KAMM Updates

Kentucky Watches, Warnings or Advisories  – Weather Alerts Follow the alerts, link here.

 

2018 KAMM Conference 

Thank you for attending the conference!  

Mitigation Superheroes: Investing in Our Communities

September 17, Preconference workshops and activities

September 18 – 20, 2018

KAMM Conference Recap:  We have presentations, photos, Certificate of Attendance and resources.   Link to Conference Recap.

 

KAMM Receives 2018 Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Recognition  

November, 2018
 
We are very pleased to be recognized by the National Weather Service (NWS) as a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador for the organization’s support to NWS’ goal of creating a Weather-Ready Nation.  The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador initiative is an effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation’s readiness against extreme weather, water, and climate events.
 
KAMM promoted NWS efforts in the Community Collaborative Rain Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network by providing several dozen official CoCoRaHS rain gauges as speaker gifts and door prizes at our 2018 conference at Lake Barkley State Resort Park.  Everyone that received a rain gauge agreed to participate in the CoCoRaHS citizen science network.  Through these efforts, KAMM strengthened an already valuable Weather-Ready Nation partnership. KAMM has collaborated with the NWS offices in Kentucky for nearly 15 years in an effort to promote mitigation of natural hazards in the Commonwealth. 
 
Link to a Story Map highlighting our recognition and many others at: https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=38d9ed51a5e14a4b9c32342ea3da06dd.

 

Homeowner’s Guide to Map Amendments Released

October 2018

FEMA has created an easy to read and follow guide that helps homeowners understand the process for Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs) and Letters of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-Fs). LOMA or LOMR-F are processes to gain a better understanding of your home’s flood risk – and potentially lower your flood insurance premium.

This guide was created to increase the number of complete applications by providing clear instructions on who is eligible to apply, what should be included in an application, and what happens after you receive a determination letter.

This guide is intended for homeowners and can serve as a valuable resource to hand out during community meetings, such as Open Houses, as well as for stakeholders who are engaging with the public at other times. 

You can download the guide here or on FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/172215.

For application materials, visit MT-1 Application Forms and Instructions for Conditional and Final Letters of Map Amendment and Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/31858).

 

FEMA Announces Interim Management Costs Policies

November 15, 2018

FEMA released two interim polices Nov. 15 as part of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA) implementation.

On Oct. 5, 2018, President Trump signed the DRRA into law.  The legislation contains critical reforms to federal disaster programs.  To begin implementation of these reforms, both the FEMA Public Assistance Management Costs (Interim) Policy and the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Management Costs (Interim) Policy are now available. Follow the linked Policy titles. 

Both policies will offer greater flexibility to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and may allow more funding to manage Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Public Assistance programs.  Under these interim policies, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners may be allowed higher rates of reimbursement for their management costs when implementing Public Assistance (12 percent) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects (15 percent).

The DRRA defines management costs as indirect costs, direct administrative costs, and any other administrative expenses for a specific project.  These policies will help to simplify the delivery of FEMA’s programs and provides incentives for recipients to practice efficient grants management and complete activities in a timely manner

FEMA worked to develop the interim policies shortly after the law was passed to provide immediate guidance to grant recipients and subrecipients on how they may benefit from the changes to reimbursement for management costs.  FEMA is working through implementation guidance for both interim policies.

Visit https://www.fema.gov/disaster-recovery-reform-act-2018 for more information and to find a summary of each section of the act, as well as the status on FEMA’s implementation.  In total, the law contains more than 50 provisions that require FEMA policy or regulation changes for full implementation.  To view a summary of all the changes in DRRA, click HERE.

 

Bulletin Aligning Mitigation Planning and the Community Rating System

October 23, 2018

Written by Amanda Sharma, MBA, MRLS, CFM – FEMA Headquarters Mitigation Planner/Analytics

FEMA’s local mitigation planning and the CRS program’s Activity 510 Floodplain Management Planning are aimed at guiding communities through a planning process that can help them move from being aware of their natural hazard risk to acting to reduce it.  Nationwide, more than 20,000 jurisdictions have an approved or approvable-pending-adoption hazard mitigation plan.  At the same time, 22,000+ communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, and nearly 1,500 of those participate in the Community Rating System.

Obviously, these programs are not mutually exclusive.  They were created for different purposes, but have the same goal: to help communities reduce threats and losses caused by floods and other natural hazards.  After all, 99 percent of communities enrolled in the CRS also engage in local hazard mitigation planning plans.  So, if communities are engaging in both kinds of planning, why must they write two different, separate plans?

The National Mitigation Planning Program at FEMA tackled this question in its new publication, Mitigation Planning and the Community Rating System Key Topics Bulletin.  This document assumes the perspective of the mitigation planner and is organized around the local mitigation planning requirements.  It aligns mitigation planning requirements to Activity 510 Floodplain Management Planning steps, with helpful hints and advice about common challenges associated with coordinating the processes.  The Bulletin is intended to help community officials integrate the two planning processes to produce more effective flood mitigation actions and meet the criteria of both programs more efficiently.  The full authorities for each process have not changed.  They are available in the Local Mitigation Plan Review Guide (2011) and the CRS Coordinator’s Manual (2017).

Communities could save planning participants time, maximize available resources, and add value by building connections to streamline their planning processes.  If you’ve thought about developing a combined local mitigation and Activity 510 plan, check it out.

 

Updated FEMA 213, Answers to Questions About Substantially Improved / Substantially Damaged Buildings 

October 26, 2018

A joint effort by the Building Science Branch and Floodplain Management Division, updated FEMA 213 significantly expands the number of questions answered in the 1991 version of the publication. The enforcement of the SI/SD requirements can be a major concern for local officials, especially after their communities experience widespread damage from floods or other disasters. The questions and answers in the revised FEMA 213 are intended to guide floodplain administrators, building officials, building inspectors, zoning administrators, citizen planning boards, and elected and other local officials who have roles in enforcing floodplain management and building codes It is also helpful for architects, engineers, contractors, building owners and others.

FEMA 213 provides short answers to many questions and concerns, while encouraging local officials and others to refer to more complete guidance in FEMA P-758, Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference. Each question includes a text box referring readers to specific sections in the SI/SD Desk Reference.

The revised FEMA 213 has four sections:

  • Section 1 briefly describes the NFIP and the purpose of the booklet.
  • Section 2 answers questions about pertinent definitions and regulations, and also answers some general questions about SI/SD.
  • Section 3 answers questions about how to determine substantial improvement and substantial damage.
  • Section 4 answers common questions that arise in the post-disaster period.

FEMA 213 is available here on FEMA’s Floodplain Management Publications webpage.

 

Quick Reference Guide: Comparison of Select NFIP and 2018 I-Code Requirements for Special Flood Hazard Areas 

October 30, 2018

The updated Quick Reference Guide illustrates the similarities and highlights the differences between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) minimum requirements and the requirements of the 2018 International Codes® (I-Codes®) and ASCE 24-14, Flood Resistant Design and Construction (ASCE 24), a standard referenced by the I-Codes.  The illustrations highlight some of the key similarities and differences between foundation types, lowest floor elevations, enclosures below elevated buildings, and utilities requirements of the NFIP and I-Codes for most residential, commercial and industrial buildings (classified as “Flood Design Class 2”

 

A Good Day for FEMA Region IV – Kentucky is the 2nd Annual CTP Recognition Program Winner

 July 3, 2018 

On the left, National CTP Program Coordinator, Laura Algeo, and representing the winner of the 2nd Annual CTP Recognition Award for the KDOW, Carey Johnson.

The Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program launched the CTP Recognition program in 2017 to award high-performing CTPs for their efforts in project management, communications best practices and the development of tools and resources.  This year, at the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) annual conference, the KDOW and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Georgia DNR) were chosen by their peers as the winner and honorable mention respectively for the 2nd Annual CTP Recognition Program. 

KDOW the winner of the 2nd Annual CTP Recognition Program, is recognized for strengths in Communications and Outreach and Program Management activities.  KDOW has enhanced traditional communications and outreach activities by embracing the use of technology (virtual reality, iPads, web tools, etc.) to communicate flood risks.  KDOW developed the Kentucky Water Maps Portal as a singular source of water-based information for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  The flood risk portal provides access to current flood risk data, engineering models, and important backup information (HEC-RAS models, hydraulic reports, hydrologic reports) in a web-based mapping application.

For more information, visit: http://watermaps.ky.gov/.

 

FEMA Launches New FloodSmart.gov

April 2018

FEMA launched the first phase of the new FloodSmart.gov website.  The updates to FloodSmart.gov incorporates social science and website usage research as well as best practices for a streamlined and customer-centric experience.  The next phase of the website launch will include insurance agent toolkits, social media templates, marketing tools, and flood map change toolkits.

For Consumers, the website focuses on flood insurance …

  • Why Buy or Renew
  • How to Buy or Renew
  • Understanding Costs
  • Before and After a Flood

FloodSmart.gov is the official website of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

 

For more mitigation resources and other publications, go to KAMM’s Mitigation Resources page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Have questions, contact us at help@kymitigation.org. 

 

 

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