the insider - ASFPM

THE INSIDER The Association of State Floodplain Managers
2809 Fish Hatchery Rd., Madison, WI 53713 www.floods.org
608-274-0123 Fax: 608-274-0696 memberhelp@floods.org Deputy Executive Director's Report
- George Riedel, CFM I hope everyone had a Happy and Safe 2009 Holiday. 2009 was a challenge
financially for many of our members, partners, and friends. ASFPM was not
exempt from financial challenges in 2009. ASFPM has so far been able to
weather the tough economic times by tightening our financial belt and
ensuring funds were spent wisely in order to maintain ASFPM's member
benefits and services. Hopefully, 2010 will be a better year financially
for everyone. ASFPM will continue to operate prudently and wisely to
ensure our members of a strong and vibrant organization. The Association had a very busy year in 2009, both on national policy and
with member services. This past year, the Association was heavily involved
nationally with lots of legislation, the proposed revision of Executive
Order 11988, the new "National Objectives, Principles, and Standards for
Water and Related Resources Implementation Studies," the NFIP Reform, and
the National Levee Safety Committee. ASFPM continues to be involved with
and participate with representatives of the insurance industry regarding
insurance reform; the Interagency Flood Risk Management Committee
consisting of NAFSMA, USACE, and FEMA which discusses national approaches
on flood risk management; and with FEMA, the Program Management and
Production teams and our mapping partners to discuss Risk MAP and map
maintenance. Internally, ASFPM continues to grow. The membership was up in 2009. There
were 14,000 members in 2009 including all of our national and chapter
members. The CFM Program continued to grow in 2009 as well. Currently,
there are over 6,300 CFMs nationwide. During the past year, Reliability
and Validity testing of the CFM Exam and Certification Program was
initiated and is nearly completed. A final report will be completed this
spring. This report, with recommendations, will be a guide to the
Association to ensure the CFM Program is maintained at a professional level
nationally. The Association continued to provide training modules in 2009 to be used by
our members and chapters. ASFPM released "CFM Refresher" and "Floodplain
101" training modules this past year. Additionally, the Association
revised and updated our website to better assist our members, local
officials, general public, and media in obtaining information in an easy to
use and friendly manner. ASFPM's 2009 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, was a success with over
1,300 participants attending this event. ASFPM staff is now working
diligently in getting ready for the 2010 Annual Conference in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma, in May 2010. With the Annual Conference comes the election
of ASFPM Officers, Regional Directors, and Chapter Directors. Nomination
requests for these positions will be sent to all 2010 paid ASFPM members in
February. Please renew your 2010 ASFPM membership in order to participate
in the nomination and election of ASFPM Officers, Regional Directors, and
Chapter Directors. As you can see, 2009 was a busy and successful year for the Association.
This can only occur with member involvement and participation. We seek
your input and your involvement in all Association activities in order to
made 2010 a successful year. Return to Table of Contents
Annual National Conference Update - Oklahoma City, May 16-21, 2010

It's time to make sure your travel authorization is approved to attend the
world's most comprehensive floodplain management conference! The
Conference Team is now finalizing the program schedule and confirming all
of the speakers. The Conference Brochure, including registration materials for participants
and exhibitors, will be available on the ASFPM website the last week in
January. Once again this year, online registration will be available for
all Individual Members. Please keep an eye on the website for continuing
updates as they are available. Also, if your organization is interested in
gaining national exposure, there are plenty of sponsorship opportunities
remaining. Contact Conference Planner Chad Ross at chad@floods.org for
more information.
Return to Table of Contents
Larry Larson Appointed to FEMA's National Advisory Committee The Association of State Floodplain Manager's Executive Director, Larry A.
Larson, has been appointed to FEMA's National Advisory Council and will be
sworn it at its February meeting. You can read the full announcement on our website at:
http://www.floods.org/n-news-hottopics/article.asp?id=28
Return to Table of Contents
The national awards for excellence in flood loss reduction are conferred at
the annual floodplain managers conference each spring, and you are invited
to feature YOUR outstanding local or state program or person! The 2010
ceremony will be held at the annual ASFPM Awards luncheon, noon Thursday
May 20, at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Please
see the Award categories and submittal instructions at
http://www.floods.org/awardsform.asp. Make sure you complete this online
submission by the March 1 deadline; it will not be extended since the
conference is a month earlier this year. It is highly recommended that you
attach applicable letters of support for your nomination. You may direct
any questions to Diane Brown in the ASPFM office at diane@floods.org or
call her at 608-441-3003. Winners will be notified in April to allow time
to make travel arrangements. We appreciate your help in showcasing what
works, as we commemorate those who reduce flood damages in the nation and
make flood risk management an achievable reality. Congratulations to those
who received national awards in 2009 - you can see them at:
http://www.floods.org/index.asp?menuid=396&firstlevelmenuid=179&siteid=1. Return to Table of Contents
Addressing Urban Pluvial Flooding in Europe
By: Alan Lulloff, ASFPM Science Services Program Manager The Urban Flood Management Conference - "Road Map Towards a Flood Resilient
Urban Environment", held Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday 2009 in Paris,
France, was a joint effort of the International Hydrological Program of
UNESCO and EU COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology. Two
terms used frequently at the conference were pluvial flooding and
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). The term "pluvial" comes from
the Latin word "pluvilis" meaning "rain" and describes a climate
characterized by persistent heavy rainfall. SUDS are measures used to
reduce the impact of pluvial flooding. Non-structural responses promoted at the conference include source control
measures (e.g. green roofs), detention structures (e.g. ponds, swales) and
infiltration techniques (filter drains, soakaways). These are similar to
the Low Impact Development (LID) approaches being used in the US. For
urban areas to be flood resilient, objectives identified were: a) warning
people of an impending flooding, b) protecting existing infrastructure, c)
maintaining transport and communication through the worst possible event
and d) minimizing urban flooding in future cities/suburbs through improved
master drainage plans. Major themes at the conference were urban population
growth, uncertainties in flooding caused by climate change and the need for
non-traditional approaches to manage urban flood risks. According to the United Nations, the world's urban population is projected
to grow at an average annual rate of 1.8 per cent, nearly double the rate
expected for the total population of the world (1 per cent per year). Urban
flooding is in particular a problem in developing counties due to the
general lack of infrastructure, emergency planning and land use controls. Climate change is causing increased inundation due to accelerated Sea Level
Rise and increased pluvial flooding due to extreme storm events. Evaluating
the impacts of climate change provides opportunities to think long term and
to reform traditional urban planning systems and flood management
approaches.
Extreme storm events that are occurring with increased frequency and
intensity are causing severe pluvial flooding in urban areas. Countries are
working to refine the global climate models to provide better clarity to
how significantly climate change is impacting rainfall intensity in their
regions. Regional model simulations for a case study in Norway show that in
the next few decades, annual flooding will increase by 31% and Combined
Sewer Overflows (CSOs) will increase by 33%. One case study presented was Venice, Italy. In Venice, surge protection is
being constructed on barrier islands to reduce the impact of storm surge,
manholes are being elevated, flood closures across door openings are being
promoted and temporary wooden walkways are installed during flood events.
In addition, the city is promoting jacking up buildings (at an estimated
cost of $4,000 per sq. ft.) as a long term solution to the Sea Level
Rise/subsidence problems the city is facing. Urban flooding requires a heavier focus on pluvial flood management
approaches. Stormwater systems are aging and were not designed to handle
extreme rainfall events that have become more frequent. Combined Sewer
Overflows (CSOs) are common in Europe and further complicate the issue.
Underground subways have for decades been a concern however more recently
underground parking is beco