Things You Can Do To Mitigate Against Flooding

Posted by: Sandra Knight, Deputy Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administrator, Mitigation

Flooding is the nation’s number one natural disaster, and it can occur inland, along the coast, and across every region of the country. Even though you may think your community has little or no risk of flooding, the reality is that anywhere it rains, it can flood. In fact, roughly 25 percent of all flood insurance claims are filed in low-to-moderate flood-risk areas. It is important to keep in mind that the risk of flooding isn’t based only on your community’s history, but on a variety of factors like rainfall, topography, river-flow and tidal-surge data, and changes resulting from new construction in your community. Those all play a part in what actual flood risk you face.

There are steps that you can take to prepare yourself and mitigate against damages. The first thing you can do is know your risk, and we have information on risk, including a One-Step Flood Risk Profile. Next, you should create an emergency communications plan and build an emergency kit to ensure you and your family are prepared for a flood. As part of having a plan, we also encourage you to consider your coverage. A flood insurance policy can protect your home, property, or business from the financial damages of flooding. Most homeowner’s insurance does not cover damage from flooding, so visit FloodSmart.gov to learn more.

In addition to these steps, there are also small flood proofing measures that you can take to help prevent, or minimize the impact of flooding to your home and its contents. A few examples include:

• Elevate your furnace, water heater and electric panel in your home, if you live in a high flood risk area.

• Install "check valves" to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home.

• When practical, homeowners can construct barriers (such as sandbagging) to stop floodwater from entering your home.

• Seal walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds.

Homeowners around the nation have taken proactive measures, like these, to reduce their risk of damage from flooding. Proactive communities work on mitigating strategies through a combination of flood control projects and good floodplain management activities. In addition, FEMA hazard mitigation grants across the country have helped homeowners and communities affected by flooding, prevent future damages. Here are a few examples of how grants have helped protect properties from subsequent flooding.

In New Jersey, a homeowner elevated her home after flooding from severe storms in Spring 2007, protecting her from flooding during the storm surge resulting from Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

In Washington, a homeowner elevated his home after flooding in 2006 with the help of federal and county funding, and was able to avoid damages from flooding that occurred in 2009 when a nearby river surged and floodwaters went under the elevated home.

An inland community in North Carolina that was affected by storms in 1996 used state and federal funding to improve the town’s stormwater management system, which included piping improvements and installation of floodgates and retention ponds. In 2011, when Hurricane Irene brought massive downpours and strong winds, town officials were able to open the floodgates and allow the water to flow as it rushed through the town.

The photo below shows how a hospital in Binghamton, New York, averted major storm damage from flooding in 2011 because of a floodwall and other mitigation measures that were implemented with hazard mitigation grants following 2006 flooding.

Binghamton, Ny., September 8, 2011 -- A floodwall, built with hazard mitigation funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and New York State protected this vital property from flood waters that devastated other parts of the city, even as rising water from the Susquehanna River engulfed the hospital’s parking lot during Tropical Storm Lee.

To learn about flood risks in your area and for information on flood insurance, visit www.floodsmart.gov. For more information on flood preparedness tips and ways you can protect your family before, during and after a flood visit www.ready.gov/floods.

 

When disaster strikes, there is one common occurrence that can be counted on. That is people showing up willing to help. In fact, insisting on helping. Too often, the professional responder community has seen these people as problems instead of assets. The fact is that volunteers can be either a huge asset to the professional responder OR a huge problem.

Most of us want to help in some way. Those of us who are trained professionals are there and working at what we do. How can we utilize those that just "want" to help? The key is TRAINING. Having untrained, unknown individuals wandering about is just dangerous. It is a danger to them, to us and to disaster victims. It is the coordinated, trained volunteer that becomes a force multiplier for the professional. There are a number of organizations that can provide volunteer guidance and training. These organizations work with the professional community so we know how to best utilize them and acknowledge them as "credentialed" volunteers. First, as a professional Emergency Manager, I encourage people in my local area to get trained. The American Red Cross is a world class organization when it comes to disaster response. They provide FREE training to their volunteers. There are few things that the non-professional can do that are as rewarding as running a disaster shelter, or helping to find a place to stay for a displaced family. And us in the firefighter and police world like to see that Red Cross truck role up to a disaster scene with hot or cold drinks, snacks and a smile. Another thing I talk about in my community is VOAD. Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is an national umbrella organization for groups that want to help in disaster response. Our local chapter has members from non-profits, faith based and community service groups. VOAD coordinates these various groups, some training is provided and each group gets an understanding of what they can and should do to help. Lastly is CERT or Community Emergency Response Team. This federally funded Citizen Corps program was started after 9-11. It provides comprehensive training to civilians that want to take a lead role in supporting disaster response. CERT programs exist in many areas of the US. To find one near you just visit http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/. And for those of you "non-professionals" that want to feel really, really good about yourselves......go visit one of these groups and volunteer. You'll be glad you did.

Ten years later. That’s a long time. You can go from being a high-school kid to being a married, working, college graduate in 10 years. September 11^th, 2011 marks ten years since the horrific terrorist attacks in NY, Washington and Shanksvile, Pa. On that day America changed. We forever talk about pre and post 9-11.

However, September 11th 2001 was an ordinary day in New York City. One of those rare, beautiful New York fall days where everything just seemed right with the world. I was on my way to a client meeting with 2 team members. At a few moments before 9am, we were in my car...heading south on the west side highway....across the street from the North Tower. We watched and then felt and smelled the first plane striking the tower...and then the second. Flaming debris rained down around my car as I swerved to avoid huge chunks of….something. We watched in horror as we saw bodies falling from the raging inferno. We knew immediately that this was no accident. We knew it was war.

My first act was to get my team members to safety. Once I had them on their way, I went back to what would be known as “Ground Zero”. By the time I got back, the towers had collapsed and the true extent of the horror was held back by what needed to be immediately done.

 To this day, I am humbled by the heroes I encountered  at Ground Zero. Those heroes came from every walk of life, from all over America. The heroes came in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. There were the heroes on Flight 93 who fought back and tried to stop the madness. There were the heroes at the Pentagon, who pulled their co-workers out of the flaming building. And there were the police, firefighters, medic and other first responders who just kept going because there just might be someone waiting in the rubble for rescue. And there were the heroes who just went to work that day like they did every day and became the ones who helped their co-workers to safety.

 And there were the almost 3,000 people, lost on that day who merely went to work on what was supposed to be an ordinary day.

 There were also countless heroes in New York and across America who went back to work and went back to their day to day life showing our enemy that America is strong and cannot and will not be deterred.

 Then there was my wife. She was watching a CNN story a few days after 9-11about rescuers who working in the most dangerous areas at Ground Zero who were writing their social security numbers on their arms and legs. She then realized what those ink stains were on my arms and legs. I still owe her on that one.

 After 10 years later a lot has changed. And yet, not enough. Every American must remember those that stand prepared to sacrifice......our everyday heroes. Look around you at the firefighter, the police officer, the medic, the members of our armed forces, past and present. Look at your neighbors who volunteer for the Red Cross or The Salvation Army. Now remember to say “thank you” every so often.

 I remember one day I was heading to my shift at Ground Zero…it was several weeks after 9-11 and things were approaching some kind of normal. I began to notice the crowds of ordinary people on the streets around Ground Zero who would gather and cheer for the responders…for the heroes. They waved flags and banners…and cheered us like a winning sports team. This crowd was several hundred people. Today, ten years later….those crowds are gone.

I also want to really, really thank those that work to keep the remembrance of 9-11 alive. It is easy for most people to file this day away in the dim corners of a memory best forgotten. For me it is not a remembrance…for me it is something I relive every single day.

 Paul Seldes, CEM, FPEM

9-11 First Responder and Survivor

Sept. 11^th, 2011

Plan to Stay In Business!

Consider this; according to the Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT) almost 40% of small businesses that close due to a disaster event NEVER re-open. What would you do if the building where your business is located was damaged or destroyed in a disaster? Where would you go to continue providing services to your customers? Would you have the correct resources? It’s more than just technology. You’ll need the ‘tools’ that make your business work, whether it’s key personnel, products, equipment or supplies. A disaster plan that identifies your most important resources will help ensure that your business is prepared to survive during unexpected and difficult times! Business Continuity is a process that will help you prepare for disasters and ensure that you stay in business after a disaster. We always tell our business continuity clients that they must “PLAN to stay in business”.

Why Plan for a Disaster?
The number of declared disasters has more than doubled in the last 20 years. Small to medium size businesses are most vulnerable to the long term affects of a disaster. Small businesses do not have the resources that major companies have to respond to and recover from disasters. Yet small businesses represent 99.7% of all employers in the US and account for almost 75% of new jobs added to our economy. Businesses can be hurt indirectly when a disaster strikes customers, suppliers and distributors. The impact of the disaster can be felt far from the epicenter.

In our role as professional emergency management consultants, we see time and time again how decimated areas experience pain in trying to recover. When local businesses cease to function, recovery takes longer and becomes more painful. The jobs and wages created by local small businesses are the lifeblood of the recovery process.

There is a lot of emphasis in the Business Continuity world about worst-case scenarios. We all see in the media the impact of earthquakes, tornados, floods and hurricanes. But small business must plan for and prepare for small disasters as well. The most common form of disaster in the US is a single structure fire. Though contained, this can wipe an unprepared small business out as thoroughly as a Category 5 Hurricane. In large-scale disasters there is often a large amount of public and private support from FEMA, Red Cross and dozens of other agencies. For small disasters, a business owner may easily be on their own. As I write this article, we are watching the Swine Flu move to a pandemic stage. Is YOUR business prepared?


Benefits of Planning for a Disaster
Preparedness enhances recovery from: business disruption, financial losses, loss of market share, damages to capital assets, equipment or inventory. Being prepared provides a higher level of security and wellbeing for you, your family, and employees. It also generates credibility with your customers, vendors, supply chain and the local community and creates financial strength. Consider the peace of mind and reliability we feel since Publix Supermarkets (not a small business) installed generators in most of their stores to ensure that food will be available after a disaster event.