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<br />Tuesday, May 19 1 :30 - 3 :00 PM Track 1 - Mitigation Planning I - Moderator: JeffKlien
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<br />AI\1ITE RIVER BASIN FLOOD MITIGATION PLANNING
<br />Lori Brown
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<br />A flood hazard mitigation plan is being developed for four parishes in the Amite River Basin, Louisiana, The presentation will addresses
<br />the mitigation strategies and objectives, programs and actions to reduce possible long tenn hazards, and methods of implementing,
<br />monitoring, evaluating, and updating tt,e mitigation plan. The presentation will identifY the tools used in the development of the plan, which
<br />include hydrologic data, aerial photography and an inventory offload prone structures, The presentation will show the mitigation activities
<br />assoCiated with the Amite River basin's flood warning system that requires review and possible modification as a result of the flood hazard
<br />mitigation study, The presentation will also address the floodway analysis for the developing areas in the basin,
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<br />MODEL PLANNING: THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM
<br />David Stroud
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<br />Hazard mitigation planning was a reactionary effort on the part of the FEMA after disasters, Today, the Community Rating System (CRS)
<br />as a part of the FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program promotes a proactive approach to mitigation planning. The Ten-Step eRS
<br />Planing Process promotes learning from the past, assessing the present and preparing for the future. The Flood Mitigation Assistance
<br />Program (FMA) planning requirements which compliment the CRS Planning Process will also be presented in this session along with an
<br />example of mitigation planning from Louisiana and the Amite River basin COnmllssion, A discussion of how pre-mitigation planning works
<br />will be the primary focus of this session,
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<br />MODEL PLANNING: THE NFIP'S FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE (FMA) PROGRAM
<br />Rich Roths
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<br />For planning to be effective, it must be undertaken at the localleve!. This is as true for Mitigation Planning as it is for Comprehensive
<br />Planning or Land-use Planning. However, when a plan is also used to make a community eligible for a program or project, it is acceptable
<br />for agencies to set parameters for tOpiCS, which must be included in the plan. This is the procedure that has been followed by FEMA for
<br />both the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA) and the Community Rating System (CRS),
<br />Every attempt has been made to ensure that FMA and CRS complement each other and that the plans are acceptable for either program,
<br />but there may be some differences in approval by the reviewers. In addition, one must remember that the NFIP Contractor, Insurance
<br />Service Organization, is reviewing the plan to determine the number of CRS points that may be given, Thus a CRS plan which receives
<br />minimum points may not make the cut for FMAP,
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<br />When Region V reviews a plan, we an, primarily reviewing is for concurrence with the FMA Guidance, That is, we are making sure that
<br />procedures bave been fullowed and toplCS covered. Our place is not to tell the communities what their plan should be, but rather guide them
<br />on topics that they need to cover in detennining their plan. In other words, we guide them through the process. In addition, we include
<br />comments regarding issues that may make the plan creditable for CRS, In Region V, we have developed a check-sheet that is used by the
<br />reviewer to highlight the important topics which should be included in the community's plan,
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<br />The Flood Mitigation Plan can be viewed as a toolbox to be used by the local officials. ltbrings together many of the aspects which the
<br />communities can use to reduce the risk of damages to the communities and their residents, The mitigation plan is also a comerstone for
<br />Project hnpact (PI). PI was designed with the realization that there is not enough Federal/State dollars to make a meaningful reduction in
<br />communities susceptibility to disasters, and that business and industry have profit margins that are impacted by disasters, It is an initiative
<br />to educate, inspire and support ongoing local efforts toward a community becoming more disaster resistant. PI can only work if a community
<br />has developed a comprehensive mitigation plan to deal with the risk facing the community, If all the tools are used wisely, a safer tomorrow
<br />will be built for the residents of the community.
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