Mitigation Best Practices

GRAFTON, IL - Grafton is a river town located at the confluence of the Illinois and the Mississippi rivers. The City grew because of its proximity to the river network and developed its character based on river life. Grafton has also suffered from the devastation of floodwaters and the hard decisions that come when recovering from a disaster. But through mitigation and the enforcement of floodplain regulations, the city has turned around its flood-prone reputation, while maintaining its river heritage.

BERKLEY COUNTY, WV - Sportsman's Paradise was initially a place for weekend visits and summer vacations. Approximately 10 years ago it became a year-round community. It is located in one of the lowest lying areas of the State, with some properties having an elevation of 21 feet below the base flood elevation.

SOUTHPORT, NC - The impact of Hurricane Floyd (1999) on the City of Southport, while not devastating, created enough storm water drainage to again tax the systems in place. The City Council and City Manager are working together to obtain funding for a new storm water management system. Their plan includes contracting with a design engineering firm for a new storm water management and drainage system. Currently, the firm is in the design process. "We (the community) funded this project through the Powell Bill because we didn't want to wait for FEMA money," stated Rob Gandy, City Manager.

BRIGANTINE, NJ - The City of Brigantine is a barrier island community in Atlantic County, New Jersey, with a population of 12,594. The city is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the back bays on the west, inlets on the north and south and has areas that flood repeatedly.

ALBANY, NY – Repairs of a section of a stream bank in the Town of Vestal, damaged by Tropical Depression Ivan last fall, included special measures that have proven to be successful in protecting an adjacent sewer line.

Heavy rainfall during Tropical Depression Ivan washed out a section of the bank along Choconut Creek near a town sewer main, an area described by County Office of Emergency Services Director Michael Aswad as “a continual flash-flooding problem in that part of the county.”

MISSOURI - Anyone who lived through the 1993 Midwest floods will never forget them. Of the nine states affected by flooding during the spring and summer of 1993, Missouri was the hardest hit, with damages totaling $3 billion. The stench of waterlogged trash and rotting food lingered in towns for weeks and even months.

RUIDOSO, NM - On Highway 70, as the New Mexico desert landscape ascends into mountains, a yellow road sign warns northbound travelers that the area may close due to flooding. In 2006, the continuous summer rains caused that to happen. The storms created overland flooding throughout Lincoln County, New Mexico. On September 18th at the base of the Gavilan Canyon in the Village of Ruidoso, rapid waters from the Rio Ruidoso washed out a bridge crossing.

ST. THOMAS, USVI - On August 26, 2006, the U.S.Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Public Works applied for a Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant, as authorized by Section 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (NFIA), 42 U.S.C. 4104c. The proposed project was intended to increase the intake capacity of the existing box culvert inlet as a mitigation measure to substantially minimize repetitive flooding of the St. Andrews Episcopal Church facility and improve stormwater management in the area.

ST. MARYS, WV - Hurricane Ivan (2004) raised the Ohio River up to the rafters at St. Marys Community Hall this past September. But thanks to a progressive local government with some creative ideas for providing manpower and financing, the community is on its way to dramatically reducing future flood damage at their community complex.