Risk MAP:Increasing Risk Awareness and

Resilience in Alabama

Leslie A. Durham, P.E.Alabama Office of Water Resources

Evolution of Flood Mapping

• Flood Map Modernization• Identifying and Mapping Flood

Hazards• County-wide Studies

• Risk MAP: • Increase awareness and

understanding of flood risk • Encourage actions to reduce risk to life

and property• Watershed Studies

Risk MAP Vision

Reduce Risk to

Lives and Property

Promote Community Mitigation

Action

Increase Awareness

of Flood Risk

Collaborate across all levels of government

Enhance delivery of Risk MAP Products

Support that allows communities to identify risks and promote:

Community resiliency Sustainability Reduced need for federal

disaster assistance

MITIGATION PLANNING

Tools to understand how flood risk has changed

Continuous engagement with communities

Enable communities to communicate flood risk to constituents

Deliver High-Quality

Risk Data

Understandable Flood Maps Credible data—reliable,

accurate, watershed-based Illustrations of possible Flood

Depths Usable Flood Risk

Assessments

Prod

ucts

Goa

lsPr

oces

ses

Risk MAP in Alabama• Transition from County Studies to Watershed Studies• New Flood Risk Datasets

• Flood Depth Grids• % Chance of Flooding• Flood Loss Estimates• Areas of Mitigation Interest

• Current Watershed Projects• Upper Alabama • Chipola/Lower Chattahoochee• Upper Choctawhatchee• Middle Coosa• Wheeler Lake (includes 4 counties in TN)

• Coastal Studies• Joint Storm Surge study with FL should be

complete by end of this year• Preliminary Coastal Flood Maps late 2013

Legend2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Future Projects

Changes Since Last FIRM

• Identify Areas and Types of Flood Zone Change:

• Compares current effective (previous) with proposed (new) flood hazard mapping.

• Flood zone changes are categorized and quantified

• Provide Study/Reach Level Rationale for Changes Including:

• Methodology and assumptions• Changes of model inputs or parameters

(aka Contributing Engineering Factors)

• Offer Stakeholders Transparency and Answers to:

• Where have my flood hazards increased or decreased?

• Why have my flood hazards increased or decreased?

• Which communities are subject to new BFEs or ordinance adjustments.

• Prioritize mitigation areas

Depth and Analysis Grids

• Identify areas of highest flood risk• Mitigation prioritization• Emergency planning• Evacuation routes, road closures

Flood Depth Grids % Annual Chance Grids % Chance over 30 years

Flood Risk Assessment

• Identify and Communicate Flood Risk• Areas of high risk• Areas with greatest flood loss potential

• Provide Flood Risk $$:• Potential damage severity for different

flood frequencies • Identify locations with possible cost

effective mitigation options• Improve Estimates for Flood Risk $$:

• Losses from Average Annualized Loss (AAL) Study

• Refined losses from new flood study depth grids

• Refined general building stock data from local sources

Estimated Potential Losses

Estimated Potential Flood Losses for Autauga County

Flood Risk Awareness

• Community Official’s ability to communicate flood risk is critical to becoming resilient• Risk MAP Tools Workshops

• Educate everyday user on the various tools being developed for daily floodplain management and hazard mitigation.

• The goal is to leave local officials empowered, informed and ready to take action and armed with the tools they need to provide effective outreach to citizens within their communities.

• Enhanced Interactive Website - AL Flood Risk Information Service (FRIS)• Address lookup features• Depth and probability grids• Print FIRMs and FIRMETTEs directly from site• View preliminary and effective data in mapping application

Contact Information

Leslie A. Durham, P.E.Office of Water Resources

Leslie.Durham@adeca.alabama.govwww.adeca.alabama.gov/floods

Alabama Association of Floodplain Managers Conference Auburn, AL

October 22-24, 2012