National Coastal Outreach Answering Tough Questions June 11, 2013
Why Focus on Coastal Flood Risk? 120,475,000 people or 39% of the U.S. population live in counties subject to the 1% annual chance coastal flood, and/or border the ocean or Great Lakes coast. ~ 8,622,000 people (3% of the total U.S. population) live in coastal areas subject to the 1% annual chance flood Includes only permanent residents. Additional seasonal residents add to the number of people at risk Larger storms will affect more people Transportation challenges 2
>99% of Studies Underway 3
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Coastal Outreach Objectives Build on work done in previous task orders to reduce duplicative efforts Engage with other Federal agencies, Regions and internal partners to leverage and coordinate the coastal risk message Identify, create and disseminate new tools Support FEMA Regions so they are armed and ready 5
Activities So Far 1. National Coastal Outreach Strategy (Completed) 2. OFA Partner Collaboration (Ongoing) 3. Coastal Forces Animation (Completed) 4. Regional Engagement (Ongoing) 5. Coastal Messaging Messaging Webinar (Completed) Coastal Message development (Complete) Answers to Tough Coastal Questions (Complete) 6. Coastal Tools/Resources Inventory (Complete) 7. Coastal Coordination Meeting (Complete) 8. FEMA Coastal Website Development (Complete) 6
Federal Partner Collaboration NOAA Coastal Services Center NOAA Office of Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) USACE USGS FEMA FloodSmart FEMA Building Science Branch FEMA FIMA StratCom Branch NEW! U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service NEW! U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 7
Partner Stakeholder Priorities Political State Officials Local Officials Private Sector NGOs Media General Public Risk MAP 2 1 2 Building Science 1 2 2 FIMA Com Brnch 1 2 2 FloodSmart 2 2 1 NOAA CSC 2 1 2 NOAA OCRM 1 2 2 USACE 2 1 2 USGS 2 2 1 8
DRAFT Risk MAP Coastal Message The U.S. coastline is among the most densely populated and economically important areas in the Nation. Hurricanes and tropical storms along the coast account for 8 of the top 10 costliest disasters Risk MAP delivers quality risk analyses and data that increases public awareness and leads to action to reduce risk to life and property Understanding our coastal risk is the first step toward achieving disaster-resilient communities. [All coastal communities] benefit from updated flood maps, data, and hazard mitigation tools offered as a part of each Risk MAP coastal project. This enables better, more strategic emergency preparedness and mitigation planning. 9 Understanding our Nation s coastal flood risk requires updated data collection, state-ofthe-art scientific methodology and collaboration with [the whole community]. It is a shared responsibility
Coastal Flood Risks Website fema.gov/coastal-flood-risks 10
Coastal Stakeholder Webpages Homeowners, Renters, Business Owners & General Public Community Officials Real Estate, Insurance, & Lending Industry Professionals Cooperating Technical Partners, Engineers, Surveyors, & Contractors Home Builders, Developers, & Construction Professionals 11
Coastal Flood Risk Study Process Includes Risk MAP study status map graphic and links to Risk MAP Progress Website Explains the Coastal Flood Risk Study Process: Includes links to pages that explain NFIP, FIRM, FIS, etc. Features Coastal Zones/ LiMWA graphic Cross-Links to Coastal FAQs, Coastal Flood Risk Resources, Stakeholder, and Rebuilding After a Coastal Storm pages 12
Coastal Flood Risk Regional Link 13
Coastal Flood Risk Resources Includes resources collected from FEMA, FEMA Coastal Regions, and other Federal Agencies Categorized by resource type including: Hurricane Sandy Resources Brochures/Fact Sheets Toolkits Videos Websites, and more! Each resource is linked to the FEMA Library or other website 14
Visualizing Coastal Forces Hydro-static forces Buoyant forces Hydrodynamic or drag forces Debris impact forces 15
Answering Tough Questions Asked Regions: What questions are you uncomfortable answering? Researched existing answers Worked with Coastal SME to prepare answers to technical questions Worked with FloodSmart on insurance questions New Tough Questions from Hurricane Sandy 16
Sample Questions Why is FEMA creating new coastal maps when there are so many other public priorities? A recent hurricane hit near my house and it didn t flood; are you sure these maps indicate the current flood risk in my area? Why isn't FEMA using the latest twodimensional wave models to estimate wave effects over land? Is it possible for community officials or individual property owners to appeal a coastal study when FEMA used supercomputers to obtain the results presented on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)? How should I build in areas near the Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA)? What is a Primary Frontal Dune (PFD)? How are the PFD lines drawn? 17
More Sample Questions How is FEMA accounting for sea level rise and climate change on the FIRMs? Does sea level rise/climate change affect the FIRMs? Why isn t our beach renourishment project included in the coastal study analysis and resulting mapping? What is the Joint Probability Method? What is a synthetic storm? Does FEMA include tsunamis on the flood hazard maps? Why am I required to purchase flood insurance? My home was destroyed in a fire and my local building code official is telling me I have to elevate my replacement home due to flood concerns. My homeowners insurance will not cover the additional cost to elevate. How is that fair? Why does FEMA promote development in the floodplain by offering flood insurance? 18
Next Steps 1. Maintain and update Coastal website based on your feedback 2. Conduct Regional Feedback Calls 3. Based on calls, conduct: 1. One or two short animations to explain technical concepts such as Primary Frontal Dune or How Wave Breaks Zones are Determined 2. Prepare one Regional Congressional Briefing to use as a model/template 4. Add more videos to FEMA Media Library and prepare collections 5. Prepare materials for appeals process 6. Develop a Quarterly Coastal Update 19
What we d like from you Use the website and give us feedback and suggestions Send us links to your resources to add to the Resources page Send us new questions to add to FAQs Sign up for Coastal Flood Risk updates via GovDelivery: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/usdhsfem A/subscriber/new?topic_id=USDHAFEMA_1011 20
Thank You! Janice Roper-Graham, ABC, PMP, CFM - STARR Janice@opp-llc.com Mark Crowell, FEMA Coastal Outreach Lead Mark.Crowell@fema.dhs.gov Jennifer Marcy, CFM STARR Area D Lead - Jennifer.Marcy@atkinsglobal.com