Mitigation Best Practices

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – As Hurricane Sandy moved across the Atlantic Ocean in late October 2012, coastal New Jersey residents prepared for the storm’s impact by moving their cars and boarding up windows and doors. Many residents expected to quickly return to their homes and begin preparing to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. Sam Juliano and his neighbors in West Creek, New Jersey did not expect the five foot surge the storm brought that ravaged his community.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - John’s Photo Mart, a small camera and photo processing shop had been beset by flooding problems for years. Located in a 100-year-floodplain and surrounded by the waters of Brogan Branch, Pinhook Creek and Fagan Creek, the small brick building with the slanted roof had been flooded three times since 1979. Each time, floodwaters breached its interior 1 to 2 feet, and each time, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) paid out damages to the owner/policyholder.

TULSA, OK - Neighbor for Neighbor, Inc. (NfN) has been a very active private, non-profit organization in the City of Tulsa since 1967, with the purpose of serving those in need in the Tulsa community. Advocating assisting low-income families in owning their own homes is one of the agency's primary missions. The concept of the Millennium House is an innovative approach that not only meets the goal of the mission but also has the added benefit of being a storm-resistant house and a safe house for the poor.

LINCOLN, NE - In January 2000, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) approved Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds for the City of Lincoln’s Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), Theresa Street location. The WWTP had requested funds to provide flood protection around an electrical substation and transformers that would be in danger of failing during a potential flood event.

NEW JERSEY – Mr. Robert Villee’s home is in a residential neighborhood of Long Branch that is prone to flooding from the nearby river and marshland.

His home was originally built at the turn of the 20th century and is mostly above grade. The foundation is red brick; the basement is about five and a half feet deep and has a cement floor with a sump pump and drains. The basement, which is about two feet below grade, houses the hot water heater and the boiler for the radiant heating system.

DICKINSON, TX — When the floodwaters receded from Texas’ Gulf Coast in September 2017, the damage from Hurricane
Harvey was massive and far-reaching. Restaurateur Keith Lilley had lived through other catastrophic storms and was not surprised when tons of water were dumped on his tiny hometown of Dickinson, about 30 miles south of Houston.

“I have two restaurants here in Dickinson, and both are covered by flood insurance policies,” he said. “Flood insurance is just part of the cost of doing business here.”

MOBILE, AL - Over the years, Mobile has experienced a number of major hurricanes. For this reason, a major undertaking was employed to build a hurricane resistant structure when building the Mobile Convention Center. Located in the Upper Mobile Bay, the Convention Center, owned by the City of Mobile and operated by SMG, Inc., represents the centerpiece of the revitalization of the City's downtown area.

WASHINGTON, DC - The nation's model building codes have a greater impact on the quality of construction and how structures will withstand the forces of nature than any other FEMA program. The philosophy of ensuring the quality of construction at the local level before a disaster by making the nation's model building codes adequate for all hazards has made the work of FEMA much easier, both before and after a disaster.

BILOXI, MS - In their efforts to help in the recovery process from Hurricane Katrina, the Community Education Outreach (CEO) Group of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designed two scale model houses using the 2003 International Building Codes with input from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).

The FEMA model houses demonstrate construction techniques that will help buildings withstand Category 3 hurricanes or other severe weather events.

LYONS, CO – When the waters of the St. Vrain River overflowed their banks in September 2013, the rushing water ripped out huge trees, took out bridges, created new channels through parks, and rushed through some downtown neighborhoods, ravishing homes in Lyons.

Homes on Park Street were included in the devastation. Only one remained unscathed, and it was modular.

“Because I’ve lived in Lyons for so long, I am well aware of the river,” said Donald Mercier. “I knew that I needed to build up high, above the floodplain.”