NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM

ELEVATION CERTIFICATE

AND

INSTRUCTIONSHAZUS-MH: The Risk MAP Assessment Tool

HAZUS-MH ORDER FORM

FEMA

08/10/09

To order HAZUS-MH software, provide the requested information on this order form and mail or fax a copy to:

FEMA Publications WarehouseP.O. Box 430, Buckeystown, MD 21717Phone: 1 (800) 480-2520 (M-F: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. est) Fax: (240) 699-0525

Prior to ordering, please ensure that your system meets the requirements to run HAZUS-MH MR4. For system requirements, visit http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_reqmnts.shtm.

Name and Title:

Organization:

Street Address:

City: State/Zip Code:

Telephone No: ( ) Fax No: ( )

E-mail:

HAZUS-MH MR4 (HAZUS-MH Version 1.4, August 2009)To install and run HAZUS-MH MR4, the user needs to have the Applications DVD that contains the Setup, and at least one of the following multi-state Data DVDs. Please indicate your preference below.

Applications DVD – Setup, Shake Map Utility for Earthquakes, and data for CA and NC*

Data DVD #1: (A1) – AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT, and WA

Data DVD #2: (B1) – CO, IA, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, SD, and WY

Data DVD #3: (C1) – AR, LA, MS, NM, OK, and TX

Data DVD #4: (D1) – AL, FL, and GA

Data DVD #5: (E1) – NC, PR, SC, and TN

Data DVD #6: (F1) – CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, and VT9

Data DVD #7: (G1) – DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV

Data DVD #8: (H1) – IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, and WI 9 SR2

Please send Evaluation Edition of ESRI® ArcGISTM 9.3

HAZUS®

-MHFEMA’s Software Program for Estimating Potential Losses from Disasters

HAZUS-MH MR4 (Version 1.4) August 2009

* CA and NC data is included to help with the setup veri�cation

03 TCEQ dam safETy ComplianCE

04 blunn CrEEk sTrEam bank sTabilizaTion for CiTy of ausTin

05 fEma’s nEw ElEvaTion CErTifiCaTE (EC)

06 HazusissuE 3 summEr 2010

a n E w s l E T T E r f r o m T H E waT E r r E s o u r C E s E n g i n E E r i n g g r o u p o f H a l f f a s s o C i aT E s , i n C .

Levee SafetyWalter Skipwith, PE, D.WRE

This article is the second in a series on levee safety and focuses on Levee Research and Development.

TWDB aWarDs flooD proTecTion planning granTs

ConTinuEd on pagE 2ConTinuEd on pagE 2

in January 2010, Halff associates prepared and submitted grant applications for Hays County, waller County, medina County, and the City of Texarkana. The Twdb formally awarded flood protection grants to these communities at the Twdb board meeting in may 2010.

The Texas water development board (Twdb) offers flood protection planning grants to political subdivisions of the state of Texas. Eligible political subdivisions include cities, counties, districts or authorities created under the Texas Constitution, that are members of the national flood insurance program (nfip). Twdb grants for flood

t h eCurrentHurricanes katrina and rita (2005) in the gulf Coast provided a wakeup call to the nation regarding flood risk in general and the role of levees in public safety and flood risk management in particular. The loss of more than 1800 lives and the more than $200 billion dollars in economic damages has placed levees under the microscope from a national perspective.

one result of this focus on levees is the national levee safety act, a part of the water resources development act of 2007. This act seeks to develop a basic database of levee information (inventory, inspection and assessment) currently

underway on the federal levee systems and the creation of a national Committee on levee safety. This committee’s task is to recommend a strategic plan to Congress for a national levee safety program. one of the plan’s recommendations is to:

Conduct a Research and Development (R&D) Program that will continually advance state-of-the-art technologies and practices for levee safety and conduct critical operations and maintenance activities in as cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner as possible. (Recommendations for a National Levee Safety Program – Draft 1/15/2009)

u.s. army Corps of Engineers (usaCE) r&d activities are underway on several fronts. The flood and Coastal storm damage reduction (fCsdr) r&d is under the flood risk management research area of the u.s. army Corps of Engineers’ directorate of research and development. fCsdr r&d activities are conducted collaboratively between the Corps’ institute for water resources (www.iwr.usace.army.mil/), and Hydrologic Engineering Center (www.hec.usace.army.mil/) and laboratories of the u.s. army Engineer research and

control planning are generally limited to 50% of the total cost of the project. in some instances, the Twdb may fund up to 75% of the total cost for political subdivisions with unemployment rates exceeding the state average by 50% or more, and have per capita income which is 65% or less of the state average.

specific tasks of flood protection planning studies include: analyze risk associated with problems resulting from or relating to flooding;

determine the needs of the affected public relating to flooding problems;

identify potential solutions to mitigate flood risk;

Estimate benefits and costs of potential solutions; and

recommend feasible solutions to reduce flood risks. u

ConTinuEd from pagE 1

TWDB aWarDs flooD proTecTion planning granTs

development Center (www.erdc.usace.army.mil/). other usaCE, federal and non-federal organizations participate, including industry and academia.

some of the fCsdr r&d program activities include:advancements in hydrologic and hydraulic simulation,

water resources project optimization,

tools for effective alternative analyses for solutions,

infrastructure safety,

structural design and performance,

assessment of the risk and uncertainty associated with project designs and

improved technologies available to emergency managers for emergency

planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and assessment.

an example of the usaCE r&d effort is found in their funding of the design, construction and operation of a full-scale levee overtopping facility at Colorado state university’s Engineering research Center. The 28-foot tall, 12-foot wide tower will simulate hurricane strength waves similar to those that caused levee failures in new orleans. The facility will further the knowledge of wave-only overtopping of levee embankments and help develop stabilization methods to resist failure as a result.

in the dallas-fort worth area, r&d efforts that are applicable to levee embankments have also been reported as underway. The Texas department of Transportation (TxdoT) has issued a two-year, $671,395 grant to civil engineering researchers at The university of Texas at arlington to investigate the stability of slopes along highways and levees along the Trinity river in the dallas and fort worth area. The researchers will investigate slope failure mechanisms and recommend methods to repair and prevent slope failures. The research team will first conduct site investigations of existing slopes in areas where frequent failures have been observed in the past using a method called resistivity imaging (ri) that will allow viewing of the composition of earth below the surface, usually of depths varying from 50 to 150 feet. ri methods have the potential to provide an overall “image” of the subsurface. This provides a continuous view of the site leading to more reliable and cost-effective design, improved geo-hazards mitigation strategies and a reduction of risks and liabilities during construction.

another area of research involving some controversy is vegetation on and near levee embankments and related structures. in april of 2009, the usaCE published ETl 1110-2-571, guidelines for landscape planting and vegetation management at levees, floodwalls, Embankment dams and appurtenant structures. This is the result of ongoing national research by the usaCE through the Engineer research and development Center (ErdC). in California, a parallel, collaborative and complementary effort, the California levee vegetation research program (Clvrp) is also underway. The Clvrp studies address:

Tree root architecture

susceptibility of trees on or near levees to windthrow

Tree roots and the potential for water piping and seepage through levees

slope stability

Habitat use by burrowing mammals

forensics of past levee failures in California

advances are also being made in the field of embankment monitoring. internationally, the dutch are developing ‘smart levees’. The scientific aims for trying out such a ‘smart-levee’ system are two-fold: first, to develop multi-sensor networks and iT-tools for them, and to increase the knowledge of failure mechanisms and timing for such ‘water-retaining structures’ for use in improving design and emergency management methods. Temperature monitoring with fiber optics to predict seepage goes back to 1998 in sweden. Today, 50 sites, mostly dams, are monitored, the longest being about 4 km.

in summary, much is underway yet more is needed in the field of levee safety research. Halff continues to stay abreast of these r&d efforts as part of our commitment to providing quality service to our levee owner and operator clients. u

ConTinuEd from pagE 1

Levee Safety

Levee failure in Kenner, LA brought flooding and disaster to this suburban neighborhood.

T C E Q D a m S a f e t y C o m p l i a n c eJessica D. Baker, PE, CFM

New Texas dam safety legislation (TAC, Title 30, Part 1, Chapter 299) requires owners of high and significant hazard dams (regardless of size and condition) to submit written emergency action plans to TCEQ by January 1, 2011. According to TCEQ guidelines, a dam can be classified as significant hazard if there are as few as one or two habitable structures or road crossings within its downstream breach inundation area. in urban areas, this could apply to small municipally owned and maintained dams, such as in parks and golf courses.

in addition to an Emergency action plan (Eap), it must be demonstrated that high and significant hazard dams meet minimum hydrologic design/flood hazard criteria and also have a written operation and maintenance plan.

Halff has assisted numerous communities, counties, river authorities, home owner’s organizations and other dam owners prepare Eaps, breach analysis,

and inundation mapping to ensure compliance with the dam safety legislation. if you are unsure of the requirements for dams within your jurisdiction, or would like assistance preparing a required Eap, please contact your local Halff associates’ water resources professional to assist with this effort. u

Nueces River Regional Sedimentation Management StudyEric Scheibe, PE, CFM

Halff associates, inc. and its sub-consultant Espey Consultants are working with the u.s. army Corps of Engineers to develop a regional sediment management plan for the nueces river between Choke Canyon reservoir and mustang island. phase 1 of this project will identify current sediment needs, problems and opportunities, as well as identify potential sediment strategies and management measures that could benefit the region. Potential strategies and measures address numerous issues related to dredging operations, channel and shoreline erosion, general sediment transport, and other major depositional and erosive features. subsequent phases of the project will involve regional stakeholders to help address sediment issues, funding constraints, and coordination issues needed to successfully implement this regional sediment management plan. u

Lake CorpusChristi

CorpusChristi Bay

281

Nueces River

59

Gulf of Mexico

37

GULF INTRACOASTAL WATER WAY

28137

72

72

59

FM 534

359

FM 6

66

Nueces Bay

Choke Canyon

N U E C E S C O .N U E C E S C O .

B E E C O .B E E C O .

L I V E O A K C O .L I V E O A K C O .

D U VA L C O .D U VA L C O .

R E F U G I O C O .R E F U G I O C O .

J I M W E L L S C O .J I M W E L L S C O .

S A N P AT R I C I O C O .S A N P AT R I C I O C O .

K L E B E R G C O .K L E B E R G C O .

A R A N S A S C O .A R A N S A S C O .

G O L I A D C O .G O L I A D C O .

M C M U L L E N C O .M C M U L L E N C O .

1 inch = 7 miles

REGIONAL SEDIMENTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Nueces River Basin, TX

I:\27000s\27243\GIS\EXHIBITS_Task2\1_Study_Area.mxd

0 7 143.5

Miles

Figure 1:Study Area

Key to Features

CountiesInterstate HighwaysMajor RoadsPonds / Lakes / Reservoirs

The City of austin requested that Halff associates perform a stream bank stabilization design for roughly 150 ft of blunn Creek located just upstream of riverside drive in an urbanized residential neighborhood of austin, Texas. The existing channel bank failed due to a combination of poor soils, very steep side slopes, and unauthorized dewatering.

The project design was completed within an accelerated schedule of about 4 weeks from notice-to-proceed to the 100% submittal, which included a geotechnical analysis, hydraulic analysis, and topographic survey of the area. The design included a combination of an msE wall (combination of

limestone blocks and stepped soil lifts), a rss structure, and a soil nail wall to properly armor the failing side slope and protect the City’s existing infrastructure (including alameda road, a new city wastewater line, and the bridge face of riverside drive). g-slopE software was used to help design the msE and rss structures using Tensar geogrid technology. Every effort was made to protect the existing vegetation. in instances where trees were removed, extensive mitigation measures were implemented to restore the environmental integrity to the satisfaction of the City of austin and the local residential community. u

Blunn Creek Stream Bank Stabilization for City of AustinEric Scheibe, PE, CFM

Texas Water DayWes Birdwell, PE

The Texas water plan and the fEma levee certification issue were top priorities. a levee issues alliance (lia) has been formed and several members of the TwCa drainage district panel, assisted by Halff associates, are involved with the lia. levee owners from Jefferson, matagorda, brazoria, fort bend, dallas, and Tarrant Counties in Texas, and levee owners in illinois, mississippi, and louisiana are also involved with the lia. The lia met with congressional members and/or their staff from louisiana, illinois, and Texas and learned that political momentum is growing to address

Texas water day is annual Texas water Conservation association (TwCa) event which occurs early each year. This year on 24 march, water officials from Texas visited the offices of each member of Texas Congressional delegation to discuss critical water issues.

the levee certification issue. There are 9 bills in Congress right now, and sixteen senators have signed a bi-partisan letter urging the usaCE and fEma to resolve the issue of levee de-certification. Congressman Costello from illinois is holding regular caucus meetings to keep members informed on how certification is affecting local communities and levee owners.

The lia also met with representatives at the u.s. army Corps of Engineers Headquarters and fEma Headquarters. fEma told the group that the national flood insurance

program cannot be flexible with its insurance requirements inside de-certified levees and will be mapping 1-percent-annual-chance flood elevations inside levees based on coastal and riverine flood potential with and without the levees in place. usaCE has developed a consistent approach with routine inspections, engineering and risk analyses. They do not focus on certification for the 1-percent-annual-chance fEma requirement, but want to communicate risk. They will use it to prioritize their work efforts, and to communicate risk to the public and Congress. u

Photo Left: Blunn Creek Before Stabilization

Photo Right: Blunn Creek After Stabilization

FEMA’s New Elevation Certificate (EC)John Ivey, PE, CFM

mandatory use of the new fEma Elevation Certificate (EC) is required after april 1, 2010.

Elevations certified after april 1, 2010 must use fEma’s new EC, fEma form 81-31, also referenced as omb

no. 1660-0008.

fEma’s EC is used to:

1. document compliance with the community’s floodplain management regulations

2. determine the proper flood insurance rate

3. support map amendments and revisions

what’s new?

• Section A adds items A8.d and A9.d to identify whether the enclosure, crawlspace, or garage has

engineered flood openings.

• Section C now captures the lowest adjacent grade at lowest elevation of deck or stairs, including structural

support. This information is required if the EC is being used to support a request for a loma or lomr-f.

• Instructions for Section A for items A.8.b-c and A.9.b-c have been revised, in part, to allow the height of

flood openings to be determined from the interior grade or floor.

• Instructions for other sections have been clarified and expanded, as needed.

• Two new Building Diagrams have been added:

- The new diagram 1b is for raised-slab-on-grade or slab-on-stem-wall-with-fill single- and multiple-

floor buildings. (diagram 1 from the old Elevation Certificate is diagram 1a on the new Elevation

Certificate.)

- The new diagram 9 is for all buildings (other than split-level) elevated on a subgrade crawlspace.

• Elevation Certificate (includes 8 building type diagrams for determining reference levels)

• Elevation Certificate is also available in MS Word Template

The EC form and instruction packet are available from the fEma distribution Center at 800-480-2520 (ask for

fEma form 81-31) or downloaded from: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/elvinst.shtm. u

Halff associates participated in a society of american military Engineers (samE) water resources workshop in arlington on april 28, 2010. in the morning session, gary loew, usaCE Chief, programs division, directorate of Civil works, discussed the usaCE 2011 budget stating that though funding has been good recently, it won’t continue. Current administration trends are to put pressure on budget including the cost of infrastructure recapitalization in view that the cost of construction is inflating faster than the Cpi. ron wanhanen from fEma region vi discussed their approach to levee accreditation, adding that their program is only for insurance purposes, and is not attempting to set a new a health or safety standard for levee’d communities.

a water policy panel moderated by wes birdwell of Halff associates included dan delich of the levee issues alliance (see Texas water day article), fred Caver and rob vining, Texas p.E.’s who each formerly held mr. loew’s position with the usaCE. mr. delich is working on the nfip re-authorization bill now in Congress, including provisions that would: 1) impose a 5-year delay in the effective date of mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements; 2) install a second 5-year period that would phase-in actuarial risk-based flood insurance rates for property owners in 20% annual increments; 3) Exempt mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements in areas where a levee has previously been certified as providing protection from the 1-percent-annual-chance flood. mr. Caver was very critical of the sustainable watershed plan

act which does not include economic well being as an evaluation factor for new projects and the new usaCE principles & guidelines revisions which give preference to non structural alternatives, summarizing that engineers need to move to stop this ‘massive federal jurisdictional grab’. mr. vining echoed many of mr. Caver’s comments, adding that the new administration would make the Corps an o&m agency, change planning principles from economic development to environmental, and work to generally delay projects as new changes are implemented causing further infrastructure decline.

during lunch, mary suhm, City manager of the City of dallas updated the attendees on the City’s current issues, including levee certification, water supply during the

recent drought, and water conservation successes. after lunch, wayne owen, Tarrant regional water district planning director chronicled his agency’s ongoing water supply development issues, including the evaluation of water supplies and negotiations with the state of oklahoma. Carolyn brittin, Texas water development board deputy Executive administrator outlined the agency’s statewide water planning and flood management programs and plans including their active efforts to obtain new topographic information. warren samuelson, dam safety section manager, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), spoke of recent successes in addressing the safety, inspections, and emergency action plans for Texas’ 7000+ dams. u

SAME Water Resources Initiatives Workshop SummaryWes Birdwell, PE

NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM

ELEVATION CERTIFICATE

AND

INSTRUCTIONS

Hazards u.s. multi-Hazard (Hazus-mH) is a nationally applicable standardized methodology that estimates potential losses from earthquakes, hurricane winds, and floods. Hazus-mH was developed by the federal Emergency management agency (fEma) under contract with the national institute of building sciences (nibs).

Hazus-mH uses state-of-the-art

geographic information systems (gis) software to map and display hazard data and the results of damage and economic loss estimates for buildings and infrastructure. it also allows users to estimate the impacts of earthquakes, hurricane winds, and floods on populations.

Estimating losses is essential to decision-making at all levels of government, providing a basis for developing mitigation plans and policies, emergency preparedness, and response and recovery planning.

Hazus provides three levels of analysis based on the level of effort and expertise employed by the user. users can improve the accuracy of Hazus loss estimates

by furnishing more detailed data about their community, or engineering expertise on the building inventory. The following describes the nation-wide level 1 Hazus analysis that is currently underway by fEma:

• LEVEL 1 a basic estimate of earthquake, flood and hurricane wind losses is produced based on national databases and expert-based analysis parameters included in the Hazus software. This is commonly referred to as an “out-of-the-box” or “default” loss estimate. fEma’s basic Hazus-mH course (E313) enables a user to run level 1 loss estimation. There may be exceptions for what is

considered level 1 based on unique conditions for your study region. for example, soils maps, if available in Hazus-compatible format, can play a significant role in enhancing the quality of an earthquake loss estimate in your region.

federal, state and local government agencies and the private sector can order Hazus-mH free-of-charge from the fEma publication warehouse:

fEma publications warehouse p.o. box 430 buckeystown, md 21717 phone: 1-800-480-2520 fax: 240-699-0525

additional Hazus information is available: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_overview.shtm

What this means to you: Hazus is a now a major initiative by fEma. many communities have prepared all-hazard mitigation plans as required by the disaster mitigation act of 2000 and fEma has introduced riskmap (2009 to 2014), as a 5-year effort, concentrating on watershed based risk assessments to address mapping, assessment and planning for flood, earthquake, tornado and other natural hazards. Hazus can be very important, and possibly required, to apply for future mitigation funding, prepare and update mitigation plans, and to participate in fEma’s hazard mapping programs. u

H A Z U SJohn Ivey, PE, CFM

HAZUS-MH: The Risk MAP Assessment Tool

HAZUS-MH ORDER FORM

FEMA

08/10/09

To order HAZUS-MH software, provide the requested information on this order form and mail or fax a copy to:

FEMA Publications WarehouseP.O. Box 430, Buckeystown, MD 21717Phone: 1 (800) 480-2520 (M-F: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. est) Fax: (240) 699-0525

Prior to ordering, please ensure that your system meets the requirements to run HAZUS-MH MR4. For system requirements, visit http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_reqmnts.shtm.

Name and Title:

Organization:

Street Address:

City: State/Zip Code:

Telephone No: ( ) Fax No: ( )

E-mail:

HAZUS-MH MR4 (HAZUS-MH Version 1.4, August 2009)To install and run HAZUS-MH MR4, the user needs to have the Applications DVD that contains the Setup, and at least one of the following multi-state Data DVDs. Please indicate your preference below.

Applications DVD – Setup, Shake Map Utility for Earthquakes, and data for CA and NC*

Data DVD #1: (A1) – AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT, and WA

Data DVD #2: (B1) – CO, IA, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, SD, and WY

Data DVD #3: (C1) – AR, LA, MS, NM, OK, and TX

Data DVD #4: (D1) – AL, FL, and GA

Data DVD #5: (E1) – NC, PR, SC, and TN

Data DVD #6: (F1) – CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, and VT9

Data DVD #7: (G1) – DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV

Data DVD #8: (H1) – IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, and WI 9 SR2

Please send Evaluation Edition of ESRI® ArcGISTM 9.3

HAZUS®

-MHFEMA’s Software Program for Estimating Potential Losses from Disasters

HAZUS-MH MR4 (Version 1.4) August 2009

* CA and NC data is included to help with the setup veri�cation

DatesCHECk THEsE

imporTanT

9-11 June 2010TWCA mid-yEAr ConfErEnCE souTh pAdrE isLAnd, TExAs

WWW.TWCA.org

10 June 2010TCEq dAm sAfETy Workshop

for oWnErs & opErATorsTyLEr, TExAs

WWW.TCEq.sTATE.Tx.us

23-26 June 2010TpWA AnnuAL ConfErEnCE

grApEVinE, TExAs WWW.TpWA.org

23-26 June 2010TspE sTATE ConfErEnCE

forT WorTh, TExAsWWW.TspE.org

24 June 2010TCEq dAm sAfETy Workshop

for oWnErs & opErATorsTombALL, TExAs

WWW.TCEq.sTATE.Tx.us

12-16 July 2010Esri inTErnATionAL usErs

ConfErEnCEsAn diEgo, CALiforniA

WWW.Esri.Com

23-27 August 2010nAfsmA 2010 AnnuAL mEETing

sAn diEgo, CALiforniAWWW.nAfsmA.org

13-15 October 2010TWCA fALL mEETing sAn AnTonio, TExAs

WWW.TWCA.org

25-28 October 20102010 TExAs gis forum

AusTin, TExAsWWW.Tnris.sTATE.Tx.us

Sugar Land Joins FEMA’s Community Rating SystemCody Goodwin, PE, CFM and Dwayne Hamilton, PE, CFM

Halff associates prepared the City of sugar land’s fEma Community rating system (Crs) application

and they were designated a Crs 7 on may 1, 2010. Crs rewards for communities that undertake

floodplain activities beyond the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program.

for more information about joining fEma’s Crs program, contact your local Halff associates’ water

resources representative. u

new geospatial capabilities have been introduced in HEC-ras 4.1 with the addition of the HEC-ras mapper module. The new ras mapper allows the hydraulic engineer to quickly visualize numerous hydraulic variables such as water surface elevation (depth and floodplain boundary), velocity, shear stress, and stream power. floodplains can be generated using ras mapper and viewed in an interface similar to that

&TipsTricks

of arcgis. multiple storm events can be mapped (10-year, 50-year, 100-year, etc.) according to the number of profiles within a HEC-ras simulation run. floodplains can also be exported as a shapefile for visualization within arcgis.

potential erosion hotspots can also be located by viewing the velocity, shear stress, and stream power parameters. ras mapper creates four interpolation “regions” using transition lines: left overbank, left bank, right bank, and right overbank. This method prevents extreme values in one region from influencing another creating a more accurate distribution of velocity, shear stress, and stream power values. more information on ras mapper can be found in Chapter 20 of the HEC-ras 4.1 user’s manual. u

RAS Mapper Fast TipScott Rushing, EIT, CFM