New Maps in Bennington County!

The long-anticipated Bennington County Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map became effective 12/2/2015.  The data can now be found online at:

• FEMA Map Service Center www.msc.fema.gov 
• Flood Ready Atlas tinyurl.com/floodreadyatlas (Html 5); 
• Vermont Natural Resource Atlas tinyurl.com/vt-floodmap  (Silverlight).

The FEMA Map Service Center allows users to search by address and find the effective and historic flood maps for any location.  The MSC also has the Flood Insurance Study and Letters of Map Amendment.  Outside of the areas with Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps the MSC has scanned copies of the “white/paper” FIRMs.

The Vermont Natural Resource Atlas has two online platforms.  The Html 5 version can be used by all computers and browsers.  The Silverlight version requires Internet Explorer and a PC that can load the Microsoft Silverlight software (a fairly quick process).

Where there are DFIRMs available, the MSC allows users to download GIS versions of the Special Flood Hazard Areas and other vector data.

The Vermont Center for Geographic Information will also post the GIS data later this month.

On the Flood Ready Atlas you can find a specialized layer for Flood Hazard Mapping that shows areas of Vermont with effective DFIRMs.

With the process in Bennington County completed no other flood map updates are scheduled by FEMA in Vermont.  This leaves large areas of the state with old maps needing attention.  Any future map work by FEMA will be handled through the RiskMAP approach.  RiskMAP uses a HUC-8 watershed boundary as the basis of map updates.  This would be the equivalent of the Missisquoi or Passumpsic River watersheds.

Is Your Community Flood Ready?

How will post-disaster funding for communities change in October?  

What does your community need to do?  

Is you community planning in order to avoid flood damage?

Visit the new Flood Ready Vermont website www.floodready.vermont.gov to find out.  

Flood Ready Vermont has the tools and data your community needs to:

• Get up to speed on the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund (ERAF);
• Identify flood hazards and take action to minimize future damage;
• Update your community plans; and,
• Find out what communities are doing to get flood ready

Use the Flood Ready Atlas to help you identify what is working to keep your community flood resilient and where structures are at risk.  Community Reports quickly compile useful information for your municipal and hazard mitigation plans.  

Flood Ready Vermont www.floodready.vermont.gov is a place where community leaders can share information and ideas to make our communities more flood resilient.  

Funding for the design of the website was provided by the High Meadows Fund, promoting vibrant communities and a healthy natural environment while encouraging long term economic vitality in Vermont; and through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant.

Early partners to inspire and help launch the site include the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), as ably represented by David Deen, Upper Valley River Steward for CRWC; Angela Mrozinski, Outreach Director for CRWC; Ron Rhodes, North Country River Steward for CRWC; and Anthony Iarrapino, Senior Attorney for CLF.

The website development and design team was led by Daniel Shearer, Tamarack Media Cooperative, and Beka Mandell, Webskillet Cooperative.

Let us know what you think and tell your story about working for flood resilience!

Am I in a Flood Hazard Area?

Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) are shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) as Zone A, AE, AH, AO or A 1- 30.   FIRM maps can be viewed at the municipal office but they can also be found online at the FEMA Map Service Center

Most Vermont communities have FIRMs and some communities have an officially-digital version called the Digital FIRM or DFIRM.  DFIRMs are available in Chittenden, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor Counties and for several towns (Bradford, Hardwick, Jay, Montgomery, Newbury, Wolcott, and Stowe).

DFIRMs can be viewed at:

FEMA Flood Map Viewer , OR

Vermont Natural Resources Atlas at  tinyurl.com/vt-flood 

and using the Google Earth kmz file available at the FEMA Map Service Center).

Preliminary DFIRM data is now available for Bennington County (5/18/12) and the Town of Richmond (9/11/13).   

Preliminary DFIRM data can be viewed at the municipal office or found online at the Vermont Natural Resources Atlas. 

To view the Preliminary DFIRM data in the Atlas

1.      Use Quick Tools to search for a street address

2.      Find the best result in the list and click on it, the choose Zoom to Feature

3.      Click on Map Layers (shown as a stack of green, red and gray layers at the bottom of the screen).

4.      Click on the "+" sign next to the Watershed Protection  Layers

5.      Click on the empty box next to Special Flood Hazard Areas (Preliminary DFIRM)  Layer

6.      Click on the gray box beside that layer to reveal the Legend

To print or save a map:

1.      Click on the Map Tools icon (wrench and screwdriver) in upper right corner of screen.

2.      Click on Print Map (it will automatically incorporate a legend and scale bar).  You can choose to “print” (save) a pdf or jpg version and then email or print that image.

Non-DFIRM Maps (FIRMs and FHBMs)

Where the community does not have an official DFIRM you can view the current data online and make a FIRMette (a small version of the official data).  FIRM maps do not have an aerial image in the background so you must include features such as intersections from which to measure and plot the location of your building.

To find a FIRM use the Product Catalog.   Then click on Get Current FEMA Issued Flood Maps.

In the list of maps the map ending in INDO (eg 500001IND0 ) is the index or map of map panels.   Once you have your bearings on the map panel you can open the correct panel and Make a FIRMette, and save it as a pdf or tif.

Need Map Help?

FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX)

FEMA Map Specialist 1-877-FEMA-MAP,   FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com

Structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area (Zone A, AE, A1-30, AO, AH) have more than a 1 in 4 chance of being exposed to a flood during a 30 year mortgage.  

FEMA's Floodsmart website has information about flood insurance and a tool to estimate flood damage for a structure built on a slab.

Planning for Flood Resilience!

With Act 16 in 2013 Vermont has established flood resilience goals for municipal, regional and state plans. Beginning July 2014 new municipal and regional plans must include a flood resilience element that addresses the goals identified in Chapter 117 §4302.

§4302. PURPOSE; GOALS

(14) To encourage flood resilient communities.

(A) New development in identified flood hazard, fluvial erosion, and river corridor protection areas should be avoided. If new development is to be built in such areas, it should not exacerbate flooding and fluvial erosion.

(B) The protection and restoration of floodplains and upland forested areas that attenuate and moderate flooding and fluvial erosion should be encouraged.

(C) Flood emergency preparedness and response planning should be encouraged

A simple SharePoint website has been pulled together to support planners working on flood resilience.   The site has links to data, suggestions, supportive contacts and early drafts.

tinyurl.com/floodresilience

Please take a look and spread the word !