Transcript Levee
Levee Safety and Flood Mapping
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Texas Water Conservation Association
Mid-Year Conference
Galveston Island, Texas
June 17, 2011
Dan Delich
Levee Issues Alliance
Corps projects prevented damages of $29.5
Billion in 2009
Between 1928-2009… the flood damage
reduction benefit to cost ratio was 7:1
FY 2003-present: Nearly $2B in FEMA appropriations to update maps
August 2005 Hurricane Katrina: “The wake-up call we cannot ignore,”
National Committee on Levee Safety (NCLS, June 2009)
-- February 2007: USACE releases 30-state list of 146 federal program
levees rated as “Unacceptable”
-- November 2007: WRDA ‘07 authorizes NCLS and orders nationwide
levee inspection and inventory
-- February 2009: USACE releases 16-state list of 114 federal program
levees rated as “Unacceptable”
“Unacceptable” implications include…
P.L.84-99 ineligibility
FEMA Levee Deaccreditation
Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) designation
• Mandatory flood insurance
• Development restrictions
• Losses in property value… economic competitiveness… jobs and local tax
base
Levee Issues Alliance
Brazoria County
Jefferson County
Matagorda County
El Paso County
City of Irving
City of Dallas
City of Fort Worth
“Federal taxpayers already have paid to rebuild many
levees that failed in floods because of poor maintenance.
For years, the Corps has been threatening to kick them
out of the (rehabilitation) program, but never really did.
Now, the Corps is doing the right thing.”
Larry Larson
Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers
USA Today, February 23, 2009
● Listed on 2/1/09 Corps “Unacceptable” O/M list
- VFZ non-compliant: tree growth
● $7.1M project – 75% Federal – 25% non-Federal
● Fully authorized by Congress
● Designed and constructed by the Corps…
● New vegetation maintenance standards
● O/M rules now 70 pages (vs. 5 previously)
Built in 1940s – 1950s to protect against 500-year flood
No Failures
Army Corps concerned about underseepage
Madison, St. Claire, Monroe Counties, Illinois
155,000 residents; 7000 businesses; 55,000 jobs
$160 million – 5-year, locally funded project proposed
Timing of Army Corps approval? FEMA map revisions?
A collection of P.L.84-99 levee sponsors and
affected communities from Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Illinois working to fulfill one
mission…
EARN MORE TIME…
to bring levees and floodwalls up to new federal
standards.
Levee Issues Alliance
Levee Issues Alliance
“Flood Insurance Reform Act”
Up to three-year delay of the effective date for mandatory
flood insurance for existing (non-improved) structures in
new SFHAs
No relief on new SFHA land use restrictions or in cases
where loan modifications occur
Restrictions on new development
No waiver of Mandatory FI requirement if “making, extending,
increasing, renewing” loan with any lender
Losses in property value, economic competitiveness, jobs and
local tax base
Approved by Financial Services Committee (5/12/11)
Levee Issues Alliance
Prohibits updated flood maps/mandatory flood
insurance/development restrictions on an annual basis for
up to seven years in places where:
Local repair plan, accompanied by an adequate financing
mechanism, is in place to protect against 1% annual chance
flood
Local surveillance and operations plan has been
implemented…Evacuation plan is in place
Outreach and communications plan to advise of risks and
opportunity to purchase flood insurance has been
implemented
Financial Services Committee
Levee Issues Alliance
…Congressional and/or Administration prerogatives to:
(a) accurately map US flood zones
(b) address the $18B FEMA deficit and
(c) better verify location/sufficiency of levees… need not
conflict with our objectives to:
(1) Reduce physical risk
(2) Incentivize repairs and
(3) Ameliorate local economic and property value losses
Levee Issues Alliance
“Flood protection comes in multiple forms, one form is
insurance and one form is flood control structures…
FEMA and the Corps cannot wholly dismiss existing
infrastructure and just force people to spend hundreds of
dollars a year on flood insurance.”
U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)
March 18, 2010
Levee Issues Alliance