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Risk MAP Overview
National Preparedness Month
Flood Mapping Update
Watershed University
Risk MAP Product Overview
AUGUST 2012 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1
Risk MAPLocal
News and Information about the Risk Mapping, Assessment,
and Planning (Risk MAP) Program in FEMA Region IX
Risk MAP: What is it and What’s in it for You?
current topics >>>
Take Action: September is National
Preparedness Month
This year will mark the ninth annual National
Preparedness Month, which is sponsored by
the Department of Homeland Security and
supported by numerous public and private
sector organizations. The theme for this year’s
National Preparedness Month is Pledge to
Prepare.
The goal of National Preparedness Month is to
educate people about emergency preparedness
and encourage them to take action.
National Preparedness Month reminds people
to put together a preparedness kit for all types
of emergency situations.
See Preparedness, Page 2
A Red Cross "ready to go" preparedness kit showing
the bag and contents.
Source: Red Cross
If you are receiving this newsletter, you the process by incorporating risk
no doubt have heard about Risk MAP. But assessment, mitigation planning, and
what exactly is it?
communication into the mapping process.
FEMA also revamped the study process to
Risk MAP is the FEMA program that include more collaboration among
provides communities with flood hazard
Federal, state, and local stakeholders.
and risk information and tools they can
FEMA aspires to partner with
use to enhance their mitigation plans and communities to deliver quality data and
take action to ensure community residents
products that communities can use to
are safer.
increase public flood hazard and risk
Through more precise flood hazard awareness and that will lead to action by
mapping products, risk assessment tools, communities and individuals to reduce the
and planning and outreach support, Risk risk to life and property.
MAP strengthens a community’s ability to The goals associated with the Risk MAP
make informed decisions about reducing
program are:
risk. For several years, FEMA engaged in
a nationwide effort to update and produce
 To update flood hazard data in order
digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps
to form a solid foundation for risk
(FIRMs), called Flood Map
assessment, floodplain management,
Modernization (Map Mod). As Map Mod
and actuarial soundness of the
was coming to a close, FEMA developed
National Flood Insurance Program;
a vision of how to enhance the practical
 To ensure that a measurable increase
value of FIRMs and the digital data
of the public’s awareness and
produced during a flood study.
understanding of risk results in a
In addition to producing updated FIRMs,
measurable reduction of current and
Risk MAP will provide communities with
future vulnerability;
tools and data that they can use to take
See Risk MAP, Page 5
action to reduce flood losses. Risk MAP
builds on the flood hazard data and maps
produced during Map Mod, but enhances
RISK MAP LOCAL POWERED BY
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Flood Mapping Update
Flood Insurance Rate Map
Updates
During, Risk MAP, FEMA will continue to
revise and improve Flood Insurance Rate
Maps (FIRMs). Flood Map Modernization
allowed FEMA to convert the majority of
its paper flood map inventory into a digital
format that is compatible with a Geographic
Information System (GIS) and online
viewing.
In FEMA Region IX, GIS-based FIRMs
have been created for all counties in
Arizona,
seventy-five percent of the
counties in Hawaii, and 13 of 17 counties in
Nevada.
Below is a listing of new or
revised FIRMs this quarter.
Subsequent editions of Risk MAP
Local will include
future map dates.
UPCOMING FIRMS (AUG - OCT 2012)
Digital flood zones in
southern California
Digital, countywide FIRMs will become
effective for Sacramento County on August
16, 2012, and for San Mateo County on
October 16, 2012. Additionally, GIS-based
FIRMs will be available for 53 of the 58
Counties in California.
Finalized
Effective
Solano County, CA
2/2/12
8/2/12
Sacramento Co., CA
2/16/12
8/16/12
Maui County, HI
3/19/12
9/19/12
Pima County, AZ
3/28/12
9/28/12
San Mateo Co., CA
4/16/12
10/16/12
Sonoma County, CA
4/16/12
10/16/12
San Luis Obispo, CA
5/16/12
11/16/12
Santa Barbara, CA
6/4/12
12/4/12
Watershed University Training Scheduled for September
An emergency management official distributes
materials at a disaster preparedness expo.
Source: FEMA Photo
FEMA Region IX and the Western Shasta
Resource Conservation District, a
Cooperating Technical Partner, are pleased
to present the Watershed University
program, which will be held on September
12 and 13, 2012, in Redding, California.
The purpose of this exciting program is to
provide community officials tools they need
to understand the Risk MAP program and
its impact on their communities. We are
also happy to announce that eligible
attendees will receive 12 core continuing
education credits towards their Certified
Floodplain Manager certification.
Preparedness, Continued from Page 1
These include
natural disasters,
terrorist attacks, mass casualties, or
biological and chemical threats.
Community officials can help residents
by posting preparedness information on
local websites, providing preparedness
information at community events, or by
sponsoring a preparedness-related event
in the community.
It is important for community residents
to be informed about their risk, be
prepared for disaster, and to have a
plan. No one can predict when a
disaster will occur, but preparation
saves lives and can speed up the
recovery process.
Community officials will learn about
FEMA’s Discovery efforts, Risk MAP,
California state plans, and Federal plans.
Workshop attendees will be able to use their
new skills to improve the safety of their
communities, and attendees will learn how
to integrate this information into their
community’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation
Plans. Other topics that will be covered
include National Flood Insurance Program
insurance, tools and resources to stay
current with FEMA mapping and risk
More information about preparedness is
available on the FEMA website at
www.ready.gov.
RISK MAP LOCAL POWERED BY
management efforts, the Community Rating
System, and State and FEMA grant
programs.
P la n n er s, e n g i n eer s, Geo gr ap h ic
Information Systems staff, and emergency
management staff would all benefit from
this training. FEMA has invited community
officials from throughout northern
California to attend this program. When
this two-day workshop was initially offered
in 2010, attendees included community
officials representing 13 different California
counties, and representatives from Federal
and state agencies. This year we hope to
have an even larger audience.
We look forward to seeing you at this event.
To RSVP, please contact Maureen Teubert,
Western Shasta Resource Conservation
District, by telephone at (530) 365-7332
extension 207, or by email at
[email protected].
Additional details on the training are
available at the following website:
www.r9map.org/Pages/ProfessionalDevelopment.aspx.
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Risk MAP Products: What are They?
Regulatory and non-regulatory products are developed as a result of FEMA’s flood hazard
mapping efforts. These products are designed to work in concert with each other. For the
most part, non-regulatory products and datasets are built off of the results of regulatory
datasets and, therefore, are based on the same science. However, they have different uses.
Regulatory Products
The regulatory products include the traditional
FEMA-produced flood hazard materials, the:
 Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM);
 Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report; and
 FIRM Database.
Regulatory products define and map the
extents of the 1-percent and 0.2-percentannual-chance floodplains and regulatory
floodway, calculate and show flood
elevations, define the flood risk zones for
mapped floodplains, and are used as the basis
for the administration of floodplain
management regulations and flood insurance
purchase requirements.
FEMA provides a 90-day appeal period
whenever new or modified flood hazard
information is shown on a new or revised
FIRM and/or in a FIS report. In addition to the
appeal period, a 6-month compliance period is
also required. These appeal and compliance
periods are required; therefore, the FIRM, FIS
report, and closely associated products are
considered to be regulatory—their production
and adoption by each community are dictated
by regulatory requirements.
Non-Regulatory Products
Non-regulatory products are not statutorily
required or used for a community’s floodplain
management regulations that are required for
participation in the NFIP. These products are
intended as supplemental information that
communities can use to make informed
decisions and communicate flood risk.
Non-regulatory products include:
 Flood Risk Reports;
 Flood Risk Maps;
 and Flood Risk Databases.
Flood Risk Databases can include datasets
such as Changes Since Last FIRM, Flood
Depth and Analysis Grids, Flood Risk
Assessment, and Areas of Mitigation Interest.
A Flood Risk Report provides flood risk data
to help local community officials understand
flood risk. It provides risk assessment and
mitigation information that can be
incorporated into a mitigation plan. A Flood
Risk Map visually depicts flood risk using
information contained in the Flood Risk
Database. A Flood Risk Database includes
all data collected, created, or analyzed during
a project.
The non-regulatory products emphasize that
any risk reduction measures taken may have
an impact beyond the immediate community.
ask the experts >>>
The Discovery Report is one of FEMA’s
new non-regulatory products.
Several datasets within the Flood Risk
Database help community officials and
residents understand their risk. For example,
the Changes Since Last FIRM dataset shows
not only where the Special Flood Hazard Area
has changed since the last FIRM was
produced, but also which new engineering
data may have affected the change.
The Flood Depth and Analysis Grid shows
the projected depths of a flood in a given area.
The Flood Risk Assessment Dataset shows a
user where measures taken to reduce risk
would likely produce the highest return on
investment.
See Products, Page 5
RISK MAP LOCAL POWERED BY
Training Sessions
ASFPM Training Calendar
http://www.floods.org/
index.aspmenuID=237&
Emergency Management Institute:
Online Courses
http://training.fema.gov/occ/
Free Courses:
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/
completecourses.asp
Aug. 26-29: American Public Works
Congress and Expo: Anaheim, CA
www.apwa.net/Congress
Sept. 4-7: Floodplain Management
Association (FMA) Conference
http://www.floods.org/n-calendar/
calendar.asp?date=9/22/2012
Sept. 11-12: Natural Hazards Legal
Seminar
Sept. 12-13: Watershed University
www.r9map.org/Pages/ProfessionalDevelopment.aspx
Sept. 9-12: Water Security and
Emergency Preparedness
http://apps.awwa.org/ebusmain/Meetings/
EventCalendar/tabid/277/ModuleID/1274/
ItemID/536/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx
Sept. 16-20: Dam Safety Conference
http://apps.awwa.org/ebusmain/Meetings/
EventCalendar/tabid/277/ModuleID/1274/
ItemID/517/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx
Oct. 18: Resilient Buildings
Workshop
www.nibs.org/index.php/conference
Oct. 15-18: CRS Training sponsored
by Urban Watersheds Research
Institute
www.urbanwatersheds.org/seminars/
seminar.html
Have a training session or conference
that you would like included? Email
the information to
[email protected].
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Flood Map Project Process and Timeline
FMIX
Floodplain Management Association Conference
Join FEMA in Sacramento at the Floodplain
Management Association conference from
September 4-7, 2012
Please contact the Flood Map
Information eXchange (FMIX) if
you have any questions related to
Featured sessions include the California Coastal Analysis
and Mapping Program Town Hall meeting and the San
Francisco Bay coastal flood risk panel.
the FEMA maps.
Map specialists are available
via telephone at
877-FEMA-MAP
(877-336-2627)
between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Eastern Time, Monday – Friday
Live chat service is available
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern
Time. Click the live chat button
on the right side of the Map
Service Center website.
Services are available 24 hours
per day online at msc.fema.gov.
Other topics that will be covered are:
 coastal flood hazard modeling and mapping
 social media tools for risk communication
 improving floodplain management through GIS tools
For additional information, visit the FMA Conference program website:
http://www.cvent.com/events/2012-fma-annual-conference/eventsummary-8ea1348931b143e3b578b09c09f0b184.aspx
S
tay Informed!
Stay current with FEMA Region IX studies! Look for this
symbol on the main, state and coastal pages of
www.r9map.org. Click on the symbol to sign-up to
receive updates on FEMA’s studies and related
information.
CCAMP News!
FEMA Region IX publishes an electronic newsletter that provides up-to-date
study information for FEMA’s California Coastal Analysis Mapping Projects –
the San Francisco Bay Area Coastal Study, and the California Open Pacific
Coast Study. Each quarter, we will provide schedule updates, technical articles,
facts of interest, and information relevant to California’s coastal communities as
these two important studies progress.
The newsletter will be available at www.r9coastal.org.
RISK MAP LOCAL POWERED BY
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finalthoughts...
To learn more about the Risk MAP products and when your community is scheduled to receive a Risk MAP study, contact FEMA
Region IX.
Did you know that when Congress passed and President Obama signed the Temporary Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012
on June 29 that it extended the authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program another five years?
See the next issue for more information on the reauthorization and pending impacts.
Risk MAP, Continued from Page 1
 To lead and support States and local and Tribal communities
to effectively engage in risk-based mitigation planning
resulting in sustainable actions that reduce or eliminate risks
to life and property from natural hazards;
 To provide an enhanced digital platform that improves
management of Risk MAP, stewards information produced
by Risk MAP, and improves communication and sharing of
risk data and related products to all levels of government and
the public; and
 To align risk analysis programs to enhance decision-making
capabilities through effective risk communication and
management.
The Flood Risk Database contains all of the Flood Risk Datasets used
to make the Flood Risk Map and the Flood Risk Report, and can be
used to generate additional flood risk maps, analyses and graphics
that are not in the Flood Risk Report or on the Flood Risk Map.
Products, Continued from Page 3
Finally, the Areas of Mitigation Interest dataset shows conditions
or situations within a project area that would affect the severity of
flood hazards.
Non-regulatory products should easily be incorporated into local
mitigation plans; they will enable communities to identify issues
contributing to flood hazards and associated risks; and they will
allow users to better understand their community’s flood risk
based on the expected depth of floodwaters during hypothetical
flood events.
Additionally, FEMA can produce non-regulatory products at the
watershed level to provide a more interdependent view of flood
risk. Doing so provides a more informed view of upstream
causes and downstream consequences of floodplain development,
and possible mitigation actions that may not be captured at the
jurisdiction level.
It is important to note that not every community will receive all
of the non-regulatory products. FEMA will work with
communities to determine which products will be useful to them
and to create a customized approach.
Questions or comments >>>
Local is a publication of FEMA Region IX. For
questions or editorial comments, please contact:
Olivia Humilde
External Affairs/Mitigation Outreach Specialist
510-627-7068 | [email protected]
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