Risk MAP:Increasing Risk Awareness and
Resilience in Alabama
Leslie A. Durham, P.E.Alabama Office of Water Resources
Evolution of Flood Mapping
• Flood Map Modernization• Identifying and Mapping Flood
Hazards• County-wide Studies
• Risk MAP: • Increase awareness and
understanding of flood risk • Encourage actions to reduce risk to life
and property• Watershed Studies
Risk MAP Vision
Reduce Risk to
Lives and Property
Promote Community Mitigation
Action
Increase Awareness
of Flood Risk
Collaborate across all levels of government
Enhance delivery of Risk MAP Products
Support that allows communities to identify risks and promote:
Community resiliency Sustainability Reduced need for federal
disaster assistance
MITIGATION PLANNING
Tools to understand how flood risk has changed
Continuous engagement with communities
Enable communities to communicate flood risk to constituents
Deliver High-Quality
Risk Data
Understandable Flood Maps Credible data—reliable,
accurate, watershed-based Illustrations of possible Flood
Depths Usable Flood Risk
Assessments
Prod
ucts
Goa
lsPr
oces
ses
Risk MAP in Alabama• Transition from County Studies to Watershed Studies• New Flood Risk Datasets
• Flood Depth Grids• % Chance of Flooding• Flood Loss Estimates• Areas of Mitigation Interest
• Current Watershed Projects• Upper Alabama • Chipola/Lower Chattahoochee• Upper Choctawhatchee• Middle Coosa• Wheeler Lake (includes 4 counties in TN)
• Coastal Studies• Joint Storm Surge study with FL should be
complete by end of this year• Preliminary Coastal Flood Maps late 2013
Legend2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Future Projects
Changes Since Last FIRM
• Identify Areas and Types of Flood Zone Change:
• Compares current effective (previous) with proposed (new) flood hazard mapping.
• Flood zone changes are categorized and quantified
• Provide Study/Reach Level Rationale for Changes Including:
• Methodology and assumptions• Changes of model inputs or parameters
(aka Contributing Engineering Factors)
• Offer Stakeholders Transparency and Answers to:
• Where have my flood hazards increased or decreased?
• Why have my flood hazards increased or decreased?
• Which communities are subject to new BFEs or ordinance adjustments.
• Prioritize mitigation areas
Depth and Analysis Grids
• Identify areas of highest flood risk• Mitigation prioritization• Emergency planning• Evacuation routes, road closures
Flood Depth Grids % Annual Chance Grids % Chance over 30 years
Flood Risk Assessment
• Identify and Communicate Flood Risk• Areas of high risk• Areas with greatest flood loss potential
• Provide Flood Risk $$:• Potential damage severity for different
flood frequencies • Identify locations with possible cost
effective mitigation options• Improve Estimates for Flood Risk $$:
• Losses from Average Annualized Loss (AAL) Study
• Refined losses from new flood study depth grids
• Refined general building stock data from local sources
Estimated Potential Losses
Estimated Potential Flood Losses for Autauga County
Flood Risk Awareness
• Community Official’s ability to communicate flood risk is critical to becoming resilient• Risk MAP Tools Workshops
• Educate everyday user on the various tools being developed for daily floodplain management and hazard mitigation.
• The goal is to leave local officials empowered, informed and ready to take action and armed with the tools they need to provide effective outreach to citizens within their communities.
• Enhanced Interactive Website - AL Flood Risk Information Service (FRIS)• Address lookup features• Depth and probability grids• Print FIRMs and FIRMETTEs directly from site• View preliminary and effective data in mapping application
Contact Information
Leslie A. Durham, P.E.Office of Water Resources
[email protected]/floods
Alabama Association of Floodplain Managers Conference Auburn, AL
October 22-24, 2012