 | Welcome to the Flood Zone is a nationally distributed resource for those interested in flood zone issues, land surveying, real estate, history, and educational opportunities. This newsletter has been proudly featured by the Association of State Floodplain Managers, the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and the Maine and New Hampshire Floodplain Management Programs. Please feel free to share with your friends and colleagues! If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, simply click the unsubscribe link in the footer of this message. | In this Issue of Welcome to the Flood Zone: Message from Jim
In the News: "Conservation, CarFax-Like Disclosure, Means-Test in Mix of Flood Insurance Reforms", "Cities Are Using New Cloud Technology to Fight Increasingly Expensive and Catastrophic Flooding", "Mapping Helps Lower Flood Insurance Premiums"
Resources: "Flood Hazard Mapping: Frequently Asked Questions" and "Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Measures"
Real Estate Corner: "The Floods Ravaging the Midwest Will Wreak Havoc in Housing Markets, Too"
History Corner: On this day, in 1931... Banner Image: From the Missouri Department of Transportation's Current Flood Information web page. | Message from Jim “April showers bring May flowers”, but did you know it also brings the beginning of hurricane season? The Eastern Pacific season starts May 15th and the Atlantic season starts June 1st, and both end on November 30th. Rolling the dice with the perception this is not the season to get hit (or hit again) by a large flooding event is not wise. These flooding events have occurred for centuries, but they become disasters due to human choices to live and develop in high-risk areas. Many of the most expensive storms have occurred during hurricane season. To reverse this trend, better decisions must be made! Improved mitigation strategies will lessen overall damage to infrastructure, personal assets, and our environment, all while increasing human safety. See below to learn more about Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Measures. As hurricane season comes back into our lives, it is a wonderful time to become pro-active, not reactive. | In the News Conservation, CarFax-Like Disclosure, Means-Test in Mix of Flood Insurance Reforms By Andrew G. Simpson, Insurance Journal, March 21, 2019 Many reforms have been proposed to improve the solvency of the National Flood Insurance Program. While no bills have been passed yet, it does seem as though progress is being made. At the very least, the need for change is resonating loud and clear. This article outlines some of the current ideas to improve floodplain mapping, enhance disclosure, reduce repetitive loss, and increase insurance affordability. Read more! | Cities Are Using New Cloud Technology to Fight Increasingly Expensive and Catastrophic Flooding By Diana Olick and Erica Posse, CNBC, October 18, 2018 "Intense storms are becoming much more frequent, resulting in heavier rainfall and flooding that wreaks havoc on local infrastructures, budgets and economies. Most of the nation’s stormwater systems are simply unable to handle the increasingly heavy rainfall. And it gets worse as urban development increases because there are fewer places for water to go. Boston-based Opti, installs underground smart water management systems that connect to the technology cloud and track the weather. The systems control water coming into and out of urban lakes, retention ponds, tanks, pipes, cisterns, even constructed wetlands." Read more! |  Drone imagery can be reviewed to identify obstructions in the river channel (POB). | Mapping Helps Lower Flood Insurance Premiums Point of Beginning, March 11, 2019 This article shares another great use of technology for floodplain management: drones. Drones can assess river conditions, using photography to spot obstructions and prioritize which hazards need to be cleared to mitigate flood damage. In the case of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, the data is submitted as part of the town's application to FEMA's Community Rating System, which offers flood insurance reductions in communities that participate in activities that reduce flood risk. The drones also allow for safer data collection, eliminating the need for surveyors to be in dangerous conditions near rivers and roadways. Read more! | Flood Hazard Mapping: Frequently Asked Questions This FEMA web page shares Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for multiple stakeholder groups, including homeowners; engineers, surveyors, and architects; insurance professionals and lenders; and floodplain managers. Check it out! | Real Estate Corner The Floods Ravaging the Midwest Will Wreak Havoc in Housing Markets, Too By Clare Trapasso, Realtor.com, March 21, 2019 "The catastrophic flooding that has wrought havoc on more than a dozen Midwestern states—claiming at least four lives, displacing thousands, and causing perhaps more than a billion dollars in damages—will also upend local real estate markets, perhaps for years to come." Read more! | History Corner - On This Day... May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City’s Empire State Building. The idea for the Empire State Building is said to have been born of a competition between Walter Chrysler of the Chrysler Corporation and John Jakob Raskob of General Motors, to see who could erect the taller building. At the time of its completion, the Empire State Building, at 102 stories and 1,250 feet high (1,454 feet to the top of the lightning rod), was the world’s tallest skyscraper. Read more! | | |
