1. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 1 NOAA AHPS Flood Inundation Mapping Victor Hom National Inundation Mapping Services Leader National Weather Service Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services Hydrologic Services Division Silver Spring, MD Southeast Regional Flood Mapping Meeting October 29, 2009

2. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 2 Enhancing the Communication of Flood Risk Current AHPS Flood Mapping Projects Current AHPS Flood Mapping Projects The Mapping Web Interface The Mapping Web Interface Flood Inundation Mapping Challenges Flood Inundation Mapping Challenges NOAA NWS AHPS Flood Mapping Presentation Outline

3. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 3 On average, over the past 20 years in the U.S., flooding has claimed over 90 lives and caused damages in excess of $7 billion annually. Flooding is responsible for more fatalities than any other severe weather related phenomenon. Flooding is responsible for more fatalities than any other severe weather related phenomenon. More than half of all flood-related deaths result from motorists being swept away in their vehicles. More than half of all flood-related deaths result from motorists being swept away in their vehicles. Socioeconomic Impacts

4. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 4 For over 30 years, the NWS has utilized a 3-tier, impact based, flood severity scale with the categories minor, moderate, and major flooding For each NWS river forecast location, flood stage and the stage associated with each of the NWS flood severity categories are established in cooperation with local public officials NCC049-107-070200- /O.NEW.KMHX.FL.W.0001.010407T1300Z-000000T0000Z/ /KINN7.1.ER.010407T1300Z.010412T0100Z.000000T0000Z.NO/ 200 PM EDT FRI APR 6 2001 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING FOR NEUSE RIVER AT KINSTON FROM SATURDAY MORNING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE AT 9 AM EDT FRIDAY THE STAGE WAS... 13.5 FEET MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST * FLOOD STAGE IS...14.0 FEET FORECAST...FLOOD STAGE WILL BE REACHED AT 900 AM SATURDAY. MAXIMUM STAGE WILL BE 15.0 FEET AT 900 PM EDT WEDNESDAY. THE RIVER MAY REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. THE EXACT FLOOD DURATION IS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT DUE TO THE VERY SLOW RISE AND FALL TIMES FOR THIS RIVER. AT 14 FEET...WATER WILL BEGIN TO OVERFLOW INTO LOWLANDS ADJACENT TO THE NEUSE RIVER. $$ http://www.weather.gov/ahps/ Enhancing the Communication of Flood Risk

5. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 5 The Inland Flood Forecasting and Warning System Act of 2002, Pub. Law No. 107-253The Inland Flood Forecasting and Warning System Act of 2002, Pub. Law No. 107-253 Championed by Representative Bob Etheridge (2 nd District NC) Championed by Representative Bob Etheridge (2 nd District NC) Authorized NOAA to conduct activities to improve inland flood forecasting, develop a new flood warning index, train and educate officials regarding improved forecasting techniques and the inland flood warning index Authorized NOAA to conduct activities to improve inland flood forecasting, develop a new flood warning index, train and educate officials regarding improved forecasting techniques and the inland flood warning index Enhancing the Communication of Flood Risk

6. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 6 Since 2002, NWS has conducted extensive outreach to determine whether our current flood severity index satisfies user needsSince 2002, NWS has conducted extensive outreach to determine whether our current flood severity index satisfies user needs Partnered with Claes Fornell International (CFI) Group to survey users of NOAA’s hydrologic information via the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Partnered with Claes Fornell International (CFI) Group to survey users of NOAA’s hydrologic information via the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Conducted user forums with State and Local Officials in North Carolina Conducted user forums with State and Local Officials in North Carolina Partnered with David Ford Consulting Engineers, Inc to conduct a national survey of emergency managers Partnered with David Ford Consulting Engineers, Inc to conduct a national survey of emergency managers Conducted additional local and regional user outreach Conducted additional local and regional user outreach Enhancing the Communication of Flood Risk

7. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 7 Enhancing the Communication of Flood Risk Partners and Users are telling us that they…. are familiar with NWS flood severity categories find them useful do not want changes to the existing flood severity indices need the communication of flood risk to be enhanced by use of inundation graphics (maps)

8. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 8 Enhancing the Communication of Flood Risk "The problem for our emergency responders during flooding is that we rush over our floodplain maps but they are basically a 100 year storm event that rarely informs the expected flooding from a particular storm event." Floodplain Manager Baltimore Area

9. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 9 Provide enhanced water availability and flood warning information by leveraging NOAA’s infrastructure and expertise Modernize services through infusion of new science and technology - Flash-flood to seasonal freshwater forecasts - Quantification of forecast certainty - More accurate and timely forecasts and warnings - Partnered flood inundation mapping - Visually-oriented products Provide consistent access to standardized graphics via web interface Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS)

10. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 10 In the Southeastern U.S. North Carolina Flood Mapping Program In the Southern U.S. Gulf Coast States (Katrina Supplemental) Lower Colorado River Authority San Antonio River Authority In the Northeastern U.S. Susquehanna River Basin (Upper/Lower) Delaware River Basin Commission In the Midwestern U.S. Indiana DHS, Indiana University Purdue University POLIS Center State of Kansas, University of Kansas City of Findlay Ohio, Killbuck Township of Ohio NOAA AHPS Flood Mapping Partnerships Blanchard River at Findlay, OH 10 new Flood Map Libraries added in September 2009 ~50 new Flood Map Libraries since Oct 2007

11. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 11 From NC Partnership  Established Flood Mapping Techniques in cooperation with USGS North Carolina Water Science Center, NCFMP Office  Added Flood Categories and Depths to the AHPS Flood Mapping Interface AHPS Flood Mapping Partnership Benefits From Gulf Coast Partnerships  Refined Quality Assurance, Instituted Quality Checks, Field Review Procedures From Midwest Partnerships  Improved Spatial Analysis for Display of Inundation and Generation of Depth Grids From Northeastern Partnerships  Enhanced Guidelines, Statement of Work Templates, and Procedural Development

12. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 12 Additional cost to complete one inundation map library as part of a detailed FEMA FIS: 5 – 10 KAdditional cost to complete one inundation map library as part of a detailed FEMA FIS: 5 – 10 K Cost doubles and time increases if inundation map library is created after the FIS is completed: 10 – 20 KCost doubles and time increases if inundation map library is created after the FIS is completed: 10 – 20 K Developing inundation libraries in conjunction with the detailed FIS yields significant user benefit for small incremental cost.Developing inundation libraries in conjunction with the detailed FIS yields significant user benefit for small incremental cost. AHPS Web Implementation: ~7 KAHPS Web Implementation: ~7 K Efficiency goes up Costs go down Partnering to Reduce Costs and Improve Efficiency

13. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 13 Target Goals Information to make risk based decisions Easy product access Visually oriented products Link to other AHPS Products minormoderatemajorFlood severity categories: minor, moderate, and major flooding FEMA 1%, 0.2% Annual Chance Flood Maps Flood Depth Grids, Floodway KML and Shapefile Downloads AHPS Flood Mapping Interface

14. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 14 AHPS Flood Mapping Interface www.weather.gov

15. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 15 www.weather.gov/ahps/inundation.php AHPS Flood Mapping Interface

16. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 16 www.weather.gov/ahps/inundation.php AHPS Flood Mapping Interface

17. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 17 1% Annual Chance Flood 0.2% Annual Chance Flood Floodway AHPS Flood Mapping Interface www.weather.gov/ahps/inundation/inundation_mapping_user_guide.pdf

18. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 18 AHPS Flood Mapping Challenges Data CollectionData Collection Hydrology & Hydraulics Inundation MappingInundation Mapping ProceduralProcedural Quality AssuranceQuality Assurance http://www.weather.gov/os/water/

19. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 19 Data Collection Challenges TopographicTopographic  Need for Bare Earth – Correction for Lidar returns from trees, cornfields, buildings, elevated structures, bridges, parklands. HydrographicHydrographic  Bathymetric Needs - Soundings, Cross-sections, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, Graduated Rods  Stream Centerline Control StructuresControl Structures  Top of levees, embankments, drainage control Data Management IssuesData Management Issues  Ground Control, Spatial Referencing, Datum, Projection, Vertical/Horizontal Accuracy, Costs http://www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/rs_apps/sensors/lidar.htm

20. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 20 AHPS Flood Mapping Suitability AnalysisAHPS Flood Mapping Suitability Analysis  USGS Gages, NWS Forecast Locations Hydraulic Model TechniquesHydraulic Model Techniques Adapting Existing Flood StudiesAdapting Existing Flood Studies  Flood Studies normally developed for higher flows than NWS Flood Categories Calibration and VerificationCalibration and Verification  Hydrologic and Flood Data FundingFunding H&H Modeling Challenges https://ocwws.weather.gov/intranet/floodmap/Outreach.shtml

21. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 21 Hydro and Hydraulic connectionsHydro and Hydraulic connections Mapping Domain and ExtentsMapping Domain and Extents Uncertainties near model boundariesUncertainties near model boundaries Flood Mapping OverlayFlood Mapping Overlay  Orthophotos and Road Network  Topology, Line thickness Tin to Raster Depth GridsTin to Raster Depth Grids Inundation Mapping Challenges http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5032/

22. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 22 NOAA NWS GuidelinesNOAA NWS Guidelines AHPS Flood MappingAHPS Flood Mapping  H&H/Spatial Analyses  AHPS Implementation  AHPS Map Library Project Tracking, Milestones, Oversight ChecksProject Tracking, Milestones, Oversight Checks Quality Assurance MeasuresQuality Assurance Measures NOAA NWS Statement of Work TemplatesNOAA NWS Statement of Work Templates Procedural Challenges https://ocwws.weather.gov/intranet/floodmap/Docs.shtml

23. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 23 Quality Assurance From start to finishFrom start to finish Quality control checksQuality control checks Maintenance Land use changesLand use changes Topographic changesTopographic changes Mapping ReprocessingMapping Reprocessing AHPS Web EvolutionAHPS Web Evolution Quality Assurance and Maintenance Challenges http://www.weather.gov/oh/ahps/

24. “America’s NOAA National Weather Service: Protecting Lives, Livelihoods, and A Way of Life” 24 National Weather Service … working with partners to improve the communication of flood risk