Mitigation Best Practices

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL – When Hurricane Wilma hit Florida in October 2005, mitigation measures and emergency planning were put to the test at two water control pumping stations located at the edge of the Everglades. Workers inside the stations were safe and the pumps remained in operation during the storm.

JEFFERSON PARISH, LA – Protection from high winds and floodwaters is an ongoing challenge for people who live and work in Southeast Louisiana. Shielding operators of the area’s crucial pumping stations is critical, especially during major storm events. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, leaders in Jefferson Parish found a solid solution to this challenge at 13 major pumping stations — they built high-rise safe rooms designed to withstand the strongest of winds.

MORRISVILLE, PA - Protecting the safety and property of its residents is the first priority of any emergency manager. Bob Seward, Morrisville Borough EMC, knows this as well as anyone. He has been battling floods in the community for years. In April 2005, more than 25 homes and a large city park were flooded when a spillway channeling the Delaware Canal into the Delaware River overtopped.

Learning from this experience, in coordination with Borough Manager George Mount, Morrisville decided to try a new approach to prevent flooding.

WICHITA FALLS, TX - In July 2007, water from the Wichita River rose out of its banks, hurdled over the Duncan floodgates, and inundated 167 homes in Wichita Falls, Texas. Utilization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Residential Substantial Damage Estimator (RSDE) hastened the process for determining damage estimations.

SALINAS, PR - The community of La Margarita (303 homes) was developed in 1973 in an A-Zone floodplain along the west bank of the Nigua River. Since it was developed, it had been affected by four major floods.

CULPEPPER COUNTY, VA - When the Rapidan River in northern Virginia crested 30.5 feet above flood stage in June of 1995, devastating the Furloughs’ historic 145-year-old house, they knew what they would do: rebuild on their home site by the river, elevate it, and get flood insurance.

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY – Tom Paino is an architect with a New York City agency. He is also the owner of two side-by-side brownstones in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City. Built in 1903, the three-story brownstones are located two blocks from the East River in the middle of a densely populated residential neighborhood.

RALSTON, PA - A bridge damaged by the January 1996 flooding cut the Town of Ralston, Pennsylvania, in half. Debris had gathered at another bridge further upstream, forcing the creek through the Town and damaging the downstream bridge.

Although FEMA, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot) and Lycoming County had done considerable bridge and creek work in the area, residents were justifiably concerned as the rainfall from Tropical Storm Ivan continued in September 2004.

GALVESTON, TX - The Galveston County Daily News has written countless stories about the challenges and heroes of Hurricane Ike (2008). But there is one story they have refused to write: Their own. During the worst of Ike, they didn’t miss an edition.

ATLANTA, GA – The neighborhood of Drew Valley in DeKalb County is comprised of approximately 950 homes. The area initially was developed in the 1950s and has seen steady growth over time. As is often the case, the continued increase in development also brought an increase in floods and repeated damage to a number of homes in the neighborhood.