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

 

2017 KAMM Membership 

Membership is based on the calendar year.  Joining KAMM is easy!  KAMM offers three membership levels: Individual ($25) and Student ($10); and Agency/Organization ($250).  

Individual Membership:  KAMM offers two easy ways to register for Individual Membership, according to your payment method.  You can Pay by Credit Card or Pay by Check.  

Agency/Organization Membership:  Register up to 10 members as an Agency/Organization.  The Agency group payment is for public and private agencies or organizations, up to 10 people.  KAMM offers two easy ways to register for Agency/Organization Membership, according to your payment method.  For Agency Membership you can Pay by Credit Card or Pay By Check.

Learn more about KAMM Membership Benefits, link to Join KAMM.  Have questions, contact us at help@kymitigation.org.

 

Registration is Open!
2017 KAMM Annual Conference

Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park – Gilbertsville

August 28, Pre-conference Workshops and Activities 

August 29 – 31 Annual KAMM Conference

Early conference registration discount ends August 14; a $25 extra charge after the deadline.

Follow the Links …

• Conference Info
• Conference Registration 
• Pre-conference Info
• Register for Pre-Conference Only
• 2017 Preconference and Annual Conference Agendas … updated August 7
• Additional Lodging Added Lodging 
  • Kentucky Dam Village Park
  • Econo Lodge Inn & Suites – KAMM Group Rate applies throughout August 
• Area Map: KentuckyDamVillage map
• KAMM Silent Auction – our first ever! 

Sponsors

• Sponsor Invitation
• Sponsor Registration 
• 2017 Sponsors .. a BIG thank you! 

 

Announcing KAMM’s First Silent Auction

KAMM is excited to announce the first ever Silent Auction!  Check out our Silent Auction Flyer. We will accept donations large or small.  Link to more info …

 

 

Check out the Training Opportunities

We collect various training opportunities that includes webinars, seminars, online training and independent study.  Link to our training list Training Opportunities.

 

Check out the Current Grant Opportunities

We collect various grant opportunities.  Link to our grant list Current Funding and Grant Opportunities.

 

New EPA Tool Helps Communities Access More Than $10 Billion in Water Infrastructure Financing

July 26, 2017

New EPA tool gives communities access to information and financing opportunities that will help improve water quality and protect public health 

The EPA is launching the Water Finance Clearinghouse, a web‐based portal to help communities make informed financing decisions for their drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs. The Clearinghouse provides communities with a searchable database with more than $10 billion in water funding sources and over 550 resources to support local water infrastructure projects.  It consolidates and expands upon existing EPA-supported databases to create a one-stop-shop for all community water finance needs.  The Water Finance Clearinghouse was developed by EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, an information and assistance center that provides financing information to help local decision makers make informed decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to reach their public health and environmental goals.  

Many communities around the country have aging or inadequate water infrastructure: each year approximately 240,000 main breaks occur while elsewhere billions of gallons of raw sewage are discharged into local surface waters from aging conveyance systems.  Communities increasingly need efficient access to up-to-date water finance information to rehabilitate or replace their water infrastructure.  EPA’s new Water Finance Clearinghouse meets this need.

The Water Finance Clearinghouse gives local decision makers an opportunity to search for available funding sources for water infrastructure as well as resources (such as reports, webpages, and webinars) on financing mechanisms and approaches that can help communities access capital to meet their water infrastructure needs. State, federal, local, and foundation funding sources and resources on public-private partnerships, asset management practices, revenue models, and affordability approaches are included in the Clearinghouse.

The Water Finance Clearinghouse is updated in real-time, following a crowdsourcing model.  States, federal agencies, and other water sector stakeholders have the ability to suggest edits and new resources or funding options at any time through the Contributor Portal.  Stakeholders can use this interactive feature to manage how their programs and initiatives are displayed in the Clearinghouse.  

EPA webinars on how to use the Clearinghouse are scheduled for:

• August 14
• August 18
• August 24
• August 31

All webinars will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern.  You can register for a webinar at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/4533646364837520386.  

More information on the Clearinghouse, visit:  https://www.epa.gov/waterfinancecenter/water-finance-clearinghouse.

 

Comments Needed for Draft Policy on Floodplain Development

June 2017

FEMA prepared a draft policy for FEMA staff and communities participating in the NFIP to update guidance for participating communities on satisfying National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) floodplain development permit requirements, and to address questions about floodplain permitting of development activities occurring in the FEMA designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA).

Through this policy, a community can ensure compliance with NFIP and local floodplain management regulations, while potentially reducing the administrative burden associated with permitting certain types of low-to-no impact development in the floodplain.

This guidance does not intend to address other permits associated with building codes, or other federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial permits, and only applies to floodplain development permitting requirements to enroll in, and maintain eligibility for, the NFIP.

The draft policy is available for review on FEMA’s website at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/131010, and the public is invited to provide comment and input via FEMA-Floodplain-Management-Division@fema.dhs.gov until August 23, 2017

 

2017 Uniform Act (URA) Low Income Limits Issued, Effective Date – April 14, 2017

The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (Uniform Act or URA) – FY 2017 Low Income Limits, used in connection with rental assistance payment calculations under 49 CFR 24.402(b), have been issued with an effective date of April 14, 2017.

Additional information and guidance for making URA low income calculations are available on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) web page.

If you have questions pertaining to URA low income calculations for HUD programs and projects, please contact your local HUD Regional Relocation Specialist for further assistance.

 

FEMA Issues an Update to the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide

April 13, 2017

FEMA issued an update to the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG), effective for all disasters declared on or after April 1, 2017.  The Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG) combines all Public Assistance (PA) policy into one consolidated document.  The PAPPG also includes an overview of the PA Program implementation process, with links to other publications and documents that provide additional process details.

The update to PAPPG is based on feedback received on the previous version and includes the Public Assistance Required Minimum Standards Policy, which was released on September 30, 2016. Other changes made include:

• reference to the regulatory deadline for requesting additional areas be added to a declaration;
• adding specific documentation necessary to support an emergency, non-congregate sheltering;
• moving, refining, and adding language pertaining to facilities located in or impacting a floodplain;
• adjusting language associated with relocating facilities;
• removing the statement that roads on U.S. Government “trust lands” were not eligible; and
• re-organizing the Appendix on Cost Effective Hazard Mitigation Measures to list the mitigation measures by items being mitigated as opposed to specific types of facilities and adding similar low cost mitigation measures.

Questions and comments on the PAPPG can be sent to FEMA-PAPolicy@fema.dhs.gov.

 

Nationwide Permits to Be Renewed by Division of Water

April 5, 2017

Every five years, the United States Army Corps’ of Engineers (USACE) issues a series of general Nationwide Permits (NWPs) to authorize federally permitted activities under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.

These general permits are used for smaller projects that are determined to cause minimal environmental impacts.  The current Nationwide Permits expired on March 18, 2017.  The USACE issued and finalized new NWPs on January 6, 2017 that went into effect on March 19, 2017.  The new NWPs will expire on March 18, 2022.  Federal regulation 33 CFR §330.4(c) states that “401 water quality certification pursuant to section 401 of the Clean Water Act, or waiver thereof, is required prior to the issuance or reissuance of NWPs authorizing activities which may result in a discharge into waters of the United States”.

In response, the Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) issued corresponding general certifications to these NWPs.  The Water Quality Certification Section (WQC) at the DOW issues WQCs in accordance with Section 401 of the CWA.  The 401 Section of the CWA authorizes states and tribes to certify that the USACE 404 and Section 10 permits will comply with applicable water quality standards.

The commonwealth of Kentucky has three options with all the NWPs.

1. Certify as is, meaning that the conditions that need to be met for DOW’s 401 WQC program are the same as the USACE’s NWPs.
2. Certify the NWPs with conditions, meaning that the commonwealth of Kentucky has additional conditions to qualify for the NWP and/or criteria that must be met, on top of the conditions listed by the USACE NWP.
3. Deny a NWP.  This means that an individual 401 WQC will be required for all projects under that NWP.

Limited changes were made to Division’s NWPs.  

• NWP 12 Utility Line Backfill and Bedding, NWP 14 Linear Transportation Projects, and NWP 37 Emergency Watershed Protection and Rehabilitation had conditions that were modified for clarity, but that do not change the purpose or applicability of the condition.
• NWP 12 Utility Line Backfill and Bedding and NWP 14 Linear Transportation Projects were modified to include a condition stating that “crossings must be constructed in a manner that does not impede natural water flow”, in order to prevent stream obstruction and impoundment.
• NWP 23 Approved Categorical Exclusions was modified to include language to clarify what can qualify for this permit, as well as, adding a condition that the project must not impact more than ½ acre of wetland to be consistent with other NWPs.  We also added language from the USACE’s NWP 23 to clarify what projects may be included.
• One condition was added to the General Conditions for the State of KY:
  • Projects requiring in-stream stormwater detention/retention basins shall require individual water quality certifications in order to align with KPDES requirements.

Link to: Full listing of all 54 of the USACE’s NWPs, http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/Nationwide-Permits/2017_NWP_FinalDD/

Link to: All corresponding DOW NWP’s, http://water.ky.gov/permitting/Pages/CertificationNationwidePermits.aspx

For more information:  On NWPs or the 401 WQC process, contact Stephanie Hayes, WQC Section supervisor at 502-782-6970.

 

EPA releases Route to Resilience Tool

April 2017

Maintaining and repairing aging drinking water infrastructure remains a significant challenge for the water sector.  Utilities must be able to increase their readiness and resilience to potential all-hazard incidents and adapt to future hazards that may impact their ability to provide safe and clean drinking water.

EPA is releasing the Route to Resilience (RtoR) tool that will help small and medium sized drinking water and wastewater utilities learn more about becoming resilient to all-hazards such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and contamination incidents.  The interactive desktop application guides utilities through 5 stops along the Route to Resilience — Assess, Plan, Train, Respond, and Recover. RtoR also provides utilities with a custom report that highlights products and tools that will help utilities on their path to resilience. 

To download the tool, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/waterresilience/route-resilience-drinking-water-and-wastewater-utilities.

 

NFIP Rate Changes Effective April 1, 2017

March 28, 2017

As announced on September 27, 2016, key changes being made to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on April 1, 2017, include updated insurance policy premium increases conforming to the premium rate caps established by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) and the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA).

Premiums will increase upon renewal an average of 6.3 percent beginning April 1, 2017. Premiums do not include the HFIAA surcharge or the Federal Policy Fee (FPF), which are not increasing.

It is important to note that nearly 80 percent of NFIP policyholders are full-risk rated and therefore, minimally impacted by these rate increases. If individual policyholders have questions about their premiums, or NFIP coverage, we urge them to reach out to their insurance agent, or visit FEMA’s website, for more information.

More information on NFIP program changes taking effect April 1, 2017 is available here.

 

Coming Soon: NFIP Changes Coming October 1, 2017

March 28, 2017

FEMA, through the NFIP, will announce program changes taking effect on October 1, 2017. These include a reduced Federal Policy Fee (FPF) for tenants with contents-only policies, and revised guidance for refunding the HFIAA surcharge when some policies are canceled.

FEMA always announces program changes and updates six months in advance of these changes taking effect so that Write Your Own (WYO) companies and insurance agents are aware of and can prepare for the changes. All program changes will impact individual policyholders upon renewal of their policies. Changes are announced via WYO Bulletin, available for public review here.

 

Annual Report of the Flood Insurance Advocate’s Office

February 28, 2017

FEMA released the second Annual Report of the Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate (OFIA).  Link to the Annual Report.

The OFIA identified six primary policyholder and property owner frustrations in 2016 that present opportunities for ongoing program improvement.  These issues are:

1. erroneous Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) property designations;
2. gaps in flood insurance agent education;
3. the need for consistency across FEMA Regions in public mapping outreach;
4. difficulties in accessing Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage;
5. difficulties with multiple and conflicting flood zone determinations; and
6. inability to obtain a refund of the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA) surcharge when cancelling a NFIP policy.

The issues identified in this report are based on the observations of OFIA through the hundreds of inquiries submitted to the Office this past year.  These issues represent areas of concern that have a long-term impact to a broad population of NFIP customers.  The Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration’s (FIMA) program areas were provided an opportunity to respond to these findings and responses are included with this report.

NFIP Flood Insurance Advocate:  The OFIA advocates for the fair treatment of policyholders and property owners by providing education and guidance on all aspects of the NFIP, identifying trends affecting the public, and making recommendations for program improvements to FEMA leadership.  The OFIA is an independent office within FEMA with direct alignment to the FIMA Associate Administrator and the FEMA Administrator. 

For more information:  link to FEMA’s OFIA website.

 

New USGS Tool Shows Historic & Simulated Future Water Conditions in the U.S.

January 12, 2017

The Hydrology Futures Portal, released by the U.S. Geological Survey, provides a user-friendly interface summarizing monthly historic (1952 through 2005) and simulated future conditions (2020 through 2099) for various meteorological and hydrological variables at locations across the conterminous United States.

The features on this new application include seven searchable meteorological and hydrological variables: actual evapotranspiration, atmospheric temperature, potential evapotranspiration and precipitation, runoff, snow water equivalent (the volume of water stored in the snowpack/depth of water if the snow melted) and streamflow.

 

FEMA Communicates Flood Risk Information to Policyholders

January 11, 2017

In January 2017, FEMA will begin the next phase of implementation of Section 28, Clear Communication of Risk, of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA), which requires the Agency to clearly communicate full flood risk determinations to individual property owners.  To meet this requirement, the NFIP reviewed the flood risk and underwriting information for every flood insurance policy, and is writing to all NFIP policyholders to communicate how their flood risk impacts their premium rate.

Policyholders will begin receiving one of seven letters, depending upon their policy, in 2017.  Policyholders who renewed policies in October 2016 through December 2016 will also receive their first mailing at this time.  The letter will continue to be mailed at each subsequent renewal.  With flood risk information varying from one policy to the next, the letter encourages each policyholder to contact their insurance agent to discuss their policy and options.  It may also be helpful to visit FEMA.gov/cost-of-flood.

In addition to Section 28, HFIAA requires gradual insurance rate increases to properties that currently receive artificially low (or subsidized) rates, rather than immediate increases to reflect the property’s full flood risk.  HFIAA requires increases to premiums for most subsidized properties by no less than 5 to 15 percent annually, but no more than 18 percent for an individual policyholder – with limited exceptions –until the premium reaches its full-risk insurance rate.  Approximately 80 percent of NFIP policyholders currently pay full-risk rates and are minimally impacted by these increases.

Information for insurance agents, copies of each category of letter, details about what each letter means, and tips for how individual policyholders can lower their flood risk (and potentially their flood insurance premiums) can be found at FEMA.gov/cost-of-flood.

 

Announcing Revised Kentucky Floodplain Administrator’s Handbook

January 11, 2017

The Division of Water announces the publication of a revised Kentucky Floodplain Admin Handbook – Revised 2016 updated to inform floodplain administrators and local officials about the NFIP, permit requirements and provides sample forms.  The Handbook outlines the floodplain management process, floodplain regulations, permit procedures, and flood mapping. 

Local Floodplain Administrators will find the following of specific interest:

• Introduction & overview of the NFIP program
• Administration & duties for local floodplain managers
• Definitions and acronyms
• Floodplain regulations at the Federal, State, & Local levels
• Overview of Executive Order 13690, Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, and the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014
• Overview of flood maps and the Risk MAP Program, including Letters of Map Change (LOMC)
• Introduction to the Community Rating System (CRS)

The revised Appendix includes:

• Sample local floodplain application & locally issued permit
• List of required permits
• Elevation Certificate & Floodproofing Certificates
• Floodway ‘No-Rise’ Certification
• Letter of Map Change forms
• Links FEMA’s Technical Bulletins 

For more information: contact Alex VanPelt, CFM; NFIP Coordinator, Division of Water, Alex.VanPelt@ky.gov.

 

KAMM Announces MOA with KAMP

January 28, 2016

KAMM and KAMP (Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA).  

KAMM and KAMP agree to work together on a best efforts basis for the purpose of seeking opportunities of cooperation for professional development that will support the mission of both organizations. 

Link to the KAMM KAMP MOA 2016.   

 

Kentucky Business One Stop

The Kentucky Business One Stop Portal is an easy-to-use environment where Kentucky’s businesses can find the requirements and tools they need to own and operate a business in Kentucky.  The mission of the Kentucky Business One Stop is to promote economic development and job creation, and at the same time create efficiencies for both businesses and government.  From starting your business plan to registering your business with the Commonwealth, this portal is a “one stop shop” with tools necessary to assist you in registering and operating your business in Kentucky.

Environmental Licenses/Permits:  You may be required by state and federal law or regulation to have an environmental permit to operate in Kentucky.  The Kentucky Business One Stop Portal is a great resource for identifying which environmental permits are required:  http://onestop.ky.gov/start/Pages/environmental.aspx.

 

Mitigation Publications – 2017

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

Follow the links ….

EPA Releases “Green Infrastructure in Parks: A Guide to Collaboration, Funding and Community Engagement”.  June 2017.  The Environmental Protection Agency produced “Green Infrastructure in Parks: A Guide to Collaboration, Funding and Community Engagement” to encourage partnerships between park and stormwater agencies to promote the use of green infrastructure on park lands.  Green infrastructure can help to maximize the environmental, economic, and social benefits of parks.  By building strong partnerships, agencies can improve park lands and access to parks, better manage stormwater, increase community resiliency to shifting weather patterns, and provide funding to implement and maintain park enhancements that benefit the community.

New Edition of FEMA P-366, Hazus Estimated Annualized Earthquake Losses for the US.  June 30, 2017.  The new edition of FEMA P-366, Hazus Estimated Annualized Earthquake Losses for the United States, developed by the FEMA Hazus team, the National Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), the USGS and the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), is now available online and via the FEMA Publication Warehouse.

This new 2017 update is computed with Hazus®-MH 30, the 2010 US Census data, and the 2014 U.S. Geological Survey Probabilistic Earthquake Hazard Maps. In addition, the new study has integrated site soil effects for a more accurate estimate of hazard influences to the losses. Hazus is a FEMA-developed and maintained geographic information system-based loss estimation tool. The Hazus tool provides a method for quantifying future earthquake losses. It is national in scope, uniform in application, and comprehensive in its coverage of the built environment.

The new Hazus study indicates the following key findings:

• The Annualized Earthquake Loss (AEL) to the national building stock is $6.1 billion.
• The majority (73 percent) of AEL occurs on the west coast (i.e., California, Oregon, and Washington).
• Approximately 61 percent ($3.7 billion) of the AEL is concentrated in Structural and non-structural losses account for 18 percent and 82 percent of the building loss in AEL breakdown for California.
• 55 metropolitan areas account for 85 percent of the national AEL, seventeen major metropolitan areas have local AEL over $50
• The earthquake threat is national, with 31 States exposed to AEL exceeding $10

This new study is to support earthquake awareness, preparedness, implementation of cost-effective mitigation measures, and strategies to reduce the current seismic risk in our most at-risk communities. Strategies to reduce future losses nationwide need to be closely integrated with policies and programs that guide planning and development.

The publication is available to the public, electronic version by download or hard copy by phone.

• To access digitally, visit the https://wfema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/132305.
• To order a hardcopy, contact the FEMA Distribution Center via email, FEMA-Publications-Warehouse@dhs.gov, or phone, 1-800-480-2520.

MS4 permit writers …. June 2017.  Check out the new compendium for examples of how these pollutants are addressed in MS4 permits.  Do you want to know which Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits have provisions for pesticides, metals, mercury, pH, temperature, oil and grease, trash, DDT, PCBs, marine debris, acid mine drainage, nutrients, sediment, pathogens, dissolved oxygen, or chloride?  EPA has released a new compendium of MS4 permits that include water quality-based requirements for specific pollutant parameters that are consistent with approved Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and protecting designated uses.

EPA reviewed existing state and EPA permits and identified different ways of implementing TMDLs through quantitative requirements or pollutant-specific management measures, or a combination of both.  EPA gleaned examples of how permitting authorities measured progress of implementation of water quality-based requirements through review and approval of implementation plans, monitoring/modeling, and reporting requirements.  EPA also include examples of water quality-based requirements related to discharges to impaired waters without approved TMDLs. 

This compendium is third in the MS4 Permit Compendium series.  These compendia feature examples from existing MS4 permits of clear, specific and measurable requirements:

• Part 1: Six Minimum Control Measure Provisions
• Part 2: Post Construction Standards
• Part 3: Water Quality-Based Requirements

 

New Fact Sheet Available on Salvaging Family Valuables and Heirlooms Damaged by Disasters.  April 2017. When homes are flooded and lives are upended, treasured keepsakes such as photos, artwork, quilts and family heirlooms become more cherished. Although they may have been damaged in the flood, these treasures may be salvageable. Over the years, preservation experts have been resources at Disaster Recovery Centers offering practical tips and steps on how to handle, dry and clean damaged objects, and share tips on personal safety, setting priorities and other preservation options.

FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution co-sponsor the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a partnership of 42 national service organizations and federal agencies created to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies. In addition to a new fact sheet, the Task Force’s efforts on salvaging water-damaged, important personal belongings is also featured in a post titled “Safeguarding Memories” on the FEMA blog.

Protecting Building Utility Systems from Flood Damage, 2^nd Edition – FEMA P-348.  February 2017.  The FEMA Building Science Branch is pleased to announce the release of the second edition of Protecting Building Utilities from Flood Damage, FEMA P-348. The overall objective of this updated publication is to assist in the repair, reconstruction and new construction of buildings with building utility systems and equipment that are designed and built for maximum flood resiliency.

The updated publication illustrates design and construction of utility systems that comply with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements for new or Substantially Improved residential and non-residential structures in flood-prone areas. It is also useful when evaluating structures for utility system upgrades or replacement, guiding users to meet floodplain management regulations and building code requirements. Even if NFIP compliance is not required, many building owners may find that applying the mitigation measures described in this publication will not only reduce future flood damage, but also facilitate faster recovery after flooding.

Key document features include:

• Updated materials to reflect the latest versions of the International Code Council® codes and building standards;
• Improved photographs, schematics and graphics;
• Expanded sections to address specific mitigation measures both residential and non-residential building utility systems and equipment; and
• Tools to assist the building owner in determining the best mitigation option for a particular building type and condition.

To download a copy of FEMA P-348 go to https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/3729.

EPA Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation and Resilience – Changing Land Use and Building Codes and Policies to Prepare for Climate Change 2017. Local governments are seeking ways to adapt to current and projected climate change impacts to better protect lives and property and ensure they can continue to offer a good quality of life and a thriving economy now and in the future.  Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Changing Land Use and Building Codes and Policies to Prepare for Climate Change (2017) can help local government officials, staff, and boards find strategies to prepare for climate change impacts through land use and building policies.

The policy options described in this publication bring multiple short- and long-term environmental, economic, health, and societal benefits that can not only prepare a community and its residents and businesses for the impacts of climate change, but also improve everyday life.  The strategies can be worked into a community’s regular processes and policies—for example, through scheduled updates to zoning and building codes.  This approach allows incremental change, which might be easier for some communities because it costs little or nothing extra compared to “business as usual” and gives communities the opportunity to adjust codes based on the most up-to-date climate observations and projections.

To help readers determine which policy and code changes might be appropriate for their community’s capacity, desire, and need to make changes, the options in each chapter are categorized as modest adjustments, major modifications, and wholesale changes.  What might be a modest adjustment for one town could be a major modification in another.  Because an important question to determine in building resilience is resilience of what to what, the publication is divided by impacts that communities are likely to face as the climate continues to change:

• Chapter 2: Overcoming Barriers to Climate Adaptation discusses potential social and legal barriers.
• Chapter 3: Overall Strategies discusses smart growth strategies that help adapt to multiple climate change impacts and that can be a foundation for the policies in subsequent chapters.
• Chapter 4: Adapting to Flooding and Extreme Precipitation includes code and policy options that deal mainly with riverine flooding and managing stormwater to prevent flooding and water pollution.  This chapter includes green infrastructure strategies that can also help communities cope with extreme heat and other policy options that are relevant to sea level rise.
• Chapter 6: Adapting to Extreme Heat discusses strategies to protect people from heat waves, including green building and energy efficiency.
• Chapter 7: Adapting to Drought includes water conservation strategies for individual buildings as well as entire communities.
• Chapter 8: Adapting to Wildfire focuses on smart growth and green building strategies to protect neighborhoods from fire damage.

Most chapters include quick tips called “practice pointers,” examples of communities implementing the policies, resources, and a “Guidance and Metrics” section that references relevant credit summary language and metrics from up to three community-scale sustainability rating systems.

More Information:  

• Click here for a sortable table of the policy options included in the publication.
• about smart growth and climate change.

Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation and Resilience is based on the model of two previous publications that give local governments specific changes they can consider to get the type of development they want:

• Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Urban and Suburban Zoning Codes
• Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes
• Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation and Resilience (PDF)(94 pp, 5 MB, 2017)

FEMA Finalizes Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Local Governments February 2017.  FEMA finalized the Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Local Governments.  This guide is designed to prepare local governments for recovery efforts from future disasters by engaging with the whole community and planning for recovery activities that are comprehensive and long term.  The guide also provides tools for public engagement and identifying existing recovery resources outside partnerships that could help local governments build resilience.

The Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide was developed by the Community Planning and Capacity Building Branch as a component of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), and is the second in a series of three.  The Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for States was released at the end of 2016 and a guide for tribes is currently being developed (see below).

Link to the PreDisasterRecoveryPlanningGuideforLocalGovernmentsFinal.pdf.

FEMA Finalizes the Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for State Governments.  January 23.  At the end of 2016, FEMA finalized the Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for State Governments.  This Guide is the first in a series of three that will be released in the next year that will include a guide for local governments and a guide for tribal governments.

FEMA designed these planning guides to help states and territories prepare for recovery by developing pre-disaster recovery plans that follow a process to engage members of the whole community, develop recovery capabilities across State government and nongovernmental partners, and ultimately create an organizational framework for comprehensive state recovery efforts.  A pre-disaster recovery plan, and the inclusive process used to develop it, establishes resilience through state-level leadership and structure, forms communication channels, and builds whole-community partnerships to support recovery efforts.

The Guide provides useful information that will support the preparation of state agencies to more easily adapt to new post-disaster roles needed to manage new or modified sources of state and Federal recovery resources. 

You can view by clicking Pre-DisasterRecoveryPlanningGuideforStateGovernments.  For any questions regarding this guide, please reach out to cpcb-rsf@fema.dhs.gov.

APA updates 19-year-old “Subdivision Design and Flood Hazard Areas”. January 2017.  The American Planning Association’s (APA) latest Planning Advisory Service report, “Subdivision Design and Flood Hazard Areas”, elaborates on new information and tools and outlines a series of planning and design principles.  The report stresses an integrated approach to planning for natural hazards by improving regulations and design.

During a 2015 APA symposium—which included subject matter experts and staff from APA, FEMA and ASFPM—participants developed an over-arching vision for subdivision design in flood hazard areas: Adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach to protecting floodplains and other natural areas, and aligning development with community goals to increase community resiliency and reduce flood risks.  Subdivision design in flood hazard areas has become increasingly important due to the high social and physical costs associated with flood damage.  More than ever, communities must adapt to the ever-growing threat of human-made and natural disasters.

General Principles:  These five general principles lay the foundation for mitigating flood hazards within subdivision design:

1. Maintain natural and beneficial functions of the floodplain.
2. Adopt a No Adverse Impact approach to floodplain management.
3. Avoid new development in the floodplain whenever feasible.
4. Focus on data-driven decision making, using only the best available data to assess risk and inform decisions.
5. Consider future conditions of the floodplain, including development impacts and climate change.

NEHRP Present Two New Publications.  January 2017.  The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) of FEMA Building Science Branch is pleased to present two new publications, FEMA P-1051 CD: 2015 NEHRP Provisions: Design Examples and FEMA P-1052 CD: 2015 NEHRP Provisions: Training and Instructional Materials. These publications are developed as educational and training resources to support users of the 2015 Edition of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (FEMA P-1050) and ASEC/SEI 7-17 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

FEMA P-1051: 2015 NEHRP Provisions: Design Examples provides selected technical design examples that apply the new methods, concepts, and procedures adopted in the 2015 NEHRP Provisions.  FEMA P-1052: 2015 NEHRP Provisions: Training and Instructional Materials provides presentations covering the new changes in the 2015 NEHRP Provisions and key points for the corresponding design examples in FEMA P-1051.  These two publications are intended for a technical audience including engineers and architects, members of the codes and standards organizations, building code professionals, research institutes, universities, material industries, and others who will benefit from a good understanding of the new changes in the 2015 NEHRP Provisions and their corresponding code changes in the upcoming ASCE/SEI 7-17.

Both publications are available to the public for download and on CD.  To access digitally, visit the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures. 2015 Edition FEMA Library page.  To order CDs, contact the FEMA Distribution Center via email, FEMA-Publications-Warehouse@dhs.gov, or phone, 1-800-480-2520.

FEMA encourages design and building practices that address earthquake hazards and minimize the resulting risk of damage and injury.  The NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, 2015 Edition (FEMA P-1050) is another step forward to improve the seismic safety of construction in our country.  FEMA engages with codes and standards organizations to incorporate these developments into building codes, and provides publications, such as FEMA P-1051 CD and P-1052 CD, to support best practices in engineering designs.

Incorporating Environmental Justice into Regulatory Efforts. EPA recently issued its first-ever Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis. This guidance represents a significant step towards ensuring the impacts of EPA regulations on vulnerable populations are understood and considered in the decision-making process.  The EJ Technical Guidance improves our ability to perform some of the most important work we do. Better integrating environmental justice in EPA’s core regulatory function is essential to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or income level, have access to clean water, clean air, and healthy communities.

 

 

 

 

 

KAMM was formed in order to promote natural hazard mitigation and management in Kentucky.  Our members represent local floodplain coordinators, planning and zoning officials, engineers, surveyors, GIS specialists, hydrologists, public safety and emergency managers.

Purpose of KAMM: To provide a forum for floodplain coordinators, emergency and mitigation managers, engineers, code enforcement officials and surveyors.

 

 

 

KAMM mailing address: KAMM, PO Box 1016, Frankfort, KY 40602-1016.

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

Don’t forget to join the KAMM group on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

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