Talking about our flooding problem

1. Talking about our flooding problem How we can be more resilient to coastal floods now and in the future This presentation is based on a template created by Sarah Watson and funded through a partnership between NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and the Jacques Cousteau NERR.

2. What we will discuss today • Our community’s flooding problems • What’s causing these problems • Why they will get worse in the future • What we can do about them now and in the future

3. Tell us about your experience Sample Questions for Instant Polling: • Are you concerned about flooding in your neighborhood? • Have you ever experienced a flood? • Are you concerned about stronger storms in the future? Sample Questions for Open Discussion: • Point to a past storm and ask participants how they fared • Ask whether anyone is concerned about flooding in their neighborhood. Have they experienced flooding at high tide? • Tell us about concerns you have regarding future storms.

4. Causes of flooding in our community • Storms including storm surge • Extreme high tides • Heavy rainstorms

5. Do you know your flood risk? Suggested poll questions: • Do you know your house’s elevation? (Possible answers: Above Base Flood Elevation, At Base Flood Elevation, Below Base Flood Elevation, I don’t know.) • Is your house in a flood zone? Which zone? (Possible answers: AE, V, X, I don’t know, none) Suggested open discussion questions: • Do you know your house’s elevation? How did you find this information? • Is your house in a flood zone? What does it mean to be in an X (or AE, or V) zone?

6. The flood zone in our community What do the zones mean? X indicates areas that have a 0.1 percent chance of flooding in any given year. AE indicates areas with a 1 percent chance of flooding. VE indicates areas that are at risk of damage from 3ft waves atop floodwaters.

7. Past floods in our community

8. How will flooding change?

9. What is causing sea level rise? • Warmer water • Melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica • Sinking land due to subsidence

10. What is causing sea level rise?

11. Why Sea level rise Matters to you • Storms do not have to be as strong to cause major flooding • Storm surge will extend further inland and cause more damage because water levels are higher • Flooding will occur in areas that don’t currently have flooding • Some areas will become permanently flooded

12. Sea level rise This map indicates where the water is during our normal highest tides, typically during the full and new moon. This measurement is often referred to as Mean Higher High Water (MHHW).

13. Sea Level Rise This map indicates where the water will be with one foot of sea level rise on top of our normal highest tides.

14. Sea Level Rise This map indicates where the water will be with three feet of sea level rise on top of our normal highest tides.

15. Sea Level Rise (1 foot)

16. Sea Level Rise (3 feet)

17. What do you think? Suggestions for instant polling questions • How does this make you feel (Responses: Scared, Worried, Not worried, I don’t know, I don’t understand, Other) • Have you noticed changes in flooding over the years? (Yes, No, Not sure) Suggestions for conversation starters: • What is going through your mind when you see these scenarios? • How does this make you feel? • If you have noticed changes in flooding, would you like to discuss them with the group? • If you think flooding has not changed, would you like to discuss this with the group?

18. What should we do about this? Suggestions for instant polling questions • Have you done anything to make your house more flood-resilient? (Suggested answers: Yes, elevated, yes, installed flood vents, yes, other, no, but I would like to, and no, I don’t plan to) • Do you have flood insurance? (Suggested answers: Yes, No, Recently canceled, Don’t know) Suggestions for conversation starters: • What changes have you made to your home to prepare for flooding? • What changes would you make if you were able to do more? • What do you think the community should do to prepare for flooding?

19. What can we do about flooding • Identify where our flooding problems come from • Identify what’s at risk. Why and when? • Identify as a community what is most important to us • What are ways we can reduce our risk now? • What are ways we can reduce our risk in the future?

20. What are options for our homes?

21. What about flood insurance? • Do you know the local flood insurance regulations? • Are you compliant? Photo: FEMA

22. What are options for our FAMILIES? • Make a family emergency plan • Evacuate when told • Map your route

23. What are options for our community?

24. What are options for our community? Photo: Bhaskaran Subramanian Bioretention - LA DEQ

25. Continuing the Conversation Suggested conversation starters: • What are ways we can continue this discussion? • Are there people we need to have here who aren’t? How can we get them involved? • Are you willing to take this discussion home or start the conversation with your friends?

26. Resources Use this slide to show screenshots of or list various resources.

27. Resources Use this slide to show contact information for yourself or another knowledgeable person that people can contact for more information.