JUNE/JULY 2000
Feature Story: Floodplain Acquisition and Elevation Hazard Mitigation Grant Program |
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Hazard Mitigation Grant |
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City of Newberry (Alachua County) has joined over 19,600 communities
nation-wide who are participating in the National Flood Insurance Program.
The federal program is self-supporting and requires no taxpayer support to
pay claims or provide operating expenses. Florida businesses and residents
hold 1.7 million of the NFIP's four million policies. |
Supplemental
Federal Funds In late June, the Division of Emergency Management provided a list of uninhabitable homes due to Hurricane Irene to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Officials from FEMA will use this information to determine the amount of supplemental dollars to allocate to all states impacted by the 1999 storm. Shelter Retrofit Initiative Mitigation Assessment Teams Mitigation assessment teams will work with
federal and local officials to conduct a qualitative assessment of the
damages incurred, identifying their causes and recommending mitigation
initiatives. In addition, they will review completed mitigation projects
for effectiveness. This information will be reported to the Federal
Emergency Management Agency and to Local Mitigation Strategy Working
Groups. The goal is to help communities update their Local Mitigation
Strategy and guide the use of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds. |
LMS
Success Story: Okaloosa County Okaloosa County has adopted a Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) by ordinance and has incorporated it in their Comprehensive Plan creating a strong link between the Capital Improvements Element and the LMS. The county has had much success in implementing mitigation projects as identified in their LMS, such as the SCADA project and relocation of vulnerable potable and waste water pipelines. The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is a radio based system that allows monitoring of water supply wells, wastewater pumping stations and elevated water storage tanks from a central location. Okaloosa County installed this system at 10 wells, four tanks and 30 pumping stations, greatly reducing manpower requirements during emergency situations. The county was also successful in implementing a project to reduce vulnerability of potable and waste water pipelines. These pipelines were exposed under the decks of several bridges and were vulnerable to damage from high winds. Okaloosa County secured funds to remove the existing pipelines and replace them with new transmission lines bored under the water bodies. For more information on these projects, contact Pat Blackshear at 850-651-7524.
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| From The Director This issue of Hazard Mitigation News focuses on Floodplain Acquisition and Elevation, a key element of a successful mitigation strategy. I hope you find this information helpful as you look to identify vulnerabilities within your community. I encourage you to take advantage of the workshops and training tools offered by our agency to help you in this effort.
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| Florida Division of Emergency Management | ||
Published bi-monthly by the
Department of Community Affairs: © 2000 Florida Department of Community Affairs |
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