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FEMA REGION III BRANDYWINE-CHRISTINA WATERSHED PROJECT UPDATE NO. 4, SPRING 2017

Update on FEMA’s Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning for Brandywine-Christina Watershed, Chester County-wide Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and Delaware County Physical Map Revision

This bulletin is an update on the flood risk study of the Brandywine-Christina Watershed by the Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA) Region III office. This bulletin is the fourth and final project update on the flood risk

study.

As part of this study, new flood hazard analyses were developed within the Brandywine-Christina Watershed.

Additional analyses were developed for Octoraro Creek and tributaries, along the western border of Chester County.

The Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) have been updated for all communities

in Chester County and for several communities in Delaware County (see figure below and listings in the attached

Municipal Index). For the Chester County-wide FIRM development, communities with unrevised flooding sources were

updated to the new map format. No FIRMs were updated for Lancaster County. Key updates are as follows:

90-Day Appeal Period Completed: Technical appeals to proposed changes to the flood hazard delineations or

elevations on recently released products started June 1, 2016 and ended August 29, 2016. The Appeal period

was open for those communities with revisions to flood data (e.g., flood boundaries, etc.) on their updated

FIRMs. All communities also had the opportunity to provide non-technical comments. Several appeals and

comments received were duly addressed with necessary FIRM/FIS updates. Responses were sent to

submitters.

FEMA is developing two sets of non-regulatory Flood Risk Products: a full watershed set specifically for the

Brandywine-Christina Watershed and a unified set for Chester County to include the revised areas for

Octoraro Creek and tributaries.

Meetings for the project have been held in coordination with officials from Chester County, three

communities in Delaware County, and two communities in Lancaster County. The Chester County Ordinance

Workshop was held July 22, 2016.

A Resilience Meeting for

municipality officials is planned

for summer 2017. An Open

House meeting for Chester

County public stakeholders is also

planned for summer 2017.

Invitations will be sent when a

date is determined.

A key study objective for FEMA is to

connect with communities in the

watershed to increase awareness of flood

risk and the flood mapping process. The

goal is to promote action to reduce the

loss of life and property, and make

communities more resilient to future

flood events.

Updated FIRM Status in Brandywine-Christina Watershed and Chester County

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FEMA REGION III BRANDYWINE-CHRISTINA WATERSHED PROJECT UPDATE NO. 4, SPRING 2017

Project Timeline

Activity Timeline

Initiation of Outreach Activities Winter 2013

First Project Update Newsletter Fall 2014

Draft Engineering and Mapping Results

Sep. 2015

Flood Risk Review Meeting Sep.18, 2015

Delaware Preliminary Issuance Oct. 29, 2015

Chester Preliminary Issuance Dec. 9, 2015

Second Project Update Newsletter Winter 2015

CCO Meeting Jan. 12, 2016

90-Day Appeal Period Start June 1, 2016

Third Project Update Newsletter June 2016

Ordinance Workshop July 22, 2017

90-Day Appeal Period End Aug. 29, 2016

Delaware County LFD Jan. 5, 2017

Chester County LFD Mar. 29, 2017

Delaware ordinance revisions Jan-July 2017

Chester ordinance revisions Mar-Sept. 2017

Fourth and Final Project Update Newsletter (this bulletin)

Spring 2017

Chester County Open House Summer 2017

Resilience Meeting Summer 2017

Delaware FIRM Effective Date July 5, 2017

Chester FIRM Effective Date Sept. 29, 2017

Project Status

The study has progressed to the Letter of Final Determination (LFD), issued March 29, 2017 for Chester County and

January 5, 2017 for Delaware County. The LFD initiated the six-month compliance period, during which time the

municipalities are required to update and adopt revised floodplain ordinances. FEMA is working on the flood risk map

finalization process. FEMA is also finalizing non-regulatory Flood Risk Products and continues to remain engaged with

communities about map updates.

Next Project Steps

FEMA has finalized the regulatory mapping products and is finalizing the non-regulatory Risk MAP products.

Municipalities are in the process of reviewing, updating, adopting, and receiving approval for their revised floodplain

management ordinances that reflect the latest required ordinance provisions and the Flood Insurance Rate Map

information. FEMA is also coordinating community engagement meetings. Details on these activities are as follows:

Community Engagement

FEMA and the State of Pennsylvania NFIP State Coordinating office are available to assist communities in updating

their floodplain management ordinance. FEMA is coordinating the scheduling for the Resilience Meeting and the

Chester County Open House Meeting.

An Open House Meeting for Chester County is

planned for mid-summer 2017 to allow property

owners and other stakeholders an opportunity to

review the FIRM updates and get flood insurance

information.

FEMA anticipates conducting the Resilience Meeting

in late summer 2017 to review the Flood Risk

Products with communities. The focus of this

meeting is on the flood risk awareness and

mitigation side of emergency management.

Floodplain Management Ordinance Update

In order for communities to remain in good standing with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), communities must adopt a floodplain management ordinance and keep it updated as map updates and other changes arise. Communities must adopt a new floodplain management ordinance before the FIRMs become effective on July 5, 2017, for Delaware County and September 29, 2017, for Chester County, or risk suspension from the NFIP. When a community is suspended form the NFIP, flood insurance and disaster assistance will no longer be available to community residents.

Non-regulatory Flood Risk Products The study team has developed non-regulatory Flood Risk

Products for the Brandywine-Christina Watershed as a whole

and also a unified set for Chester County to include the

revised areas for Octoraro Creek and tributaries. These Flood

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FEMA REGION III BRANDYWINE-CHRISTINA WATERSHED PROJECT UPDATE NO. 4, SPRING 2017

Risk Products can be used to assist community officials in an array of floodplain management activities, including risk

communication, mitigation, and benefit-cost analysis for hazard mitigation grant applications. The Changes Since Last

FIRM (CSLF) datasets were developed prior to the Preliminary issuance and were made available to communities.

Flood Risk Products currently being produced include a Flood Risk Database, Map, and Report. The following risk

datasets are being developed using Flood Risk Products: Depth and Analysis Grids, Hazus Level 2 Analysis, and Areas of

Mitigation Interest (AoMI).

Example Non-Regulatory Flood Risk Products

What You Can Do Now

Ordinance Review and Adoption (Required). The LFDs have now been issued for Chester and Delaware Counties. The

municipalities have six months from the date of the LFD to complete the adoption of the new FIRMs into their

floodplain management ordinance and receive ordinance approvals from PA-DCED, FEMA and Chester County

Planning Commission (if necessary). For the Pennsylvania model floodplain ordinance, contact Daniel Fitzpatrick, State

NFIP Coordinator (see contact information section below). Communities should take this opportunity to implement

higher standards if desired, finalize their ordinance updates, and ensure all other flood damage prevention actions

comply with the Code of Federal Regulations 60.3, so that the community receives FEMA approval and remains in

good standing with the NFIP. If the community does not receive FEMA approval prior to six months after the date of

the LFD, that community will be suspended from the NFIP and will need to work toward reinstatement.

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FEMA REGION III BRANDYWINE-CHRISTINA WATERSHED PROJECT UPDATE NO. 4, SPRING 2017

Contact FEMA if you need assistance with mitigation projects. For more information on grants that may be available,

please visit www.fema.gov/grants. For more information on hazard mitigation assistance, please visit

www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.

Consider joining or increasing your rating in the Community Rating System (CRS) to gain discounts on flood

insurance premiums for your citizens in the SFHAs as you implement higher floodplain management standards in your

community. For more information, visit www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-rating-system.

Encourage your citizens to purchase flood insurance now. If a revised FIRM shows a property newly included in an

SFHA, flood insurance rates for that property will likely change. However, there are ways to save money if a new policy

is purchased prior to the Map Effective Date. This lower-cost flood insurance rating option is known as the National

Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Grandfather Rule. For more information, visit

http://www.floodsmart.com/knowledge-base/grandfathering/.

The following is a summary of study activities and community roles:

Community Coordination. FEMA and Risk Assessment, Mapping, and Planning Partners (RAMPP) have participated in several meetings since 2015 and will schedule a meeting with the municipalities to discuss potential mitigation actions.

1. Flood Risk Review Meeting (Completed): Flood Risk Review Meeting for the project was conducted for Chester and Delaware Counties in September 2015. During the meeting, the community officials had a chance to review and provide early feedback on draft versions of the Preliminary FIRM and FIS report. The feedback received during the meeting was incorporated by the project team to update FIRM and FIS report and the Flood Risk Products.

2. Community Coordination and Outreach (CCO) Meetings (Completed): CCO Meetings for Chester and Delaware Counties following the Preliminary issuance were held in January 2016. After the release of Preliminary FIRMs and FIS reports, FEMA held the meetings to present updated information to community officials. The changes in flood risk data (e.g. floodplains, etc.), FEMA’s post-preliminary process, and community responsibilities were explained during the meetings. In February 2016, a follow up meeting with Township of Chadds Ford was held at the community’s request.

3. Ordinance Workshop (Completed): Working with PA DCED and Chester County, an Ordinance Workshop was held July 22, 2016. The purpose of the workshop was to begin preparing municipalities for the ordinance update required for the pending FIS/FIRM.

4. Chester County Open House Meeting: FEMA will coordinate an open house meeting for Chester County stakeholders in mid-summer 2017 to discuss the FIRM updates and provide flood insurance information.

5. Resilience Meeting: FEMA will hold a Resilience Meeting in late summer 2017. The meeting will focus on communities within the Brandywine-Christina Watershed, plus the communities with map updates in the Octoraro Creek Watershed (see Municipal Index Excel spreadsheet for communities to be invited). The meeting will focus on non-regulatory Flood Risk Products discussed above. The goal of the meeting will be to provide guidance to local officials to help them identify mitigation opportunities.

Flood Risk Products: FEMA and RAMPP are developing non-regulatory Flood Risk Products for community use in risk management and mitigation.

FIRM Adoption and Ordinance Review Reminders: As communities work through the ordinance review and adoption period, FEMA and RAMPP will send out 90-day and 30-day reminder notice to communities who have not yet adopted their ordinances by that time.

FIRMs Effective: On the effective date of July 5, 2017, for Delaware County and September 29, 2017, for Chester County, the new FIRMs and FIS become the regulatory source of information for communities to use for floodplain management purposes. Mitigation coordination can continue with FEMA even after the study update is closed.

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FEMA REGION III BRANDYWINE-CHRISTINA WATERSHED PROJECT UPDATE NO. 4, SPRING 2017

Important Resources

Current effective and Pending FIRMs, FISs, and digital FIRM Databases are available at FEMA’s Map Service

Center at: https://msc.fema.gov/

The Pending Chester County FIRM flood risk mapping layer is viewable in the interactive map at ChescoViews:

http://www.chesco.org/2198/ChescoViews

Once the effective date is reached, the Final FIRM databases for Chester and Delaware Counties will be

available for viewing on FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) at:

https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-hazard-layer-nfhl

FEMA Floodplain Management Publications are available at:

www.fema.gov/floodplain-management-publications

Study Contact Information

FEMA Region III Project Engineer Nikki L. Roberts, P.E. Nikki.Roberts@fema.dhs.gov

FEMA Region III Planner Sarah Wolfe Sarah.Wolfe@fema.dhs.gov

State NFIP Coordinator for Pennsylvania Daniel Fitzpatrick dafitzpatr@state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Ordinance Reviewer Leslie Rhoads floodplainupdate@gmail.com

State NFIP Coordinator for Delaware Mike Powell Michael.Powell@state.de.us

RAMPP Contracting Study Manager Mike Seering, P.E. Mike.Seering@aecom.com

Chester County Local Contact/Liaison Dani-Ella Betz, Chester County Water Resources Authority dbetz@chesco.org

Delaware County Local Contact/Liaison Karen Holm, Delaware County holmk@co.delaware.pa.us