Mitigation Best Practices

SABINE PASS, TX - On the morning of September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike tore into Sabine Pass, located on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. The storm destroyed many of the town’s buildings, but one structure, the Sabine Pass School with its “Beacon of Hope” lighthouse, escaped seemingly unscathed. This achievement didn’t happen overnight. Knowing the school was the focal point of the community, school officials began planning in 1998 to safeguard it. People used the school for holiday celebrations and many other community activities.

SHENANDOAH COUNTY, VA - On many occasions, heavy rains caused the Shenandoah River to overflow its banks into the 100-year floodplain, causing a repetitive problem that has increased in intensity and frequency. The property along side the river has been flooded on three occasions since 1981. During the flood of September 1996, water levels reached 7.5 feet on the main level. Damages to the structure and contents totaled $153,000.

CITY OF SIMI VALLEY, CA – Set in a valley between two hilly and mountainous areas of brush-covered wildlands north of Los Angeles, the City of Simi Valley faces multiple risks from natural hazards including wildfires, earthquakes, and floods. Yet it is considered to be “the safest city of 100,000 or more” in California, according to city officials.

Yabucoa, PR - In Puerto Rico, almost any significant rain event can pose a threat to homes in floodprone areas. Hurricanes and tropical storms are even more dangerous due to the heavy rainfall they bring. The Jaime C. Rodriguez neighborhood in Yabucoa is susceptible to flooding from a small creek that runs next to the district. Rain events have caused water levels to reach up to three or four feet inside some homes. On numerous occasions, the residents experienced the loss of personal property, and the houses suffered structural damages.

ALBANY, NY – Not all projects to reduce future flooding damages require complex solutions - sometimes a simple fix serves just as well.

For example, take the three lift pump stations located in Chenango County’s village of Greene. The pumps are about 20 to 25 feet deep in a manhole and are part of the wastewater treatment system that was knocked off line by flooding in June 2006.

DANVILLE BOROUGH, PA - This community is no stranger to flooding. Located on the bank of the Susquehanna River, the town floods regularly during major rain events. Two areas, on the east and west edges of town, are particularly susceptible to flooding.

As Danville Borough Secretary Tom Graham explained, “Every time there was a heavy rain, our volunteer firefighters and the kids on the football team would spend hours piling sandbags in vulnerable spots.”

RARDEN, OH - "I'll tell you the difference it's made in my life," said Rarden resident Lelia Copas, "Whenever it rained at night at the old house, I'd wake up every hour or so and [lie] there listening for water rushing up out of the creek bed into our yard. Since we moved to higher ground, I sleep right through thunderstorms and don't even notice."

SOLDIERS GROVE, WI – Residents of the Village of Soldiers Grove in southwest Wisconsin defied the odds, gathered local resources, and pioneered un-chartered territory to create an innovative mitigation plan of their own. Instead of embracing a traditional dam and levee flood-proofing method to protect their community, they raised their town.

SNAKE WARRIOR ISLAND, FL - Flooding has plagued many of the neighborhoods in this South Broward County, Florida, area since development in the 1940s and 1950s. The area primarily consists of single-family homes and small businesses. Prior to 1997, the subdivisions did not have an appreciable stormwater drainage system. Roadside swales were originally constructed throughout the subdivisions to collect stormwater, but they quickly became clogged with silt, rendering them no longer effective.

CHATHAM ACRES, WA - A flood in December 1999 caused major damage to Chatham Acres, a small community located on the North Fork Stillaguamish River. In a process known as avulsion, the river abandoned its existing path and cut an entirely new 200-foot wide, 800-foot long channel through Chatham Acres before rejoining its original course.