West Virginia GIS Conference WV Flood Risk Mapping Status and Needs Lee Brancheau, GISP FEMA Region III, Risk Analysis Branch May 5, 2016 West Virginia GIS Conference

FEMA Risk MAP Program goals and how GIS fits in.. Goal: Help communities to understand and take action locally to mitigate their flood risk Goal: Help communities and individuals avoid or reduce the loss of life, loss of property, and financial impacts from disasters FEMA’s Risk MAP program uses GIS to map and analyze flood risk: Mapping areas of flood risk Analyzing areas of flood risk mitigation potential Providing GIS datasets, Flood Risk reports, and technical expertise to help communities in Planning and prioritizing mitigation action

First, where have we been in WV? Migrated 330+ paper community map sets to 55 countywide digital datasets Statewide flood hazard dataset created 1000’s of miles of credible Zone A approximate flood studies based on HEC-RAS hydraulic models and USGS hydrology Uniform standards applied. Consistent product base for the state and nation

Current Modernized Flood Maps & Active FIRM Updates

Traditional products are regulatory and subject to statutory due-process requirements Risk MAP products are non-regulatory and are not subject to statutory due-process requirements Map Modernization vs. Risk MAP – Program Product Comparisons DFIRM Database Traditional Regulatory Products Flood Risk Products

Where we’re going in WV – Flood Risk Products and Datasets Flood Risk Products Flood Risk Report Flood Risk Database Flood Risk Map Flood Risk Datasets Changes Since Last FIRM Depth Grids Flood Risk Assessment (refined Hazus analysis) Flood Risk Products help communities: Gain a better understanding of flood risk and its potential impact on communities and individuals Take proper mitigation actions to reduce this risk

Flood Risk Report Tug Fork Watershed Example

Flood Risk Database Changes Since Last FIRM Horizontal Changes and Results Structure/Population counts impacted by change Depth & Analysis Grids Depth (10, 04, 02, 01, 0.2 percent chance) Percent Annual Chance Percent 30-Year Grid Delivery of Water Surface Elevation (multi-freq) Water Surface Elevation Change Grid (1%) Velocity Grids Flood Risk Assessment Average Annualized Loss – 2010 Refined Flood Risk Assessment TEIF Areas of Mitigation Interest Areas of Mitigation Opportunity or Awareness

Flood Risk Assessments Quantitative analysis of flood risk loss Benefits and Uses: Identifies areas of higher flood risk by census block Quantifies potential future flood losses to existing structures Improves ability to identify higher risk areas Supports planning mechanisms through improved risk quantification Total Exposure in Floodplain (TEIF)

Why should risk assessment data matter to you? If you knew you had 161 million dollars of potential economic loss in your community due to flooding, would you plan differently?

Total Exposure in Floodplain (TEIF)

Tracking Flood Risk Products in GIS - Depth Grids – 1% Annual Chance

Risk MAP Objective: a Safer WV Future catastrophic flooding will happen Improved hazard maps and risk data inform local planning & mitigation action….better future decision making! Our product base for WV can be integrated with other programs and objectives for better decision making Levees, Dam Safety, Emergency Management, Land Use Planning, Historic Preservation, Environmental Protection

Status: Risk MAP Projects

What is FEMA’s Risk MAP Investment Strategy? Coordinated Needs Management System (CNMS) Tracks model validity by stream segment

LiDAR is key for investing in new flood studies!

FEMA Flood Zones and Models Zone AE – Higher Accuracy / High Cost Detailed Studies using HEC-RAS or other modeling software / method. Zone A – Lower Accuracy / Lower Cost Early Zone A’s were very approximate estimates based on USGS contour maps or other low-resolution elevation data. FEMA’s intended 1% annual chance flood elevation data for these areas is not available. Modern technology, as well as high resolution elevation data makes it easy to create “model-backed” Zone A floodplains. The 1% flood elevation is available. Not as accurate as Zone AE, but a great improvement in accuracy for the cost

Model-Backed Zone A Studies Replacing Less Accurate Methods Purchase !!!

Levee Analysis and Mapping Projects (LAMP) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead agency for levees USACE does inspections of levees and sometimes they fail FEMA does not certify levees, levee owners do FEMA accredits levees when a levee owner certifies their levees as protecting the 1% annual chance flood (100-year) FEMA needs to revise FIRM panels whenever a levee is accredited or de-accredited We currently are revising many FIRM panels in WV due to recent de-accreditations and accreditations

Data Delivery: FEMA Geoplatform

Data Delivery: FEMA GeoPlatform or directly at:

Data Delivery: WV Flood Tool

Data Delivery: FEMA Map Service Center Stores: Effective FIRMs, FIS, FIRM DBs Pending FIRMs, FIS, FIRM DBs Preliminary FIRMs, FIS, FIRM DBs Historic FIRMs and FIS Flood Risk Products

Where are we going? Near Term Plans Fund LiDAR acquisition in 9 counties as basis for future watershed-wide flood studies and risk assessments in the following HUC8 watersheds: Cacapon-Town South Branch Potomac Lower Guyandotte Twelvepole Fund Advisory Zone A flood studies in the remainder of WV Counties Complete in-progress Advisory Zone A flood studies Complete Tug Fork and Ceredo/Kenova FIRM updates in Wayne and Mingo Counties Continue Upper Monongalia Watershed Risk MAP project and FIRM updates (Marion and Monongalia Counties) Continue coordination on Levee Analysis and Mapping Projects (LAMP) for Petersburg, Moorefield, Ridgeley, Bayard and other levee systems

Near Term Plans Fund Additional LiDAR??? Dependent on congressional budget… Discovery meetings, outreach and reports for some or all of the following HUC8 watersheds: Cacapon-Town South Branch Potomac Lower Guyandotte Twelvepole Fund FIRM updates and Risk MAP products for McDowell County in order to finish Tug Fork Watershed Risk MAP products (depth grids, etc.) Incorporate 58-mile USACE Tug Fork study upstream of Mingo County into FIRMs Incorporate Disaster-funded Zone A data into FIRMs Continue Levee mapping and analysis projects

Long Term Plans – 2018 and Beyond Continue push to get statewide Flood Risk Products (depth grids, etc.) Incorporate Advisory Zone A data into FIRMs whenever possible Statewide library of digital flood models Statewide layer of Areas of Mitigation Interest (AOMI) to track flood mitigation needs, opportunities, and successes? Fund studies and Flood Risk Products in 2017 Discovery watersheds New Discovery projects in additional HUC8 Watersheds, where LiDAR elevation data exists Continue Levee mapping and analysis projects until all reflect their current accreditation status on the maps

Summary & The Future: FEMA will continue with Risk MAP for years Maps, Risk Assessment & Planning Support Modern flood maps are very good and getting better We are prioritizing restudies of big and medium river hydrology & hydraulic modeling Our 15 year goal is to replace “paper H&H” models behind the digital map

The Challenge for West Virginia: Increase flood awareness & action at all levels……Put the information to use Specifically: Integrate NFIP digital maps, models and data with planning processes and with other water data as well as social & economic data Advance on “tailored” information delivery for all levels of government and citizens…..Apps Make it so easy, it becomes unavoidable