Louisiana CTP UpdateLFMA Conference 2019, Kenner, LA

Susan Veillon

Jerri Daniels

Louisiana CTP

• State Lead Agency is the LA Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)• Floodplain Management Section also houses NFIP Coordinator, Cindy O’Neal

• CTP Program is under the State Coordinator

• Partnership Agreement signed on March 11, 2015

• Susan Veillon is CTP Manager

• Dewberry Consultants under contract to assist

• The Water Institute of the Gulf (TWIG) is a participating agency

Louisiana Watershed Initiative

• Governor John Bel Edwards created as a result of the 2016 floods.

• Five state agencies charged with coordinating efforts to reduce flood risk throughout the state• Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)

• Office of Community Development (OCD)

• Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)

• Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)

• Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWF)

• https://watershed.la.gov

Louisiana Watershed Initiative

• Trying to let those decisions be made about modeling, will heavily influence our FY20 and beyond scheduling• On hold for any additional BLE

• DOTD still collecting mapping needs (survey at booth)

• DOTD will lead modeling efforts for LWI• Timing, scheduling and prioritization of modeling unknown at this time

• When decided, BLE decisions will be made for communities and watersheds

• How does this tie in with the CTP Program?

Current Projects in 2019

• Wrapping up Discovery projects• Amite

• Tangipahoa

• Tickfaw

• Tangipahoa

• Liberty-Bayou Tchefuncte

• Bayou Teche

• Finished LaSalle Parish• Phase 2 for two HUC 8s

• More needs to be done by FEMA

• West Feliciana Parish Phase 2• Result of previous Discovery project• 232 miles of limited detail• 199 miles of approximate• Heavily influenced by the

community officials• Rapidly growing community

• COMs projects• Targeted Outreach and Education to

Increase Policy Count in Louisiana for Insurance, Real Estate and building professionals

• BLE Workshops

Targeted Outreach to Insurance Agents and Realtors in 2019

Background

7

$20BPaid NFIP

Claims in LA

since 1978

40,000Drop in PIF

2012-2016

Buildings Removed from SFHA in July 2016 Baton Rouge Area LOMR2,000

Residential Units WITHOUT

Flood Insurancein 2016

78%

No-Name Storm Aug 12-22, 2016

8

146KHomes

Damaged

40% in NSHFA

$770M in IA $2.4B in NFIP Claims

COMs Project Description

Local Engagement• Identify/connect with Baton Rouge area and state

stakeholders• Create specific outreach material for each

industry• Write 4 short articles for stakeholder pubs• Design 2-hour workshops for each stakeholder

group; file for CECs where possible• Present pre-hurricane season

State Engagement• Meet with each state organization• Present 2-hour webinar• Provide same outreach material

10

BLE Workshops - Late Summer – Early Fall

• Acadia

• Allen

• Ascension

• Avoyelles

• Catahoula

• Concordia

• East Feliciana

• Evangeline

• Jackson

• Livingston

• Rapides

• St. James

• St. John the Baptist

• St. Helena

• St. Landry

• St. Mary

• Tangipahoa

• Winn

Upcoming Projects in 2020: Allen Parish Phase 2• Community solicited

• Large developments coming in this area

• Came to Discovery Meetings in Bayou Teche

• Also, contacted Susan at DOTD and FEMA

• Community provided great input to the scope

• Has agreed to enforce results

Upcoming Projects in 2020: Discovery

• Follow on behind BLE work• Mermentau Headwaters

• Black Watershed

• Bayou Cocodrie

• Lower Red

• Lake Maurepas

Upcoming Projects: LaSalle Parish Phase 3• Obtain community approval to use BLE data

for lower portion

• Correct error on current index: Zone C

• Reissue all panels through EAP

• Current risk updated

• Number of claims outside the floodplain dramatically reduced

Upcoming Projects: LaSalle Parish Phase 3

The FIG: Flood Information Guide

The Problem

• LOTS of un-numbered A zones. LOTS. WSEL information greatly needed at the local level

• NOT on the InFRM viewer as this is Approximate A data and was created before BLE site

• FEMA sending out lots of helpful data and tools to communities for planning and flood risk reduction

• Communities don’t have funding nor personnel to make effective use of the tools and data

• Data needs to be “repackaged” in a familiar, easy to use form

• Lack of GIS software use in many Louisiana communities receiving the BLE data

• Lack of time and understanding by overwhelmed staff to learn to use GIS-based websites

The Problem: USACE Perspective

• Notes from Vicksburg U.S. CORPS of Engineers

• Could not match up the 100-year flood where FEMA had studies.

• In 2015 the CORPs quit issuing BFE’s along the Red River because the hydraulics had changed so much.

• In 2018 the CORPs quit issuing BFE’s for the northern parishes of LA because they were not comfortable issuing BFE’s for house specific sites for the reasons below.

• Quad Maps were up to 20 years’ old

• Using 5’ to 10’ contours to make determinations

• He said it was noted that they felt like the number could be off in rural areas as much as five foot either way.

Pilot Community• West Carroll Parish, LA

• Received first FIRM update since 1977 FHBMs in 2016

• One staff member wearing many hats, little to no GIS skills

• Data not posted on InFRM viewer

The Idea

• Communities desire the Flood Risk Products for un-numbered A zones

• Some communities are using previously delivered products in paper format (maps)

• Go back. Back to what works and what’s familiar to communities.

• For decades, travelers relied on road atlases to navigate. Local cartographers also created map books for their immediate community.

• These map books gave quick access using an index of street names.

• Create something familiar to the communities that gives them the WSEL information quickly and easily.

Flood Information Guide (FIG)

• An atlas of the WSEL information

• WSEL data shown in two ways• An index based on street names will list all WSEL information in a table

• Individual properties can be easily located on bi-fold maps with aerial photography

• All information bound in a book for easy reference and use

• Combined FEMA, State of Louisiana and local data

• Police Jury members don’t “need” to know how to read a FIRM

Flood Information Guide Map

• Sample Index Table: look up WSEL by address and road name

Flood Information Guide Map

• Left: FIRM showing un-numbered A zones

• Right: WSEL, structure points, road names, aerial photography on maps

Demonstration

Questions?Susan Veillon, susan.veillon@la.govJerri Daniels, jdaniels@dewberry.com