Flood Mitigation in the Southeastern United States

Event: Mitigation Actions and Opportunities to Address Community Flood Risk

December 10 - 11, 2019

Past

Agenda

About

The Resilient America Program hosted the event, “Mitigation Actions and Opportunities to Address Community Flood Risk,” which brought together stakeholders from four communities that participated in Resilient America’s community dialogues on flood mitigation—Savannah and Tybee Island, GA; Biloxi, MS; Roanoke, Salem, and Vinton, VA; and Ellicott City, MD—as well as other experts and community practitioners, and representatives from local, federal, and state agencies to engage in an interactive discussion focused on solutions and actions for mitigating and building resilience to flood risk.

The purpose of this event was to:

Share information learned during the community dialogues and provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and networking;
Explore ways to address flood mitigation challenges; and
Learn about federal and state resources available to communities for mitigation.

This event included:

Two expert panels; one focused on addressing flood mitigation challenges and one on the use of science and data to inform flood mitigation investments.
A panel of representatives from each of the four communities who will share some of their successful mitigation actions.
Group discussion about community experiences and challenges with addressing flood risks.
Two panels of representatives from state and federal agencies who will share information about funding opportunities and ways to leverage resources and find innovative solutions to funding flood mitigation efforts.

Contact

Charlene Milliken

cmilliken@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Flood Mitigation in the Southeastern United States - Community Meetings in Ellicott City, MD

September 24 - 26, 2019

Past

About

The Resilient America Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine visited select communities in the southeastern region of United States that recently experienced flood-related disasters to learn about mitigation efforts at the local level. Specifically, this project investigated the range of mitigation actions and investments taking place in communities, the challenges communities face mitigating floods, and what communities need that will enable them to make investments in flood mitigation.

Resilient America facilitated discussions (July through September 2019) with diverse stakeholder groups in four communities—Biloxi, MS; Ellicott City, MD; Roanoke and Vinton, VA; and Savannah and Tybee Island, GA—about their flood mitigation efforts, successes, and challenges. In September 2019, Resilient America held a series of meetings with diverse stakeholders who serve and/or represent different community sectors in Ellicott City, MD.

Specific meeting goals were to better understand:

the risks and impacts of floods on communities,
actions communities are taking to mitigate future floods,
flood mitigation success stories, best practices, and lessons learned in communities,
challenges communities continue to face related to flood mitigation,
what communities need in order to enable them to make informed decisions about flood mitigation, and
how communities are funding their flood mitigation activities.

Ellicott City is located in the Tiber Branch Watershed in eastern Howard County that contains. The watershed contains three major tributaries: the Hudson, Tiber, and New Cut Branches, which combine to flow through Historic Ellicott City and into the Patapsco River at the bottom of a valley where the Ellicott City Historic District is located. Historic Ellicott City is a small area located along Main Street that contains numerous historical buildings and structures that date back to the 18th century. This historic area is prone to flooding. Riverine flooding in Ellicott City is called “bottom-up” flooding because the source of the floodwaters come from the Patapsco River. The worst recorded flood occurred in 1868, when the Patapsco River rose 21.5 feet and killed 43 people. The second occurred in 1972, when heavy rains from Hurricane Agnes caused the Patapsco River to rise 14.5 feet. Two 1-in-1000 year floods occurred in 2016 and 2018; these floods were “top-down” floods because intense rain events brought water from the top of the watershed down through Main Street where it converged with a flooded Patapsco River, causing Main Street itself to become a river.

In May 2019, Howard County selected a five-year flood mitigation plan for Ellicott City. The multi-phase flood mitigation strategy is part of the larger Ellicott City Safe & Sound Plan: Option 3G.7.0 master plan and includes demolishing buildings in Historic Ellicott City, constructing an underground tunnel to carry floodwater, and water retention and conveyance projects.

Contact

Charlene Milliken

cmilliken@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Flood Mitigation in the Southeastern United States - Community Meetings in Savannah and Tybee Island, GA

September 17 - 19, 2019

Past

About

The Resilient America Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine visited select communities in the southeastern region of United States that recently experienced flood-related disasters to learn about mitigation efforts at the local level. Specifically, this project investigated the range of mitigation actions and investments taking place in communities, the challenges communities face mitigating floods, and what communities need that will enable them to make investments in flood mitigation.

Resilient America facilitated discussions (July through September 2019) with diverse stakeholder groups in four communities—Biloxi, MS; Ellicott City, MD; Roanoke and Vinton, VA; and Savannah and Tybee Island, GA—about their flood mitigation efforts, successes, and challenges. In September 2019, Resilient America held a series of meetings with diverse stakeholders who serve and/or represent different community sectors in Savannah and Tybee Island, GA.

Specific meeting goals were to better understand:

the risks and impacts of floods on communities,
actions communities are taking to mitigate future floods,
flood mitigation success stories, best practices, and lessons learned in communities,
challenges communities continue to face related to flood mitigation,
what communities need in order to enable them to make informed decisions about flood mitigation, and
how communities are funding their flood mitigation activities.

Savannah and Tybee Island are located in Chatham County. The City of Savannah is situated along the Savannah River and is located in a coastal plain surrounded by low-lying land and tidal saltmarshes to the north and east.Tybee Island is a barrier island located east of Savannah and is situated between the Savannah River and Tybee Creek. The main types of flood events in the county include tidal flooding, flash flooding, and riverine flooding. Storm events are occurring more frequently, and the magnitude of their impacts are becoming more severe. Tybee Island is particularly vulnerable to the potential impacts of sea level rise. Recent events that impacted the region were Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), and Michael (2018), and Tropical Storm Dorian (2019).

Contact

Charlene Milliken

cmilliken@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Flood Mitigation in the Southeastern United States - Community Meetings in Biloxi, MS

August 27 - 29, 2019

Past

About

The Resilient America Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine visited select communities in the southeastern region of United States that recently experienced flood-related disasters to learn about mitigation efforts at the local level. Specifically, this project investigated the range of mitigation actions and investments taking place in communities, the challenges communities face mitigating floods, and what communities need that will enable them to make investments in flood mitigation.

Resilient America facilitated discussions (July through September 2019) with diverse stakeholder groups in four communities—Biloxi, MS; Ellicott City, MD; Roanoke and Vinton, VA; and Savannah and Tybee Island, GA—about their flood mitigation efforts, successes, and challenges. In August 2019, Resilient America held a series of meetings with diverse stakeholders who serve and/or represent different community sectors in Biloxi.

Specific meeting goals were to better understand:

the risks and impacts of floods on communities,
actions communities are taking to mitigate future floods,
flood mitigation success stories, best practices, and lessons learned in communities,
challenges communities continue to face related to flood mitigation,
what communities need in order to enable them to make informed decisions about flood mitigation, and
how communities are funding their flood mitigation activities.

The City of Biloxi is located in Harrison County on the southernmost tip of Mississippi. Biloxi is the co-county seat with the neighboring City of Gulfport to the west. Tropical storms and hurricanes are some of the most dangerous flood hazards in Biloxi, and the city has been impacted by numerous hurricanes. The most destructive hurricanes of the 20th century include the "Mississippi hurricane" in 1906, Grand Isle Hurricane in 1909, the Fort Lauderdale hurricane in 1947, the Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Although rain, wind, and storm surge from tropical storms and hurricanes pose the most severe flooding threats, the region is experiencing more riverine and flash flooding from local and upriver thunderstorms.

Contact

Charlene Milliken

cmilliken@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Flood Mitigation in the Southeastern United States - Community Meetings in Roanoke and Vinton, VA

July 30 - August 1, 2019

Past

About

The Resilient America Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine visited select communities in the southeastern region of United States that recently experienced flood-related disasters to learn about mitigation efforts at the local level. Specifically, this project investigated the range of mitigation actions and investments taking place in communities, the challenges communities face mitigating floods, and what communities need that will enable them to make investments in flood mitigation.

Resilient America facilitated discussions (July through September 2019) with diverse stakeholder groups in four communities—Biloxi, MS; Ellicott City, MD; Roanoke and Vinton, VA; and Savannah and Tybee Island, GA—about their flood mitigation efforts, successes, and challenges. In July 2019, Resilient America held a series of meetings with diverse stakeholders who serve and/or represent different community sectors in the City of Roanoke, the Town of Vinton, and Roanoke County.

Specific meeting goals were to better understand:

the risks and impacts of floods on communities,
actions communities are taking to mitigate future floods,
flood mitigation success stories, best practices, and lessons learned in communities,
challenges communities continue to face related to flood mitigation,
what communities need in order to enable them to make informed decisions about flood mitigation, and
how communities are funding their flood mitigation activities.

The City of Roanoke and the Town of Vinton are adjacent communities located in the Roanoke River Valley in southwest Virginia. Roanoke is an independent city situated within the boundaries of Roanoke County, while Vinton is a municipality that is part of Roanoke County. The two communities share greenspace at their border along the Roanoke River. The main hazards they face are flash floods and riverine flooding from rain events. Roanoke and Vinton are part of the greater Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region and are located on the western slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The City of Roanoke lies in the central valley of the Roanoke River, which bisects the city. Thirteen surrounding tributaries flow into this river. The city was built on a wetland, and the downtown area is built on top of a series of waterways. The City of Roanoke’s benchmark flood event was the Election Day Floods in 1985 when remnants of Tropical Storm Juan caused the Roanoke River to peak at 23.5 feet in ten hours (the previous highest river peak was 19.6 feet in 1972).

Contact

Charlene Milliken

cmilliken@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

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Flood Mitigation in the Southeastern United States

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Event: Mitigation Actions and Opportunities to Address Community Flood Risk