47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

complished through a State permit, a governor’s executive order,or other mechanisms that apply to entities not subject to localauthorities.2.1.3.3 Executive Order 11988 and CriticalFacilitiesWhen Federal funding is provided for the planning, design,and construction of new critical facilities, or for the repair of existingcritical facilities located within the 500-year floodplain, thefunding agency is required to address additional considerations.Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management, requires Federalagencies to apply a decisionmaking process to avoid, to the extentpossible, the long- and short-term adverse impacts associated withthe occupancy and modification of floodplains, and to avoid thedirect or indirect support of floodplain development wheneverthere is a practicable alternative. If there is no practicable alternative,the Federal agency must minimize any adverse impacts to life,property, and the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains.The executive order establishes the base flood elevation as theminimum standard for all Federal agencies. Implementation guidancespecifically addresses “critical actions,” which are describedas those actions for which even a slight chance of flooding wouldbe too great. The construction or repair of critical facilities, suchas fire stations, hospitals and clinics, EOCs, the storage of hazardouswastes, and the storage of critical records, are examples ofcritical actions.After determining that a site is in a mappedflood hazard area, and after giving publicFEMA’s eight-step decisionmaking processnotice, the Federal funding agency is requiredto identify and evaluate practicable must be applied before Federal disasterfor complying with Executive Order 11988alternatives to locating a critical facility in a assistance is used to repair, rehabilitate,500-year floodplain. If the Federal agency or reconstruct damaged existing criticalhas determined that the only practicable alternativeis to proceed, then the impacts offacilities in the 500-year floodplain.the proposed action must be identified. Ifthe identified impacts are harmful to people, property, and thenatural and beneficial functions of the floodplain, the FederalMAKING CRITICAL FACILITIES SAFE FROM Flooding2-33