Tags: adaptation & mitigation, Building, case study, hazard identification, planning, regulations, sea level rise, zoning
Tag Archives: hazard identification
Massachusetts Town Amends Zoning Bylaw to Reduce Flood Losses
In an attempt to lessen flood losses, the town of Hull, Massachusetts has amended their zoning bylaw to consider not only current, but future conditions. Notable changes include:
1. A requirement that the town's review process ensures that a proposed project won't cause or worsen flooding on other properties (sounds like a good NAI approach). The reviewers, »read more
Not Mapped in the Flood Zone, Not at Storm Surge Risk? Not so Fast.
A new report looking at the risk of homes exposed to hurricane-driven storm surge damage in ten major urban areas along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts finds that the majority of homes in those communities that are in designated surge zones are not included in local flood zones.
In Virginia Beach, for example, 87 percent of surge-inundation zone properties, »read moreTags: case study, hazard identification, Mapping, research
Horrible and Terrifying (Japanese Tsunami)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4w27IczOTk
Wow. If you live anywhere near the ocean and this doesn't scare you, it probably should., »read more
Tags: emergency services, hazard identification, planning, video
Quick and Easy Way to Create Storm Surge Maps
They're not precise enough to use for planning purposes, but the National Hurricane Center has created a neat tool to show projections for where hurricanes are likely to drive storm surge. Using it is as easy as visiting their Storm Surge Interactive Risk Maps webpage, selecting a category of storm (1-5) you'd like to see mapped, then zooming into the area, »read moreTags: hazard identification, training & outreach, weather & climate
Is Your Community Getting New Flood Maps? Here's How to Ease the Sting
The fine folks over at Colorado State's Natural Hazards Center have a neat summary of the National Flood Insurance Program's Preferred Risk Policies program in their monthly newsletter.
The short version? Property owners who find themselves newly mapped into high risk flood areas now have up to two years to apply for a Preferred Risk Policy (PRP). If they, »read moreTraining: Basic Concepts for Floodplain Management [December 14-15, Virginia]
First, the bad news: the course is in Virginia. The good news: it sounds like a good spot to get an overview of what it means to manage a floodplain. From the organizer's description:
This training course will present the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) concepts in flood management, damage prevention terminology, and protocols from a local, »read moreTags: events, hazard identification, legal, training & outreach
FEMA Releases Guidance for 2011 Mitigation Grant Programs
Via the always useful CZMA Climate Change and Coastal Hazards E-News Update newsletter:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) “Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program Guidance” (176 pp.) represents the unification of all five of the agency’s hazard mitigation grant programs into one guidance document. These programs, which provide, »read moreTags: adaptation & mitigation, Building, funding & assistance, hazard identification, infrastructure
Panel to Discuss Long-Term Impacts of Oil Spill, this Friday (Web or Corpus Christi)
Curious about the projected effects of the oil spill on the region? The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies is hosting an event in Corpus Christi on Friday. Not in Texas (or too far from Corpus Christi)? You can also watch the event on your computer. From their press release:
Scientists with the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico, »read moreTags: events, hazard identification, oil spill, training & outreach
New Survey of Southeast Louisiana Residents Shows Most Planning to Evacuate
A new survey of residents of Southeast Louisiana finds that while 57% feel at least "moderately comfortable" with the area's levee systems, drainage pumps, and emergency warning systems, about 80% have "well developed" hurricane evacuation plans and say they are willing to evacuate in the face of a hurricane (see the graph for percentages of how many are, »read moreTags: hazard identification, Louisiana, publications, training & outreach, weather & climate
Houston at Great Hurricane Risk
Houston is hugely underprepared for a major hurricane, a new Rice University study found.
Among the findings of Learning the Lessons of Hurricane Ike:
Existing dikes and levees along the Houston Ship Channel were barely adequate during Hurricane Ike and would not protect all refineries from the storm surge of a more powerful hurricane or even an, »read moreTags: adaptation & mitigation, Building, case study, emergency services, hazard identification, infrastructure, Insurance, planning, publications, regulations, Texas, weather & climate
