Title of Nomination: Flood Plain Mapping Project/System Manager: John Dorman. Center for Geographic Information Analysis Department: Address:

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1 Title of Nomination: Flood Plain Mapping Project/System Manager: John Dorman Job Title: Project Manager Agency: Center for Geographic Information Analysis Department: Address: City: Raleigh State: NC Zip: Phone extension 261 Fax john.dorman@ncmail.net Category: Innovative use of Technology Person Nominating: George Bakolia Title: Chief Information Officer Address: PO Box City: Raleigh State: NC Zip: Phone: (919) Fax: (919) george.bakolia@ncmail.net 1 07/20/15

2 North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program Executive Summary In 1999, Hurricane Floyd vividly demonstrated the limitations of existing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood hazard maps for North Carolina and the resulting vulnerability of widespread areas to major flooding events. By testing the State s ability to respond to and recover from a major flooding event, this experience uncovered three important deficiencies: (1) allowing construction to occur in areas associated with a high risk of flood losses, (2) the inability to accurately predict river stages during a flood event, and (3) the inability to comprehensively guide reconstruction and new construction at safe locations or appropriate elevations. Critical for resolving these shortcomings are current, detailed, and accurate statewide elevation data, flood hazard maps, and supporting information. Such data are paramount for effective and efficient flood hazard identification, mitigation, response, and recovery. North Carolina has identified and successfully implemented two strategies in response to these limitations. The first strategy is the statewide acquisition, processing and dissemination of current, accurate, and detailed elevation data, flood hazard studies, and maps. The resulting data has been used to generate FEMA approved Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), in both hardcopy and digital form. The second strategy is the establishment of North Carolina as a Cooperating Technical State (CTS) with FEMA. This new role enables North Carolina to expedite the review, approval, and modification of FIRMs. The North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program has utilized current and leading-edge technologies to develop and disseminate these new floodplain maps, reports and data. These technologies include: Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser technology, and geographic information systems. These technologies have allow North Carolina to increase the accuracy of the data and thereby decreasing the uncertainty of the maps, greatly enhances the value of the both the data and maps for decision-making. Additionally, integrating the data into an interoperable database that allows the flood maps, and other data, to become base maps for a variety of uses, greatly increases the benefits of the data. 2 07/20/15

3 a) Description of project, including length of time in operation In 1999, Hurricane Floyd caused $1.5 1 billion in insured property damages in North Carolina and an estimated $3-6 billion in total property damage. 2 These cost estimates, however, fail to take into account the social, environmental and economic interruption losses that resulted from the floods, such as tourism revenues lost, wetland contamination and timely delays in health care services. All told, this one three-day storm resulted in multibillion dollars ($3 - $10 billion) in flood damages 3. The $1.5 billion in federal assistance alone equaled 7% of North Carolina s total revenues and 1% of its gross annual income, and 25% of the federal disaster insurance losses paid in Using $5 billion 4 as the better estimate of true cost to North Carolina, damages resulting from Hurricane Floyd equaled over 1% of North Carolina s total property value and close to $650 lost per capita. Hurricane Floyd vividly demonstrated the limitations of existing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood hazard maps for North Carolina and the resulting vulnerability of widespread areas to major flooding events. By testing the State s ability to respond to and recover from a major flooding event, this experience uncovered three important deficiencies: (1) allowing construction to occur in areas associated with a high risk of flood losses, (2) the inability to accurately predict river stages during a flood event, and (3) the inability to comprehensively guide reconstruction and new construction at safe locations or appropriate elevations. Critical for resolving these shortcomings are current, detailed, and accurate statewide elevation data, flood hazard maps, and supporting information. Such data are paramount for effective and efficient flood hazard identification, mitigation, response, and recovery. North Carolina developed two strategies in response to the current lack of detailed and accurate statewide elevation data and limitations of existing flood hazard maps. The first strategy is the establishment of the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program to acquire, process and disseminate current, accurate, and detailed elevation data, flood studies, and maps. This information will be collected on a river basin-by-river basin basis. The resulting data will be used to generate FEMA approved Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), in both hardcopy and digital form. The second strategy is the establishment of North Carolina as a Cooperating Technical State (CTS) with FEMA. At the present time, all requested changes to FIRMs must go through a lengthy, and unpredictable, review process by FEMA. As a CTS, North Carolina, as of September 15, 2000, has assumed primary ownership and responsibility of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for all North Carolina communities as part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This new role enables North Carolina to expedite the review, approval, and modification of FIRMs. The North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program has utilized current and leading-edge technologies to develop and disseminate these new floodplain maps, reports and data. These technologies include, but are not limited to: Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) remote sensing, and geographic information systems. 1 North Carolina Department of Insurance, All-Time North Carolina Hurricane Damage Figures. 2 Heinz Center book 3 The Heinz Center estimates that Hurricane Andrew, which had insured property costs of $15 billion, may have had a $300 billion impact on the tourism industry alone. 4 From Heinz Center and the Office of the Governor of North Carolina. 3 07/20/15

4 Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a laser technology first developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the mid-1960s. The technology utilizes airborne and/or ground sensors to measure the distance between two objects. This is done by emitting timed pulses of laser light from the airborne or ground sensor and measuring the time between emission and reception of reflected pulses. This measured time interval is converted into distances. Supporting technologies utilized by North Carolina in the acquisition and quality control of the elevation data includes Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU). From the acquisition of the elevation data, a very detailed, highly-accurate digital elevation model (DEM) can be constructed. North Carolina has acquired new elevation data for approximately 26,475 square miles, or 53% of the state. This is currently the largest acquisition of elevation data by LIDAR technology in history. North Carolina has placed an accuracy requirement for all elevation points at 25 centimeters to bare earth (Root Mean Square Error RMSE) at a 95% confidence rate. The acquired and processed elevation data is vital to, and used in, the hydrologic and hydraulic modeling of the streams and rivers. Bare-Earth DEM of Princeville, NC Levee Airborne LIDAR Measuring Tools Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are systems containing spatially referenced information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries. These systems also include computer programs that acquire, store, manipulate, analyze, and display spatial and geospatial data. North Carolina has designed and implemented a state-of-the art GIS system that is freely available through the Internet ( ). The system, better known as the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Information System (NCFMIS), is the first system of its kind enabling the state to upload, store, archive, manage, and disseminate both non-spatial and spatial data. The system hardware consists of: One (1) EMC Clarion 10 Terabyte storage unit with an anticipated maximum capacity of 25 Tb. One (1) Unisys ES 7000 computer (16 processors) Three (3) Dell servers (Web server, FTP server, and WTS server) Various output devices (plotters, printers, etc.) The system software consists of: Microsoft XP Professional operating system Microsoft SQL Server 2000 ESRI Arc SDE Server ESRI Arc IM Server Custom SQL relational database 4 07/20/15

5 Custom upload, data manipulation toolbox, and download tools User software: Internet Explorer or Netscape browsers The system works with a custom designed, SQL relational attribute database that was based on FEMA s enhanced database but has been customized as a mission critical GIS to address North Carolina s needs in addition to DFIRMs. One example, North Carolina has augmented the enhanced FEMA database to permit data input and storage for real time flood inundation and flood forecast mapping. The system, which is 24 x 7, allows interested users to query, view, print, and download (1) raster and vector data; (2) non-spatial data and reports; and (3) flood insurance rate maps and floodplain management maps. Other functions provided by the application include: address lookup, distance measuring, buffering, and imagery download. b) Significance to the improvement of the operation of government Following Hurricane Floyd, it was determined that approximately 80 percent of the homes receiving flood damage during that event were not depicted in the 1.0% (100 year) or the 0.2% (500 year) flood hazard boundaries. As a result of this inaccuracy, local governments allowed construction to occur in areas associated with a high risk of flood losses. In addition, financial institutions did not know to require individuals purchasing homes through federally-back mortgages to purchase flood insurance. Following the flooding that resulted from Hurricane Floyd, these inaccuracies culminated to create severe financial burdens for individual homeowners in eastern North Carolina, the State of North Carolina, and the National Flood Insurance Program. In the past, persons wanting to view existing flood insurance rate maps in North Carolina had to visit or contact one of three sources for hardcopies: (1) the local county floodplain administrator, (2) the state floodplain administrator in Raleigh, or (3) FEMA in Washington, D.C. With rare exceptions, digital copies of flood maps were not available. These factors resulted in limited viewing by the public of the maps, as well as map updates being inefficient, time-intensive, and costly. With the collection and generation of new, accurate, digital data, maps, and reports, and as well as the establishment of a freely accessible NCFMIS, each of the previously defined issues or obstacles have been overcome. Local governments, responsible for floodplain management and permitting, will more accurately be able to identify high risk flood areas and thus limit any and all development in those areas. In addition, local governments will be more informed regarding base flood elevations (BFEs) that construction will need to build above. Existing homeowners, as well as those individuals looking to purchase a home, can readily view properties to determine whether a specific property is in a flood hazard area. Mortgage institutions and Flood Determination Companies will both be able to accurately assess which properties should be required to purchase flood insurance. With the operational shift from hardcopy production to digital production, all map revisions will be done digitally, resulting in a reduction in the time needed to update and print the new maps. In addition, this program, and the use of digital data, has increased spatial data sharing between government organizations at all levels (i.e., county government with state government). North Carolina, through this program, is truly implementing the goals of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure concepts. The implementation of spatial data sharing has resulted in reduced costs for data and map generation. 5 07/20/15

6 c) Benefits realized by service recipients, taxpayers, agency or state Through the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program, the collection and generation of digital data, maps and reports, and the establishment of the NCFMIS, a number of overall goals are being met. These goals are: (1) Disaster-resistant counties, communities and property owners, (2) Accurate and appropriate flood insurance rates for all property owners, and (3) Sound land use planning and development by communities and property owners. Specific benefits resulting from the new data, maps, and reports can be identified in several categories Citizens, Counties and Municipalities, State Agencies, and Federal Agencies. a. Citizens: 1. Accurate determination / depiction of whether property(s) is in flood hazard areas and thus should be covered with flood insurance 2. Accurate, equitable flood insurance rate due to accurate BFEs and flood hazard delineation 3. Knowledge of real-time flood inundation over roads and stream banks during a storm event (pending application Real-Time Flood Inundation and Flood Forecast Warning System) b. Counties and Local Municipalities: 1. Better informed floodplain management, enforcement, permitting, and zoning 2. Reduced cost (approximately 1/3) to generate digital orthophotos 3. Better equipped to comply with GASB 34 requirements to manage and account for all capital outlays (i.e., bridges, structures, etc.) 4. Better equipped emergency management and response capabilities 5. Better equipped to comply with National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements for storm water management 6. Better able to identify natural and man-made hazards and prepare required mitigation plans (Congressional Stafford Act Amendment Mitigation Act of 2000). c. State Agencies: 1. NC DOT reduce approximately one year of time and cost from preliminary road and structure design / More accurate data for hydraulic design / more informative environmental planning (wetland delineations, floodplain delineations, etc.) / spillmodelling 2. NC DENR Improved water quality buffers / more accurate coastal erosion rate analysis / Expansion of statewide geospatial data inventory / More informed to respond to NPDES state requirements / 3. NC CCPS - Better equipped emergency management and response capabilities / Enhanced Hurricane Evacuation Routing / Improved storm surge modeling / Better equipped to do Natural and Man-made Hazard identification, mitigation, and response d. Federal Agencies: Due to page constraints, this paper is identifying those federal agencies that have partnered with the Program due to expected or existing benefits. These agencies include: NASA; EPA; U.S. Army Corp of Engineers; FEMA; HUD; EDA; SBA; NOAA NWS; NIMA; Census Bureau; USGS; USDA F&W 6 07/20/15

7 Private professionals and firms, e.g., professional surveyors, professional engineers, planners, insurance agents, real estate professionals will also benefit by having the new, accurate data. It is hoped that this anticipated benefit should be passed on to the customer / taxpayer. d) Return on investment, short-term/long-term payback (include summary calculations). Projects must exhibit measurable operational benefit. The essentially benefit or value in this project is the readily accessible, accurate information. In 1999, USGS did a Benefit: Cost Analysis on the North Carolina Flood Insurance Rate Map Modernization Initiative. In the report, USGS stated that FEMA estimates that the complete nationwide conversion to modernized flood maps with a regular revision schedule will result in $1.18 billion in discounted benefits (at a 7% interest rate) from saved map revision costs and future property damage over the next fifty years. The resulting benefitcost ratio is 1.5:1 nationally. Due to North Carolina s insurance flood damages average being 85% higher 5 per year than the national claim average, North Carolina can expect an approximate benefit-cost ratio of 2.8:1 for the state. Consequently, an initial investment of $60 million can expect a discounted return of $168 million. This rate of return is similar to the approximate 3:1 ratio estimated globally for automating maps 6. Over the last few years, however, North Carolina s flood damages have increased at a rate faster than the nationwide average, hinting that the benefits-cost ratio for the state could be even higher as global climate change increases state flood risk for future years. Even from this abbreviated analysis 7 of the benefits of flood maps, the costs have been recovered almost three times over in benefits. These benefits of producing maps faster and cheaper (efficiency benefits of avoided costs), however, are only one aspect and perhaps the smallest aspect of the net benefits possible from the proposed mapping project. The report also stated that increasing the accuracy and thereby decreasing the uncertainty of the data, greatly enhances the value of the data for decision-making. Additionally, integrating the data into an interoperable database that allows the flood maps, and other data, to become base maps for a variety of uses including comprehensive disaster mitigation, intergovernmental projects and private uses. As a result, USGS conservatively predicted a return of over three times the original investment. USGS s estimate may severely undercount possible benefits, and does not even attempt to provide values for the wide range of uses and production cost savings that will become possible as remote sensing and information technology progresses. 5 This figure is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program, Loss Statistics Between January 1, 1978 through 9/30/1998. In which, the average policy loss payment per year per policy is equal to $ nationally and $ for North Carolina, which equates to 86% higher damages per policy in North Carolina. 6 Silva, Eliane Cost-Benefit Analysis for Geographic Information Systems. Submitted to Bruce Oswald, Chair of the NYS GIS Coordinating Body. 7 It should be noted that the proposed benefit cost ratio is a very coarse estimate that may include both benefit overlaps and the undercounting of benefits. The 2.8:1 result is a general ratio aimed at highlighting the broader economic dimensions of flood mapping, and does not claim to be exact and flawless. 7 07/20/15