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

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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 more

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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

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FEMA Now Offering Live Chat with Map Specialists

This in the latest newsletter from FEMA: The FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) is pleased to announce a new exciting service: Live Chat.  Live Chat will allow FEMA stakeholders to interact with Map Specialists real-time via an online forum. Specialists can field inquiries pertaining to a wide variety of topics including Letters of Map Change, Elevation, »read more

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New Free Webinar on Climate Change Adaptation for Local Governments

Just got this press release announcing that EPA will continue a promising-looking webcast series designed to help local governments adapt to climate change. While the blurb doesn't say the program is specifically targeting coastal communities, it seems likely that much if not all of what they discuss will apply to all of us abutting the ocean. The next, »read more

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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 more

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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 more

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Training: 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 more

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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 more

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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 more

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