of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) has undertaken a study of the probable effects of climate 

change on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The goal of this work is to 

assess the potential impact of climate change on the financial strength of the program, 

and to recommend mitigation options to reduce the program’s exposure to financial loss. 

The scope of work includes both riverine and coastal flooding throughout the US, with 

estimates to be made at intervals through the year 2100. No new climate work, as such, is

eing performed. Instead, authoritative information such as that of the US Climate 

Change Science Program (CCSP) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

(IPCC) has been adopted as the basis of the impact assessment. The study will be 

completed in March, 2010. 

Flood levels depend upon storm characteristics and frequencies, and also on the flood 

basin characteristics. Both of these are altered over time and by climate change. Storms 

(rainfall, hurricanes) may become more or less frequent and more or less severe at 

particular recurrence intervals. The runoff characteristics of riverine basins (watersheds) 

change with development (changes in population patterns) and with land cover which, in 

turn, evolves in response to changes in climate. Coastal basins change over time owing to 

relative sea level changes and long term erosion. All of these factors are regionally 

dependent, with areas changing in different and sometimes opposing ways. 

Consequently, the determinations are made separately for a number of US regions 

selected with both climatological and watershed characteristics in mind. Within regions, a 

number of representative flood systems (streams, waterways) are selected for analysis, 

with the results being generalized to estimate effects on similar systems throughout the 

region. 

A probabilistic approach was adopted in order to capture not only expected values, but 

also the important uncertainties around those expectations. The general approach is 

through Monte Carlo simulation of the changes in flood stage resulting from changes in 

the controlling parameters (storm frequency and intensity, land cover factors, sea level, 

and so forth). The influence of individual parameters is estimated using transfer functions 

that relate changes of the input to changes of the response. The transfer functions are 

based on past studies and on physical models. The characteristic changes of each 

parameter are described by probability distributions derived from the climate change 

literature. Random sampling of the parameter distributions gives, through the 

intermediate transfer functions, random estimates of response (flood level) which define 

the probability distribution of flooding. 

The altered base flood estimates are then interpreted for their NFIP implications through 

application of GIS tools and the national database of flood policies, structures, and 

demographics. This yields the baseline information on changes in expected losses that is 

needed for guidance in planning mitigating revisions of insurance factors. 

This presentation will provide the results of the analyses of climate change on the onepercent 

annual chance flood levels and topwidths, as well as the potential financial 

impact on the National Flood Insurance program. 

Biography 

David Divoky has more than 25 years of experience in the determination of flood 

hazards, including the development of engineering methodology adopted for national use 

by Federal agencies. He directed the development and application of basic coastal 

flooding models in support of the National Flood Insurance Program of the Federal

Emergency Management Agency. For the U.S. East Coast, his work entailed 

development of a 2D hurricane storm surge model including determination of flow 

behavior in complex coastal embayments, propagation overland, and the statistical 

treatment of storm climatology, tides, and waves. For the West Coast, he developed 

methodology that accounts for the combined effects of waves and tides including 

deepwater wave-hindcasting, transformation of the spectrum by refraction and shoaling, 

and the detailed evaluation of runup and setup on complex shorelines. These models have 

been applied in flood hazard studies on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts, as well as 

in numerous engineering design efforts such as those for an offshore runway in the Virgin 

Islands, development of a new airport at Hong Kong, offshore oil lease-site development 

in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and harbor facilities in Saudi Arabia. In the aftermath of 

Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Divoky served with several groups to assess hurricane hazards 

along the coast of the north-central Gulf of Mexico. For USACE Interagency 

Performance Evaluation Team (IPET), he contributed to the work of the Risk and 

Reliability team, including responsibility for hurricane and rainfall statistics. He also 

contributed to the Corps’ Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration project (LaCPR), 

concerned with the New Orleans levees and their improvement; his work with LaCPR 

was primarily concerned with hurricane surge modeling and statistics. He was recently 

given the U.S. Army’s Commander’s Award for Public Service in recognition of his post- 

Katrina work (the Army’s fourth highest civilian award). Most recently, Mr. Divoky was 

appointed to the Steering Committee for the Corps’ MORPHOS program, which was 

established to develop the next generation of coastal hazard models. He also recently 

performed a fundamental study assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of the 

Joint Probability Method (JPM) and the Empirical Simulation Technique (EST) for 

determination of hurricane storm surge statistics. Mr. Divoky recently served as a 

consultant to the San Francisco District of the Corps and to a consortium of firms 

performing a large FEMA study, regarding issues within San Francisco Bay. For the 

Corps, he advised on study methods for a salt pond restoration project in the South Bay. 

For the FEMA study, he serves as an advisor on all aspects of application of the new 

FEMA Pacific guidelines in the North Bay. Among his related experience are theoretical 

and modeling efforts(both numerical and physical) for explosion waves, ocean thermal 

energy conversion, wave and current forces, landslide generated waves, dredged material 

transport and fate, harbor resonance, wave setup and runup, tsunamis, and laboratory 

studies of wave mechanics. He is the author of a new revision of WHAFIS designed for 

500 year applications. He worked in support of three blue-ribbon panels of the National 

Academy of Sciences which established FEMA’s V Zone wave techniques for the East 

and West Coasts, and helped organize a special tsunami workshop for the National 

Science Foundation. 

Climate Change and Pluvial Flood Risk in the UK 

Justin Butler, PhD, Ambiental, UK 

Recent climate research, based on the analysis of peak river flows, rainfall data and flood 

histories in the UK suggests that flooding hazards are likely to increase in the future. In 

urban areas, where the risk and potential losses from pluvial (surface water) flooding are

highest, reductions in permeable surface area over time, high intensity rainfall, and 

insufficient drainage capacities conspire to increase localised intra-urban flood risk. 

Ambiental® is one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to create a 

computational flood model capable of modelling urban pluvial flood risk across entire 

countries, down to the level of individual buildings. Using distributed and parallel 

(‘cloud’) computing technologies, tens of millions of grid cells can be processed in a 

single model run using Ambiental’s Flowroute TM software. Model validation against 

historical pluvial flood records and insurance claims data has shown that the resultant 

pluvial model can predict individually flooded buildings within an entire city with around 

80% accuracy. 

Biography 

Dr. Butler is Managing Director of Ambiental (www.ambiental.co.uk), a leading flood 

risk assessment and environmental risk modeling consultancy. Ambiental produces flood 

risk assessment reports, and computer-based flood models for property developers, 

architects, utilities, oil companies, blue chips, local authorities and international insurers. 

Clients include Thames Water Utilities, British Petroleum, The World Bank, European 

Space Agency and Aviva. Prior to founding Ambiental, and following his Ph.D. in 

environmental modelling with applied mathematics from Cambridge University, Justin 

pursued a career in environmental consultancy working primarily on major infrastructural 

projects in Latin America. Having trained as a fluvial geomorphologist, Justin has 

specialist flood modelling, environmental risk management, and hazard mapping 

experience. He also has technical expertise in GIS and computational flood modelling 

and has been instrumental in the creation of Flowroute TM , Ambiental’s proprietary flood 

risk mapping and modelling software platform. His senior project management and 

business development experience has been utilised on multiple projects related to flood 

risk mapping and modelling, GIS for environmental risk assessment, land surveying, and 

climate change / flood risk. Other non-flood related specialisms include risk management 

and modelling for international applications in forestry and urban terrorism. 

H-3 – Theoretical FPM 

Moderator: Onur Celik, CDM 

Are Floodplain Management Regulations Bad for Streams? 

Kevin Higgins, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Engineering, Inc. 

Neal Banerjee, PE, CFM, Michael Baker Engineering, Inc. 

Floodplain management regulations based on NFIP standards are predominately focused 

on flood control. At first glance, this seems appropriate since the reduction of flood 

damages is one of the NFIP’s main goals. However, this one-dimensional approach does 

not always adequately safe-guard against practices that are detrimental to the health, 

function, and sustainability of streams and their associated floodplain corridors. Worse

yet, in some cases focusing regulations predominately on flood control actually 

encourages these potentially detrimental practices. One example of this is how we map 

and regulate floodways (or non-encroachment areas). Any activity that occurs within the 

floodplain tends to be very loosely regulated, while any activity in the floodway is very 

strictly regulated. This narrow “in” or “out” viewpoint can often lead to unintended 

consequences such as significant fill within the floodplain requiring little (or no) 

evaluation or regulation, while an “excavated” constructed wetland that enters the 

floodway requires significant evaluation and regulation. This presentation will discuss 

these issues and provide lessons learned from experiences of the authors. Special 

considerations that private developers, engineers, and floodplain managers may need to 

consider during floodplain permitting procedures will be presented. Differing (often 

opposing) viewpoints of stream functions between engineers and stream restoration 

community will be presented. Ideas on maintaining both the spirit and intent of the 

regulations will be presented for consideration including: idiosyncrasies with floodplain 

fringe versus floodway permitting regulations, assessment of downstream impacts for 

improvement projects, the ‘0.00’ threshold in No-Impact Analyses, mapping 

considerations, and others. 

Biography 

Kevin Higgins is a Water Resources Engineer for Michael Baker's Charlotte, NC office 

with over 8 years of experience in hydrologic and hydraulic studies, flood control, and 

flood insurance studies. He has considerable experience in hydrologic and hydraulic 

modeling of open channel systems and has been involved in number of floodplain 

mapping and permitting projects. Mr. Higgins also has experience in BMP 

evaluation/design, stream restoration, and GIS projects. Mr. Higgins holds a master's 

degree in Earth Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a 

bachelor's degree in Meteorology from North Carolina State University. 

This Water Wasn’t Here When I Built My House: How Minimum Floodplain 

Management Requirements Can Increase Flood Hazards 

Del Schwalls, PE, CFM, CDM 

Edie Vinson-Wright, CFM, CDM 

As development takes place within flood-prone areas, and bridges and culvert-crossings 

are constructed, the flood hazards within an area change. Per the minimum NFIP 

regulations, the pursuit of proper floodplain management includes incorporating the 

effects of this development into the FIS and FIRM for a community. The most common 

steps to accomplish this are the LOMR and LOMR-F processes. While the LOMR 

involves incorporating updated engineering analysis into the effective FEMA data, a 

LOMR-F removes an area from the floodplain without updating the effective analysis. 

The intent of these programs is to keep the flood hazard data for a community as 

reasonably up to date as possible. However, through these processes a community’s flood 

hazard depiction can become a collage of old and new floodplain boundaries and 

elevations, blended together at the mapping edges. While this data is correct and meets

the minimum NFIP requirements, it does not necessarily portray accurate flood risks. By 

incorporating analysis and development into the flood hazard data in a piecemeal fashion, 

the flood elevations, floodplain boundaries, and floodway limits will inevitably lose 

accuracy, thereby misrepresenting actual flood hazards. This presentation will review a 

case study of a hypothetical community’s FIS and FIRM activities and the impact that 

fifteen years of floodplain development has on this information. The impact to regulatory 

flood elevations, floodplain extents, and the floodway limits will be considered, as well 

as the role floodway-regulated development has in inadvertently raising BFEs. In 

addition, this discussion will compare three images of the flood hazard data: the one 

updated and maintained through the FEMA LOMR and LOMR-F process, the 

information represented by a cumulative hydraulic analysis of this development and 

construction, and the often-overlooked impact to the data when hydrologic changes are 

considered as well. The result is three very different depictions of the flood hazards for an 

area, resulting in an unstable foundation for solid and effective floodplain management. 

The presentation will verify that in order to sufficiently quantify the continually-changing 

flood risks for an area, a community must regulate development within floodplains on a 

cumulative basis. As development occurs, the impact to overall flood hazards must be 

analyzed and evaluated, rather than only considering the effects to the surrounding 

property. Without this initiative, the flood hazard depiction will gradually drift away from 

reality. 

Biography 

Del Schwalls is an environmental engineer with more than nine years of experience in 

water resources engineering. His background includes hydrologic and hydraulic 

modeling, stormwater design, master plan development, watershed and floodplain 

management, dam- and levee-failure analysis, and environmental permitting. In addition, 

Del has developed FEMA flood studies in numerous states in the southeast and mid-west. 

At the beginning of his career, he spent 3½ years on the FEMA Map Coordination 

Contract, reviewing Letters of Map Revision and Studies for Regions 5, 6 and 7. Del 

holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Mercer University, is a registered 

Professional Engineer in Florida, and a Certified Floodplain Manager. He has been with 

CDM since May 2005. 

Water Doesn’t Stop At the County Line – Watersheds Rule 

Turgay Dabak, PhD, PE, BakerAECOM 

Dahlia Kasperski, PE, CFM, FEMA-HQ 

With the strong foundation of Flood Map Modernization in place, beginning in FY09, 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began implementing its Risk MAP 

vision which will not only continue to fulfill flood hazard data needs but also expand and 

improve utility and accessibility of the flood hazard and risk data. In Risk MAP, FEMA 

plans to employ an integrated approach where flood hazards are identified and then 

woven into watershed-based risk assessments in an effort to support local community 

Hazard Mitigation Plans and targeted risk communication activities. To support this

vision, FEMA will begin performing flood insurance studies on a watershed basis and 

continue producing flood hazard mapping on a county/community basis. Consequently, 

FEMA developed a watershed strategy for flood insurance studies to transform the focus 

of flood hazard studies from a community level to a watershed level. This presentation 

will provide an overview of the impact on local communities by using a watershed 

approach. It will address watershed-based benefits including outreach, scoping, data 

requirements, map adoption and enforcement, and risk assessment and planning. The 

presentation will also highlight community activities that will ensure the successful 

implementation of the strategy and discuss the advantages of watershed-based studies to 

various community operations. 

Biography 

Turgay Dabak is a professional engineer with Michael Baker Jr., Inc., in their Alexandria, 

VA, office. He has more than 25 years of experience specializing in civil/environmental 

engineering and program management. Dr. Dabak's professional experience includes 

providing technical and programmatic support to several Federal government agencies. In 

the last five years, as part of the National Service Provider, Dr. Dabak managed Map 

Production and Adoption for FEMA's Flood Map Modernization program. He also 

provided expertise and leadership to several key FEMA initiatives associated with 

FEMA's Map Modernization program. He has doctorate in civil engineering/water 

resources from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 

H-4 – State Mitigation Initiatives 

Moderator: Roxanne Gray, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Wisconsin Emergency 

Management 

Kentucky CHAMPS: Where TurboTax Meets Mitigation Planning and Project 

Coordination 

Josh Human, University of Louisville Center for Hazards Research 

Mike Anderson, GISP, CFM, Stantec 

The Commonwealth Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Planning System (CHAMPS) is 

a comprehensive solution for supporting emergency & hazard management, response, 

recovery and mitigation activities throughout Kentucky. CHAMPS is web-database 

driven and serves to centralize development and distribution of statewide planning 

processes, products, and coordinated stakeholder efforts. The system is based upon 

connecting new and existing information subsystems, or modules, together in a manner 

that unites multiple agency workflows and decision making processes. This presentation 

will completely change the way communities and states think about grants management 

and hazard mitigation plan maintenance.

Biography 

Roy Josh Human is the Associate Director for the Center for Hazards Research and 

Policy Development at the University of Louisville. Since arriving at the Center in 2003 

he has managed several million dollars worth of Hazard Planning research projects 

ranging across multiple disciplines. Mr. Human has had the unique opportunity of being 

the author of State (Enhanced), Local and University Hazard Mitigation Plans. Several 

of his plans and process’s have been recognized by FEMA as best practice examples and 

models. He is an advocate of the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within 

the world of planning. Mr. Human has giving many speeches on the use of GIS and 

hazard planning and has continued to promote the use of GIS through all the projects he 

completes. He has been published several times and is recognized as one of the bright 

young minds in the hazard research field. He is a founding member and current chair of 

the Kentucky Association of Mitigation Managers which is the state chapter of the 

Association of State Floodplain Managers. Including his duties at the Center for Hazards 

research, he owns his own planning company, RJH Planning LLC. that completes small 

scale hazard planning projects. His research interests include the Emergency 

Management Life Cycle, Homeland Security, GIS, Regional Planning and the links 

between GIS technology and hazard research. His educational background was achieved 

in geography and regional planning from the University of Kentucky and the University 

of Tennessee. 

State of Idaho Silver Jackets Program - Flood Risk Management Team 

David Jackson, State of Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security 

Jamie Huff, CFM, FEMA Region X 

Mary McGown, Idaho Department of Water Resources 

Ellen Berggren, US Army Corps of Engineers, Boise Outreach Office 

Jay Breidenbach, NOAA/National Weather Service – Boise, ID 

Braden Allen, FEMA Region X 

Ted Perkins, FEMA Region X 

The Silver Jackets Program, coordinated by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 

provides a venue for local state and federal inter-governmental teams to develop 

sustainable solutions to flood hazard issues. On July 31, 2009, Idaho became the third 

state to form a chartered Silver Jackets team. Five agencies form the core team: Idaho 

Bureau of Homeland Security (IDBHS), the Idaho Department of Water Resources 

(IDWR), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA), and the National Weather Service (NWS). This team functions as a 

continuous inter-governmental body, collaborating on the state’s flood risk and 

mitigation issues. Since official establishment in July, the team has participated in regular 

meetings and coordinated with other local, state and federal agencies to identify priority 

flood issues, program capabilities and projects already in progress. The team is currently 

utilizing the collected information to begin developing future projects for 

implementation. The presentation will discuss the successful process that led to the 

expedited formation and implementation of the State of Idaho Silver Jackets Team as

well as describe short-term achievements and goals to implement the State’s flood hazard 

priorities. 

Biography 

Dave Jackson is the State Hazard Mitigation Officer for the Idaho Bureau of Homeland 

Security in Boise, Idaho. He has held this position since 2006, and in this capacity he is 

responsible for the management of the State’s comprehensive all-hazards mitigation 

program. Prior to his current position, Dave served as the State Training and Exercise 

Officer. He is an active member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, 

International Association of Emergency Managers, Natural Hazard Mitigation 

Association, and State Hazard Mitigation Officer Network. Dave graduated from the 

University of North Texas in 1997 with a B.S. in Emergency Administration and Disaster 

Planning. He obtained his Master Trainer Certification through FEMA in 2004 and his 

CFM certification in March 2008. 

Implementing Mitigation: The PEMA Experience 

Chad Berginnis, CFM, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

Sarah Bowen, AICP, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. 

In 2009, Baker, working with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, 

assisted with the update of 14 local hazard mitigation plans. As part of the update, a 

comprehensive local capability assessment was conducted to identify changes in local 

capability for hazard mitigation and a comprehensive review of the pre-existing hazard 

mitigation action plans was conducted. With more than 15,000 communities having 

existing mitigation plans, are they being implemented? This presentation will summarize 

key findings of those analyses and extrapolate those findings to the broader aspect of 

hazard mitigation plan updates. Are local mitigation plans being implemented as FEMA 

has envisioned? What are the barriers to implementation? What policy changes should be 

considered to encourage better implementation? 

Biography 

Chad Berginnis is a senior specialist with Michael Baker Jr., Inc. in their Columbus, OH 

office. From 1993 to 1998, and again from 2000-2005, he worked in the Ohio Floodplain 

Management Program. He has been involved in creating/administering the Appalachian 

Flood Risk Reduction Initiative, a partnership initiative where participating communities 

receive technical assistance to create natural hazard mitigation plans. He also 

administered the Community Assistance Program and was co-author and project leader of 

the revised model state floodplain management regulations. In 1998, Mr. Berginnis 

became the planning director in Perry County, OH. He administered land use, economic 

development and floodplain management programs. Additionally, Mr. Berginnis 

authored the Village of Corning’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application and 

served as project manager. From 2005-2008, he was the State Hazard Mitigation Officer 

in Ohio overseeing statewide hazard mitigation planning and FEMA’s hazard mitigation

programs. He oversaw the state’s hazard mitigation operations in three federally declared 

disasters and authored the 2008 update of the State’s mitigation plan. Mr. Berginnis holds 

a Bachelor of Science in natural resources from The Ohio State University and is a 

certified floodplain manager. 

H-5 – Challenges with Levee Recertification II 

Moderator: Jeff Sickles, CFM, Enginuity, ASFPM Region 8 Director 

Clifton Levee Certification: Multi-agency Success or Catch-22? 

John Wise, PE, CFM, Stantec 

The Town of Clifton had been inundated by flooding from the San Francisco River 

several times during the 20th century. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) came 

to the rescue in the 1990s, along with the Arizona Department of Emergency 

Management. A levee with 100-year design was constructed in the 1990s, and 

subsequently the Town received ownership of the levee. A FEMA Letter of map Revision 

was obtained in August 1999. Imagine the Town's surprise when they received their 

FEMA Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) letter in March 2007, indicating the levee 

had to be recertified or the Town would be placed back in the 100-year floodplain. The 

Town of Clifton has the distinction of being the first community in FEMA Region IX to 

receive their PAL letter. The Town filed their PAL Agreement in March 2007 with 

FEMA, with the two-year PAL Period commencing on May 25, 2007. The Town hired 

Trueline and Stantec to conduct the PAL process, with the goal of expending minimal 

financial resources to satisfy the recertification. The Progress Report was filed in April 

2008, with the final submittal package due by May 25, 2009. The objective of the 

recertification was to utilize the USACE plans, as-builts, operation and maintenance 

manuals, and the FEMA LOMR to provide the basis to satisfy FEMA's requirements. The 

USACE, FEMA, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), Town of Clifton, 

and the consulting engineers have coordinated closely and held several joint meetings to 

discuss the PAL submittal requirements. The final agreement was to utilize the USACE 

design, construction and certification documents as the basis for the PAL submittal, and 

presumed subsequent approval (as presented to ASFPM 2009). The Clifton Levee 

Certification Report was submitted to FEMA in March 2009, well ahead of the deadline. 

A comment letter from FEMA was received in August 2009, and the Clifton levee 

certification approval process has ground to a halt – Catch 22! Although all parties had 

agreed that the original USACE design memorandum, plans/as-builts, operation and 

maintenance manual and the FEMA LOMR package would suffice as the basis of the 

2009 re-certification; the essence of FEMA’s comment letter was: where are the 

calculations/data to satisfy 65.10 criteria? The USACE is not allowed to recertify the 

original levee as it has not been under their ownership and maintenance control, however 

they have provided the original LOMR and design/construction certification 

documentation. However, the original design calculations, field testing documentation, 

and other technical information was not included in the original LOMR package. 

Therefore, the circle begins! To date, we are coordinating with FEMA to obtain the back-

up documentation from USACE to prepare a second submittal and obtain the recertification 

of the Clifton Levee. By January 2010, FEMA will be requiring the 65.10 

requirements to be satisfied. If not, then the Town will be notified that the deaccreditation 

process will begin. The Town will have the right to reproduce the calculations/data to 

meet 65.10 to the satisfaction of FEMA during this process; however the Town will be 

hard pressed to provide the finances and resources for any extensive engineering 

requirements. This presentation will present a PAL project that appeared to be on the 

verge of success through the collaboration and cooperation efforts of multiple federal and 

state agencies. The project initially fell short of final approval, creating an opportunity for 

the federal agencies to coordinate their responsibilities and certification authority relative 

to the Clifton Levee. The status of the Clifton Levee Certification PAL process will be 

shared at the May 2010 ASFPM Conference in Oklahoma City – hopefully the Town of 

Clifton will have found their way out of Catch 22! 

Biography 

John Wise has more than 32 years of hydrologic and hydraulic engineering experience, 

including 26 years with Stantec as a Principal. He is responsible for the preparation and 

management of Federal Flood Insurance Studies, Map Revisions, flood control and 

drainage design, stormwater and drainage master plans, storm sewer systems, and water 

and wastewater design projects. Mr. Wise has been responsible for successful project 

completions by identifying necessary resources, committing knowledgeable and 

experienced staff, and careful examination of budgets. Mr. Wise is a 16-year member and 

Past President of the City of Tucson Stormwater Advisory Committee (SAC), which 

provides recommendations to Mayor and Council on matters relating to stormwater 

management. 

Engineering Challenges of the Natomas Levee Improvement Project 

Mark Stanley, Kleinfelder 

Identified as the urban area with the highest risk of flooding second only to New Orleans, 

flood protection in the Natomas Basin presents major engineering challenges. The basin 

is home to 70,000 residents with projected growth to over 300,000. Levees protecting the 

basin were de-certified in 2006. Facing potential flood depths in excess of 20 feet and a 

building moratorium, residents of the basin voted to fund improvements and restore levee 

certification. This highly ambitious project is tasked with constructing 50 percent of 

improvements necessary to provide 100-year flood protection by 2011 and providing 

200-year flood protection by 2013. Engineering challenges will be discussed including 

the evolving geotechnical design and analysis standards; the selection of appropriate 

engineering alternatives and their effects on existing hydraulic infrastructure that must be 

maintained during construction including upgrades to pump stations that provide internal 

drainage and roadways and intersections on levees; and land constraints with levees that 

bordered residential neighborhoods; also how issues of levee vegetation, maintenance, 

seismic hazards are being addressed. This presentation will highlight some key lessons 

learned and the engineering solutions developed to solve challenges associated with this

complex, fast-tracked project. Participants awareness of potential challenges will be 

raised and they will be equipped anticipate similar issues on projects they may be 

involved with in the future. 

Biography 

Mr. Stanley is a Principal Engineer with Kleinfelder. He has 21 years of experience in 

managing and performing geotechnical engineering studies for water resource, 

transportation and infrastructure projects. For the last 18 months he has been the technical 

lead and geotechnical Engineer-of-Record for the Natomas Levee Improvement Project 

that has required the involvement of over 120 persons from 23 Kleinfelder offices. He is 

also a member of Kleinfelder’s Principal Professional Group that provides technical 

leadership firm wide. Mr. Stanley is also Kleinfelder’s Project Manager and geotechnical 

Engineer-of-Record for the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project Phase IIIA - 

North Pylon and North Anchorage Housing that is currently under construction. He was 

also the Geotechnical Engineer of Record for the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit 

Project Phase II - South Support Structures that won the 2007 ASCE Outstanding Project 

of the Year (OPAL) award. 

When USACE Levee Inspection Meets FEMA MapMod – the Potomac Park Story 

Patti Sexton, PE, CFM, Tetra Tech, Inc. 

The Federal Triangle area of Washington D.C. is home to the Smithsonian Museums, 

IRS, x, x, and other federal landmark buildings. It is protected from a 100-year flood 

along the Potomac River by a line of protection that extends from the Lincoln Memorial 

grounds, along the Reflecting Pool, and terminates at the Washington Monument 

grounds. In 2007 the USACE inspected the flood control system and gave it an 

unacceptable rating due to the presences of trees along the Reflecting Pool levee and the 

lack of confidence in the temporary closure for 17th Street. Soon after, FEMA reissued 

the preliminary DFIRMs reflecting the flooding without the levee in place. Washington 

DC began a fast track project to design and construct an improved closure for 17th Street 

in order to allow FEMA to accredit the flood protection system. This presentation will 

discuss the project selection process which included significant coordination among 

various stakeholders including the National Park Service, the National Capital Planning 

Commission, and the Smithsonian Institute. Technical issues discussed during the 

presentation will include the soil conditions at this historic swamp, utility conflicts due to 

old infrastructure and the nearby White House, and extensive interior drainage flooding. 

Biography 

Patti Sexton has worked with Tetra Tech in Southern California since 1997. She focuses 

on hydraulic and sediment transport studies, largely related to stream restoration and 

levee certification/improvement projects. Patti has a B.S in Civil Engineering from 

Virginia Tech (Go Hokies) and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from 

George Washington University.

H-6 – Lessons in Sustainability 

Moderator: Kimberly Bitters, CFM, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, ASFPM 

NAI Committee 

The Applications of Sustainable Design in Stormwater Management Practices 

Jason Xi, PE, CFM, Patrick Engineering Inc. 

Stormwater management practices in US started in early 1900s. Its' development can be 

divided into three major stages. The first stage is to control peak runoff release rates and 

to avoid flooding associated with site development. At this stage, the analysis is focused 

on surface water hydrological and hydraulic modeling. The common practices includes 

setting up hydrological and hydraulic models to size storm water facilities. (such as 

detention basin, swale and sewers.) However, in this stage, storm runoff quality was not 

considered. The second stage is to provide stormwater runoff pretreatment to prevent 

river/stream pollution associated with storm runoff. The mile stone of this stage is the 

clean water act amendment in 1960s and NPDES permit. The nutrients need to be treated 

includes TSS, BOD, COD, TN(total nitrogen) and TP(total phosphate). Among above 

nutrients, recent developments indicate that TN and TP could be used as the indicators to 

design treatment facility. This stage requires nutrients removal analysis in additional to 

surface flow H&H analysis required by stage one. A case study for McHenry County 

College Parking Lot design in Crystal lake will be presented to show the nutrients 

removal analysis. The third stage is called" storm water harvest". This term includes 

storm water reusing (such as irrigation) and storm water runoff recharging to the 

groundwater. In additional to stage 2 surface H&H analysis plus nutrients removal 

modes, this stage requires hydro geological model and the analysis of interaction between 

surface water and groundwater, (such as groundwater mounding analysis). A case study 

will be presented of designing an infiltration basin in Central Florida. The facility needs 

to meet following requirements; surface maximum release rate control, nutrients removal 

and groundwater recharging requirements (mounding analysis). A Florida BMPs software 

"Ponds" has been applied to conduct the nutrients removal analysis as well as setting up 

surface water and groundwater interaction model. This presentation will introduce how to 

introduce sustainable design into storm water management. What is the current modeling 

technologies and what kind of challenges we are facing. 

Biography 

Education: M.S., Civil Engineering, The Ohio State University B.S., Civil Engineering, 

Tongji University, Shanghai Registration: Licensed Professional Engineer in IL & OH. 

PUBLICATIONS “Biological Treatment of Cheese-Processing Effluents with 

Gravel/Sand Filtration,” Jian Xi, Mancl K.M., and Tuovenien O., “Applied Engineering 

in Agriculture 21(2), Feb. 2005”. “The Application of Powder-Activated Carbon in 

Drinking Water Treatment,” Journal of China Water Supply and Water Sewerage, July 

1995. PRESENTATIONS “The Application of Biofilm in Cheese Wastewater 

Treatment,” OWEA Annual Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, 2000 “Biological Treatment of 

Cheese-Processing Effluents with Gravel/Sand Filtration,” ASAE Conference, Oregon 

State University, 2000 “Stormwater Pre-treatment and Best Management Practices”

Wuhan International Conference on Environmental Protection, Ecosystem Restoration 

and Green City Development, Wuhan, China, 2009 (in progress) Mr. Xi has more than 

fourteen years’ experience in water distribution, stormwater management, hydraulics and 

hydrology and land development design engineering. He is a water resource project 

manager responsible for the design and management of water resources/civil projects. He 

also mentors young staff engineers and prepare proposals. 

Building a Sustainable Floodplain 

Aaron Parkinson, CFM, AECOM 

Stephanie Thompson, CFM, AECOM 

When I think of floodplain management, I have a vision of a symbiotic relationship 

between human development and the rest of the natural world. The truth however, is that 

the growing human population is adding a great amount of stress to this relationship. 

Irresponsible development practices are putting a strain on the floodplains of our 

communities and in turn, this development is exacerbating many of the flood events that 

happen. To add to the strain, and in spite of the state of the floodplain, people continue to 

live and build in areas of high flood risk. The system through which flood waters are 

relayed has many parts; if one is compromised, then the others are put in more danger of 

being compromised as well. Although, there are many steps that can be taken to mitigate 

the effects of flood waters that don’t negatively impact the environment. A sustainable 

floodplain allows for flood waters to be used more as a resource and less as a nuisance. 

Measures like more efficient land-use planning and land management practices to prevent 

rapid run-off from rural and urban areas, maximizing natural vegetation cover, 

maintaining or restoring existing vegetation and forest cover, in upland areas as well as 

riparian areas are all part of developing a holistic approach to managing the floodplain. 

There are also ways to create a sustainable floodplain that don’t involve building 

structures. Community outreach and communication is an integral part of creating a 

sustainable floodplain. Make documents readily available and more easily accessible to 

the public, have staff available to answer questions (via phone/email), create a living 

comprehensive emergency plan in the case of flooding, provide how-to documents to 

educate citizens about how they can better protect themselves, and make sure that your 

community’s well being is the first priority on the list. We created this presentation to 

discuss in more detail the aforementioned aspects of creating a sustainable floodplain. 

We also want to provide resources for further research and propose additional measures 

that can be taken to become more sustainable in managing your floodplain. 

Biography 

Aaron Parkinson received a Bachelor of Science degree in 2005 with a Major in 

Geography and a Minor in Technical Writing while attending Texas State University – 

San Marcos. He has been employed as a GIS Analyst for three and a half years total and 

has been with the Watershed Concepts division of AECOM for nearly three years of 

those years. With AECOM, Aaron has been responsible, wholly or partly, for the 

mapping aspects of DFIRM creation for many counties within FEMA Region 6 and

Region 4. Aaron has also represented AECOM at numerous Consultation Coordination 

Officers meeting for Region 6. Aaron is a nationally accredited Certified Floodplain 

Manager and is a member of the Floodplain Manager’s Association for Arkansas 

(AFMA), Oklahoma (OFMA), and Texas (TFMA). Aaron has given a presentation 

previously at the 2009 TFMA spring conference in San Marcos, TX and at the 2009 

ASFPM national conference in Orlando, FL. 

The Greening of Tulsa 

Tim Lovell, Tulsa Partners, Inc. 

Ann Patton, Ann Patton Company LLC 

Tulsa, Oklahoma, has come a long way in managing its floodplain lands, although 

significant challenges remain. In recent years, Tulsans are learning to meld hazard 

mitigation issues with sustainability issues. For example, the city's response to a 

disastrous 2007 ice storm included a privately funded initiative to replace 20,000 trees, 

through a local program named Up With Trees, which is also working to improve 

stormwater management by aggressive tree plantings. Tulsa Partners, a 501-c-3 that 

works to create a disaster-resistant community, has expanded its program focus to include 

sustainability, on the theory that a house that blows down or washes away is not 

sustainable. TPI has created a safe and sustainable resource center that sponsors monthly 

"green bag" lunch seminars on disaster and sustainable topics. The city's stormwater 

management board is developing a public education program that includes No Adverse 

Impact and sustainable topics. This presentation will review these and similar advances 

that combine safe and sustainable themes to help create a disaster-resistant, sustainable 

community. 

Biography 

Tim Lovell is the Executive Director of Tulsa Partners, Inc., overseeing a variety of 

activities related to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Tim was recruited 

by the City of Tulsa Project Impact office in May 2000 with almost 20 years of 

experience in working with faith-based and community-based organizations in the areas 

of social service ministry, community revitalization, and historic preservation. In these 

areas, he developed a particular emphasis on using public-private partnerships, grant 

writing, and resource development to meet community goals. Building on his past 

experience and the existing multi-hazard mitigation activities of the Tulsa community, 

Tim utilized partners to implement grants promoting tornado safe rooms. He assisted in 

the creation of Tulsa Partners, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency designed to support the 

building of a disaster resistant and sustainable community. Tim oversaw the process that 

created the Tulsa Citizen Corps umbrella of homeland security volunteer programs. He 

negotiated a partnership with a local McDonald's cooperative that led to the 2003 Tulsa 

McReady initiative, later expanded statewide under the Oklahoma Department of 

Emergency Management and other partners. Tim became the Executive Director of Tulsa 

Partners, Inc. in 2004. Tim has spoken about Tulsa's award-winning programs to various 

boards and conferences in the United States and Canada. He has served on national ad

hoc committees reviewing the integration of emergency management with 

historic/cultural resource preservation. Tim currently serves as a founding board member 

of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association. His spare time is taken up with his three 

children--Michael, Carissa, and Claire Marie--and his lovely wife of 20 years, Cara. 

H-7 – Hydrology & Hydraulics Challenges 

Moderator: Gerald Robinson, PE, CFM, Christopher Burke Engineering, Ltd., ASFPM 

Chapters District 2 Director 

Dynamic Floodways: Accounting for Both Storage and Conveyance 

José Maria Guzmán, PE, CDM 

Bill Joyce, PE, CDM 

Tom Nye, PhD, PE, CDM 

The engineering community usually refers to floodways as the “fast moving waters”, or 

the channel portion that cannot be encroached without generating more than 1.0 ft stage 

surcharge. In general, the concept relates back to the need to protect that inner portion of 

the channel that is closely related with the 100 year WSE. FEMA accepts several 

applicable methods to identify a floodway developed by the US Corps of Engineers, 

which evaluate one cross section conveyance at the time, under a constant flow. 

CDM has been working closely with FEMA to improve the current method by 

considering the following criteria: conveyance in the channel; storage in adjacent 

floodplains; impacts of encroachment throughout the entire system; and a dynamic flow 

determination. In fact a channel encroachment not only reduces the conveyance, but 

eliminates important overbank areas that provide storage during a flood. This 

considerations can be critical in flat terrain and tailwater conditions. This presentation 

will discuss the underlying differences between considering storage as well as 

conveyance, as well as a particular application developed for Duval County, FL. 

Biography 

José Guzman is a water resources engineer with 8 years of experience including project 

manager role in DFIRM Mapping, storm water master planning, stormwater utility 

implementation, civil design, and hydrologic and hydraulic computer modeling. 

José has conducted stormwater master plans in several communities in North East 

Florida, Georgia, and the Caribbean. He is an experienced user of models such as 

SWMM, HSPF, HEC-RAS, and WaterGEMS. 

Developing Detailed Riverine Studies With Levee and other Challenges 

Alex Haptemariam, PE, CFM, Greenhorne and O’Mara 

Brandon Davis, Greenhorne and O'Mara

Detailed stream studies require extensive time, effort, and engineering analysis. There are 

many challenges involved when applying detailed field data to a computer model. Field 

survey cross sections, recent LiDAR data, field studied manning’s data, detailed structure 

measurements, FEMA specifications, tie inns to existing studies, and combining models 

with a USACE levee project were some of the components to a detailed riverine stream 

study and DFIRM production project in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. Unexpected 

and bizarre field findings made modeling and analysis more time consuming: an 

anchored flat bed trailer acting as a bridge span, or a mine shaft in proximity to the 

stream that intercepted flow. Such things are difficult, if not impossible, to model with 

HEC-RAS. One stream reach had USACE levee projects both up- and downstream 

causing FEMA to add the combination of these three reaches to the project scope. This 

type of project has many political, regulatory, and mapping concerns. This same reach 

had USGS stream gages that were used for flow calculations instead of the FEMA 

approved regression equations that were used for other reaches. These were only a few of 

the challenges that needed solving to complete this project. This presentation will explain 

the process used to complete this detailed stream study and DFIRM production project, 

the different challenges that presented themselves, and the solutions that were used to 

ensure that the study and mapping were modeled and illustrated soundly. 

Biography 

Alex Haptemariam has over 14 years experience in National Flood Insurance Program, 

Stormwater Management, Land Development Design, and hydrology and hydraulics. He 

is a Senior Project Manager for the Engineering and Water Resources group at 

Greenhorne & O’Mara, Inc and STARR LOMR process leader for the FEMA Production 

and Technical Services (PTS) group. He supervises and provides technical guidance to 

engineering, scientific, technical staff, and coordinates with FEMA HQ, Regional liaison, 

stake holders, contractors and consultants. 

Use of 2D Models for Accurate Depiction of Flooding in Small Urban Watersheds 

Jeff Lu, PhD, PH, CFM, Greenhorne & O'Mara 

Steven Bondor, PE, CFM, Greenhorne & O'Mara 

Conventional floodplain mapping in North Carolina is conducted by using USGS 

regression equations and the HEC-RAS model. A Letter Of Map Revision (LOMR) was 

required for analysis of Coblebrook Creek in Alamance county in North Carolina. A pipe 

network hydraulic model was prepared to replace upstream portion of the effective HEC- 

RAS model because the stream is enclosed in several underground pipe systems upstream 

of a roadway intersection. As a result this required a combination of pipe network and 

overland flow floodplain analysis instead of a typical riverine floodplain analysis. The 

analysis was performed using XPSWMM, a dynamic unsteady flow model. Field surveys 

were conducted to determine the locations and elevations of the pipe network system and 

drainage structures. The LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) terrain data and the aerial 

images were utilized to analyze the watershed data and the floodplain corridor. Using 

XPSWMM, a 1D/2D model was built to simulate the watershed runoff, the underground

pipe network system, and the developed urban floodplain. The combined 1D/2D model 

was able to better simulate the interactions between the pipe drainage system and the 2D 

surface overland flow. Therefore, the flood hazard map was revised based on the results 

from the XPSWMM model. 

Biography 

Jianbiao (Jeff) Lu is a hydrologist with Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc. He is responsible for 

conducting watershed modeling, floodplain analysis, and stormwater management 

projects. Mr. Lu has 10 years experience in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, field 

assessment, planning and design, and monitoring services for stream and wetland 

mitigation and restoration projects. He holds a Ph.D. in Forest Hydrology and Water 

Resources and an M.S. in Forest Hydrology and Statistics from North Carolina State 

University, and a B.S. in Soil and Water Conservations from Beijing Forestry University 

(China). He is a member of American Institute of Hydrology (AIH), North Carolina 

Association of Floodplain Managers, North Carolina Water Resources Association, and 

Phi Kappa Phi honor society. 

H-8 – Acquisition and Use of Elevation Data 

Moderator: Mark Forest, HDR Engineering, Inc. 

Elevation Data for Risk MAP 

Paul Rooney, GISP, FEMA Region I 

As FEMA begins production under Risk MAP, accurate ground elevation data are critical 

to supporting the program goals. The elevations are crucial to the calculation and 

mapping of accurate hazard information. In addition, Risk MAP will deliver a broader 

understanding of flood risk by mapping more possible flood event frequencies in addition 

to the 1% annual chance and 0.2% annual chance. Risk MAP will also deliver richer, 

more accessible information about the relative hazard within the floodplain by mapping 

the depth of flooding. Risk MAP will also display this information in "3D", providing a 

more intuitive, meaningful visualization of the flood hazard These enhanced products 

demand more accurate ground elevation data. As a result, FEMA has made a 

commitment to investing in the elevation data needed to achieve the goals of Risk MAP. 

This improved information also has many other national benefits and state and local 

governments are usually eager to obtain these data. FEMA is taking a targeted approach 

to collecting new elevation data, relying on partnerships to expand the coverage and 

produce deliverables to support potential users beyond the flood mapping program. This 

session will provide and overview of FEMA's Elevation Data collection plans for Risk 

MAP and discuss opportunities for potential partners in this effort.

Biography 

Paul Rooney is a Mapping Technology Specialist in the Risk Analysis Division of the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency. He is responsible for providing technical 

guidance on mapping and GIS issues for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) 

including the development of FEMA’s specifications for elevation data, base maps, and 

digital flood hazard data. He is also responsible for the coordination of mapping activities 

with other Federal Agencies. 

Development of a Hydro Geodatabase from LiDAR for Levee Recertification, Flood 

Mapping, and Stormwater Modeling in Wichita, Kansas 

Kenny Legleiter, Merrick & Company 

Sanford Johnston, Merrick & Company 

The flow of water across the landscape in complex geomorphology, highly channelized 

drainage network, and in urban landscapes is challenging and hard to define, but is 

required for levee recertification, flood mapping, stormwater modeling, and culvert 

design. What is needed to resolve these complex issues is a hydro geodatabase developed 

from highly accurate LiDAR data. In 2007, Merrick acquired LiDAR and aerial imagery 

for the City of Wichita and all of Sedgwick County in south-central Kansas. In addition 

to LiDAR deliverables, Merrick created a hydro geodatabase showing the flow of water 

across the landscape at the local level. Geodatabase feature classes included catchments 

with an average size of 5-acres and primary drainage paths for each catchment. The 

intended purpose of the hydro geodatabase is to define surface water flow and drainage 

basin area at engineering scales to increase the accuracy of Hydrologic & Hydraulic 

Models and reduce the time to create and run these models. 

Biography 

Kenny Legleiter has been at Merrick for over three years. Prior to that, Mr. Legleiter 

worked for the USDA-NRCS at the National Cartography & Geospatial Center where he 

was the Technical Lead in the development of the National Watershed Boundary Dataset 

and for LIDAR activities at NRCS. Mr. Legleiter has a M.S. in Resource Planning (Water 

Resources) and a B.S. in Physical Geography with a Secondary Degree in Natural 

Resources and Environmental Science. 

Case Study: Successful Partnering for LiDAR Acquisition 

Rob Lowe, FEMA Region IV 

Collis Brown, CFM, Georgia Department of Natural Resources 

Accurate topographic data is paramount in producing quality Risk MAP products. This 

presentation will present a case study for funding LiDAR through a partnership between 

local communities, and state and federal agencies. Georgia (a State CTP in Region IV) 

was in need of up to date LiDAR for a large portion of their State, including their multi

county coastal area. Budget constraints threatened the project. FEMA Region IV and the 

GA DNR (handling the CTP contracts) worked with local counties, other state agencies 

and NOAA to fund the study and make sure the specifications needed for the FEMA 

study were obtained. 

Biography 

Robert “Rob” Lowe was born is Salem, Indiana. A 4 th generation career U.S. Navy 

Veteran, Rob retired in 1996 as a Commander & Naval Aviator. Rob holds a BS degree 

from Purdue University in Industrial Management, a MS degree from the Naval Post 

Graduate School in Financial Management and a MS degree from Southern Poly State 

University in Quality Assurance & Systems Engineering. Rob has received a long series 

of distinguished professional management awards & is a registered Six Sigma Master 

Black Belt in Quality Assurance & Process Improvement. Rob joined FEMA Region IV 

in Atlanta in 2005 after a distinguished Fortune 100 company management career as a 

Senior Engineering Manager. Rob’s passion for business management process 

improvement & quality assurance, enable him to successfully team lead the FEMA 

Region IV Map Modernization Program through the program’s formative growth years. 

This assignment included Senior Management of the Post Katrina, Mississippi Coastal 

Flood Surge Analysis Study. The MS study vastly improved the Federal Governments 

Coastal Engineering Coastal Engineer Models & Methods being applied today along the 

Atlantic Seaboard & Gulf of Mexico. In 2007, Rob was promoted to the FEMA RIV 

Risk Analysis Branch Chief role. The FEMA RIV Risk Analysis Branch includes 7 

internal teams, of Engineers, Scientist, Planners & Geospatial Specialists. Rob is the 

high energy leader for the FEMA Region IV Risk MAP Program. The RIV Risk MAP 

Program includes growing the 2008 to 2014 Risk Assessment & risk Communications 

Programs. A dedicated husband to Lori & committed father of 4, Rob actively enjoys his 

after work hours with youth development & youth leadership programs. Rob is a 25+ 

year Boy Scout Leader, youth Soccer Coach, & Church youth group leader. His 

additional interests include world travel, sailing & flying.

Abstracts & Biographies - The Association of State Floodplain ...

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