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High Water Mark Community Pilot and Project Summaries

In 2012-13, five communities participated in High Water Mark pilot projects. As part of the pilot initiatives, communities posted High Water Mark signs in prominent places, held high- profile launch events to unveil the signs, and conducted ongoing education to build local awareness of flood risk.  Each community commits to identifying and completing specific mitigation action(s) to build community resilience against future flooding.

Lessons Learned

FEMA learned these lessons with the High Water Mark initiative:

  • Was effective at sparking discussion of flood risk among the community
  • Built lasting relationships across federal, state, and local entities
  • Engaged diverse groups including businesses, faith-based organizations, and schools
  • Served as an entry point for discussions on mitigation of risk at a community level
  • Enabled communities to leverage the Program for Public Information (PPI) for obtaining Community Rating System Rating (CRS) points
Street sign indicating the high water mark for Hurricane Sandy

High Water Mark Project Summaries

Each participating community made an exciting and firm commitment to increase resiliency in their communities. In each summary, communities share thoughts about supporting the High Water Mark initiative, how they managed and launched their Initiative, and their efforts and steps to promote mitigation action within their communities.