|
This brief video describes what flash flooding is, how it can occur, and how flood insurance can help you protect your assets.
*Taken in part from Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) “News & Views”
NOAA forecasters are predicting a near-normal hurricane season this year with 12-17 named storms. Of those storms, 5-9 could become hurricanes, including 1-4 major hurricanes. For Wisconsinites, hurricanes may be something they only experience while watching the news, and while much of Wisconsin is currently under abnormally dry and drought conditions, we are certain to experience flooding in the future.
As you work with property owners looking to make informed decisions around the actions they can take to lower their risk of flooding, Reduce Flood Risk can help.
Developed by the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) with financial support from FEMA, this interactive website empowers people to protect themselves and their most valuable asset.
To get started, individuals can go to ReduceFloodRisk.org, answer a series of five simple questions and receive a detailed list of mitigation options recommended to reduce flood risk for their specific property type. The curated results can be filtered and sorted by key attributes, such as cost, complexity and level of required maintenance.
In addition to its decision-support engine, the site features a variety of resources to help property owners and renters better understand flood risk, flood insurance, financial assistance options and who to contact with any questions they have about flood mitigation. The site is completely free, and users do not need to create an account to gain access to the resources.
ASDSO has put together a complete toolkit that can be used to amplify your outreach efforts to raise awareness of flood mitigation options in your community. In it you will find:
We encourage you to not only make ReduceFloodRisk.org part of your outreach campaigns, but to also add it to your state or local floodplain management website to ensure maximum impact.
Send ASFPM Feedback
ASFPM appreciates everyone who has made “Reduce Flood Risk” part of their outreach efforts and they value the feedback they’ve received since the site was launched in May 2022. New resources and features are set to be added by the end of summer, based on what you told them you need. Please don’t hesitate to contact Jenna Moran at jenna@floods.org if you have any additional suggestions for how to continue improving the site for you and your community.
Please help us welcome Sarah Rafajko to the program as our new Floodplain Management Program Coordinator. The Floodplain Management Program Coordinator is responsible for working with local units of government to assist them in meeting the NFIP requirements through a program of education, technical assistance and oversight. Sarah started on Sept. 11 and is stationed in the La Crosse office. Sarah provided the following:
Hello everyone! I’m really excited to be stepping into this new role and look forward to working with all of you. I was the Floodplain Manager for the city of La Crosse where I was responsible for education/outreach, enforcement, remediation and hazard mitigation in a community with over 2000 structures in the floodplain.
My background in Floodplain Management began while managing construction projects as part of the Master Plan for the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys. There, I learned the private side of permitting commercial work in V and AE zones and developed a love for marine mammals, engaging with the dolphins and sea lions at every opportunity and participated on the only authorized Manatee Rescue Team in the Florida Keys.
An opportunity to work in Code Enforcement with Monroe County, FL came along where I spent the bulk of my time there performing damage assessments after Hurricane Irma, a category 4 storm that left 1761 homes substantially damaged, including the house I was renting.
Due to the significant rise to housing costs after the hurricane, I decided it was financially unsustainable and moved back to Wisconsin to be near family. It took a couple years to get back into the career path I left behind, but things fell into place and I was able to get back into Code Enforcement and eventually Floodplain Management for the City of La Crosse.
Considering what I experienced, floodplain management is quite personal to me and I aspire to do what I can to prevent the financial, environmental and emotional devastation that comes with flooding.
RiskMap (Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning) is a FEMA-led process used to make flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs). However, this is not the only thing that is created as part of this process. Various datasets, hazard mitigation analysis and communication tools are shared with affected communities. Each of these tools help support communities towards resiliency. Datasets related to flood risk products work alongside regulatory products to provide flood risk information and support the community’s floodplain management and hazard mitigation strategies.
Letter of Final Determination (LFD) and effective dates are important milestones in a flood risk project. The LFD is a letter sent to the CEO of the community stating there are new or updated FIRMs. Receipt of this letter starts the six-month adoption compliance phase of the process where communities need to update their floodplain ordinances by the map effective date to remain in good standing in the NFIP. The table below shows when the LFD will be distributed and the six-month window in which cities, villages, and counties must complete the adoption process.
The DNR can help you draft the ordinance to help save on costs. Our assistance is provided to communities free of charge. If you are interested, please contact the DNR at dnrfloodplain@wisconsin.gov.
-
Chippewa - LFD April 19, 2023, effective date Oct. 19, 2023
-
Waukesha - LFD April 19, 2023, effective date Oct. 19, 2023
-
Racine - LFD July 11, 2023, effective date Jan. 11, 2024
-
Taylor - LFD Sept. 13, 2023, effective date March 13, 2024
-
Kenosha - LFD Oct. 11, 2023, effective date April 11, 2024
-
Door - LFD Nov. 8, 2023, effective date March 8, 2024
-
Ozaukee - LFD Dec. 20, 2023, effective date June 20, 2024
-
Shawano - LFD Jan. 17, 2024, effective date July 17, 2024
*Please note that for communities that have not gone LFD yet, the dates listed above are tentative.
About The Wisconsin Floodplain Management Program
The program's goals are to protect life, health and property; to minimize costs for flood control projects; to reduce tax dollars spent for rescue, relief and repair of flood damage; to shorten business interruptions caused by flooding; to prevent future flood blight areas; to discourage victimization of unwary land and home buyers; and to prevent increased flood levels caused by unwise floodplain development.
Contact Us
Floodplain: Sarah Rafajko, Sarah.Rafajko@wisconsin.gov
Shoreland: Mike Wenholz, Michael.Wenholz@wisconsin.gov
Dam Safety: Uriah Monday, Uriah.Monday@wisconsin.gov
|
