Flood Risk Reduction

1. Flood Risk Reduction Taunnie Boothby, CFM State of Alaska Floodplain Manager Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs 2014 Preparedness Conference Anchorage, Alaska  April 16, 2014

2. Alaska Floodplain Management Floodplain Management Program’s mission is to reduce public and private sector losses and damage from flooding and erosion. DCRA provides coordination, compliance reviews and technical assistance to local governments to facilitate informed decision-making for flood hazard reduction and promoting resilient communities.

3. Managing the Floodplains in Rural Alaska Fort Yukon, Alaska

4. Emmonak, Alaska

5. Mat-Su Borough - Melanie circle September 2012

6. Ice Jam Flooding Galena is seeing major flooding caused by ice damming on the Yukon River. Photo by David Lee, AK DHS&EM May 27, 2013

7. Galena

8. Eagle Circle Circle

9. Eagle - 2013

10. Eagle - 2009 Height of Ice Approx. 70 – 80 feet

12. HWM 5/7/2009 HWM 5/5/2009

13. City of Nenana, City Hall - 2008 Flood

14. City of Nenana Aug 15, 1967

15. Rosie Creek, Fairbanks North Star Borough - July 2008

16. Kenai Peninsula Borough – 1995 Flood

17. Flood Resiliency • Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grants • Elevations • Relocations • Buy-outs • Regulatory and building standards – (NFIP) • Natural and Beneficial Functions • No Adverse Impact • Nonstructural Flood proofing • Community Rating System (CRS) – Higher development and regulatory standards

18. National Flood Insurance Program

19. Prevent loss of life, safety, and reduce economic loss caused by flooding: Create a partnership Map the flood risk and assign insurance rates; Set minimum floodplain management standards; Make flood insurance available; Promotes sound floodplain management practices. Purpose of the NFIP

20. The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 - Made flood insurance available but was not mandatory The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 - Made insurance mandatory in Standard Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) The National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 - established a grant program (HMGP) - authorized Community Rating System (CRS) NFIP Legislation

21. NFIP Legislation Cont. Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 - change to the flood insurance rates – Risk Rated policies & Grandfathering - changes to the FMA grant Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 - change to the flood insurance rates – Risk Rated policies - changes to the FMA grant

22. Three Aspects of NFIP Risk identification and mapping Availability of flood insurance Community compliance Accomplished in partnership with the Federal, State, and local community. 24

23. BFE 10' LOWEST FLOOR 12' BFE 10' LOWEST FLOOR 5'

24. Who in Alaska participates in the NFIP? Municipality of Anchorage Fairbanks North Star Borough Haines Borough Juneau, City & Borough Kenai Peninsula Borough Ketchikan Gateway Borough Lake & Peninsula Borough Matanuska-Susitna Borough Northwest Arctic Borough Municipality of Skagway Sitka City & Borough Aniak, Bethel, Cordova, Delta Junction, Dillingham, Emmonak, Fort Yukon, Galena, Homer, Hoonah, Kotzebue, Koyukuk, Kwethluk, McGrath, Nenana, Nome, Petersburg, Seward, Shishmaref, Togiak, and Valdez

25. Who in Alaska participates in the NFIP? Sanctioned City of Kenai City of Soldotna SUSPENDED City & Borough of Wrangell

26. Besides having room to discharge the flood it includes habitat for Salmon Riparian processes affect all Need for floodplain and off-channel habitat vary by species General Rule: 10 percent of the habitat produces 90 percent of the fish… Natural & Beneficial Functions of Floodplains

27. No Adverse Impact NAI is a Policy Goal promoted by Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) to: • Ensure the actions of one property owner or community do not adversely impact others • Incorporate multi-objective and watershed planning principles NAI doesn’t mean “no development” NAI means that any adverse impact caused by a project must be mitigated, preferably based on a community or watershed-based plan.

28. Types of adverse impacts: Increased flood stages, velocities, flows Increased potential for erosion and sedimentation Increased cost of public services Degradation of water quality Impacts may occur anywhere in the watershed NAI Background. . .

29. Building Blocks grouped according to: Basic Better NAI Source: ASFPM, No Adverse Impact: A Toolkit for Common Sense Floodplain Management (2003) www.floods.org/NoAdverseImpact/NAI_Toolkit_2003.pdf NAI Building Blocks • Tools in the building blocks: • 1) Hazard Identification and floodplain mapping • 2) Education and out reach • 3) Planning • 4) Regulation and development standards • 5) Mitigation • 6) Infrastructure • 7) Emergency Services

30. Reduce flood losses over time in your community Reduce likelihood of your actions increasing flood damage to others Reduce successful lawsuits against communities Receive recognition through the Community Rating System Incorporate multiple objectives Protect natural resources and values of floodplains Benefits of NAI

31. “Sustainability is the melding of economic, environmental, and societal values to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the needs of future generations…” Brundtl and Commission 1987