Emerging Urban Flood Management Policy Changes Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie City of Des Moines December 8, 2010
Jan 16, 2016
Emerging Urban Flood Management Policy Changes
Mayor T.M. Franklin CownieCity of Des MoinesDecember 8, 2010
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
December 8, 2010
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‘93 FLOODS: Gravity Isn’t Enough
‘08 FLOODS: Levees Involves Standards
‘10 FLOODS: Design Capacity Exceeded
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Flood Impacts: Court Avenue
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Flood Impacts: Birdland
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Flood Impacts: Birdland
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Flood Fighting
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POST 1993 IMPROVEMENTS
• $77 Million in improvements
•$33 Million in Federal Funds
•Reconstruction of two major levees currently underway
•32 pump facilities & two additional pump stations to be completed in 2011
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500 Year Flood Map
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WHERE FROM HERE?
• Greater Pump Capacity for System and Levee Protection
• Separation of Combined Sewers
• Strategic Acquisition of Floodway Property
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Birdland Levee Reconstruction
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FEDERAL PROCESS CHANGESS
• Simplify the paper work process– paperwork and process for mitigation grants is excessive, and
a huge time burden for local communities
• Streamline the Post Disaster Hazard Mitigation Process for buyout properties
– takes a long period of time before real assistance is available, and often leaves property owners with very few options at a time when they need immediate assistance
• Allow local program expenditures to be reimbursed if FEMA guidelines are followed.
– local match is difficult to budget for, allow some form of repayment
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FEDERAL PROCESS CHANGESS
• Pre-flood mitigation programs are preferable, and more are needed
• Encourage watershed-wide approach to flood management, and allow regulation to be imposed that causes development to consider and mitigate the downstream impact
• A means to offset the local impact of purchase/maintenance of City-owned flood plain
– As more and more property is bought out and deed restricted and returned to the flood plain, it adds more and more property that a city owns and must maintain, while further reducing taxable property values.
Emerging Urban Flood Management Policy Changes