Alaska Risk MAP Program The Risk MAP Process Discovery (Year 1) Click to open a full sized graphic of the Discovery process. Discovery is the first part of the Risk MAP Process. After the State prioritizes a watershed for Discovery based on evaluations of risk, need, availability of elevation data, regional knowledge of issues, and local input, the communities within the watershed are asked if they would like to participate in a Risk MAP study. If a community is interested in participating, FEMA will work with the State, community, and tribes to understand needs, resources, and capabilities to support the community in risk reduction and resilience efforts. The process to collect data regarding local flood and other hazard risks will begin at this initial stage. FEMA has data on national and regional levels, however FEMA relies heavily on information and data provided by communities because local officials are able to provide a holistic view of their communities and their known risks. Discovery Meeting During the Discovery Meeting, FEMA and the State will meet in-person with communities and tribes to gather information on their perspective about local natural hazards and their risk. Typically, FEMA will bring large , paper maps of the community to the Discovery Meeting and residents will be asked to mark up the maps based on their knowledge of local hazards. This information is used to prioritize future mapping, risk assessment, and mitigation planning assistance. Post Meeting Coordination and Project Scope Development If it is determined during Discovery that a Risk MAP project is appropriate for the community and the project involves flood engineering analysis, the project team will conduct additional coordination with the impacted community to discuss anticipated changes to the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS). If the data and research does not support the need for a Regulatory Flood Study (FIRMs and FIS), local and tribal officials may request technical assistance or risk and vulnerability assessments to support risk reduction. Prior to work starting on any risk assessment or flood insurance study mapping, a meeting must be held with the community to share the scope of work and explain the deliverables resulting from the project. In addition to sharing the Scope of Work at this meeting, FEMA provides a Partnership Agreement to the community, a non-binding document that outlines roles and responsibilities during the Risk MAP study. Discovery Report The Discovery Report includes findings of the Discovery process, identified mapping needs, and areas of desired mitigation technical assistance or future projects. The Discovery Report is intended to help FEMA, the State and the communities involved determine whether to conduct additional flood risk project activities. In addition, the information within the Discovery Report can and should be used by communities to help further discussions of mitigation or resilience action. The Discovery Report includes a section listing the data and information collected, including what data and information were received, when they were received, data sources, and an analysis of the data and information. A draft Discovery Report will be provided to the community and other stakeholders to review. The final version of the Discovery Report will outline the scope of work for the Risk MAP project agreed upon by FEMA, the State and the community. Data Collection and Analysis (Years 2-3) Click to open a full sized graphic of the Data Collection and Analysis process. During this phase of the Risk MAP process, funding will be secured for the project and local multi-hazard data will be collected. If the community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and it has been determined that new regulatory floods maps are needed, LiDAR data will be collected and a regulatory flood study will be conducted. Whether or not the Risk MAP project involves a regulatory flood study, the community will have the opportunity to have a series of risk and vulnerability assessments conducted which will result in non-regulatory products and tools that can inform local decision-making regarding risk. For hazards that FEMA doesn't directly address, the community can apply to the Cooperating Technical Partners Grant Program for funding to assess hazards such as erosion, landslide, avalanch and others. The information from these hazard assessments will be included in the final Risk Report for the Risk MAP study. Draft Workmaps If it has been determined that new regulatory floods maps are needed, Drat Workmaps will be prepared during this phase of the Risk MAP process. Draft Workmaps are an interim product that FEMA shares with communities in advance of the release of the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) to get early input on the mapping and underlying data. Following the release of the Draft Workmaps, FEMA and the State will schedule a Flood Risk Review Meeting with the local jurisdiction. Flood Risk Review Meeting Following the release of Draft Workmaps, FEMA and the State will hold a Flood Risk Review (FRR) Meeting with the local jurisdiction. The FRR Meeting provides local officials with an opportunity to review and ask questions about the flood study and its results. The meeting allows the project team to highlight the flood risk associated with the study so that local officials can begin communicating that risk to impacted residents and businesses. The FRR Meeting also gives local officials the opportunity to comment on areas where they believe risks are inappropriately mapped (understated or overstated). By identifying concerns early in the map development process, FEMA can avoid delays and costly revisions to the preliminary FIRMs following their release. Risk Reduction (Years 4-5) Click to open a full sized graphic of the Risk_Reduction process. During the Risk Reduction phase, the project team will share the results of the risk assessments that have been conducted as well as the draft Risk Report with the community and begin to identify strategies for risk reduction. For communities undergoing a regulatory flood insurance study, prelimary FIRMs will be produced and the regulatory process will begin for the adoption of the new FIRMs and FIS. Risk Report The Risk Report provides non-regulatory information to help local or tribal officials, floodplain managers, planners, emergency managers, and others better understand their natural hazar risk, take steps to mitigate those risks, and communicate those risks to their citizens and local businesses. Because natural hazards often extend beyond community limits, the Risk Report provides hazard data for the entire Risk MAP project area as well as for each individual community. This also emphasizes that natrual hazard risk reduction activities may impact areas beyond jurisdictional boundaries. Natural hazards are always changing, and there may be other studies, reports, or sources of information available that provide more comprehensive information. The Risk Report is not intended to be regulatory or the final authoritative source of all natural hazard data in the project area. Rather, it should be used in conjunction with other data sources to provide a comprehensive picture of natural hazard risk within the project area. Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Study The release of the Preliminary Flood Insurance Study, Maps and Data is an important step in a community’s flood mapping process. There are several benefits for the public and professionals in viewing their community’s preliminary data before it becomes an effective FIRM: It allows the public to voice their opinions or concerns regarding how the data may affect them or to question data accuracy Insurance agents can compare existing FIRMs with preliminary FIRMs to see how their clients may be affected. However, policies cannot be written using preliminary data Loan and mortgage brokers can use preliminary data as a guide to determine whether a property may be mapped into a high-risk area, allowing the borrower to be informed of any changes or requirements before finalizing the loan Real estate agents and brokers can determine what changes are likely to occur and how it might affect any properties for sale Engineers, developers and builders can plan for safer construction Consultation Coordination Officer (CCO) Meeting After the release of preliminary FIRMs and the FIS report, FEMA holds meetings to present them first to community officials at the CCO Meeting). Any changes in flood risk will be explained and participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the products. This is also the meeting where public outreach needs are discussed. The CCO Meeting is required by 44 CFR 66.5 (f): (f) The community shall be informed in writing of any intended modification to the community's final flood elevation determinations or the development of new elevations in additional areas of the community as a result of a new study or restudy. Such information to the community will include the data set forth in paragraph (e) of this section. At the discretion of the Regional Administrator in each FEMA Regional Office, a meeting may be held to accomplish this requirement. Public Meeting/Open House Once the preliminary FIRMs are released, the CCO meeting is held, and the 90-day appeal period is started, there is often a request for a public meeting. Most communities request and FEMA likes to support a public open house to help get the word out about the changes to the flood maps and to provide an opportunity for the community to get their questions answered on whether they are in a floodplain, what the flood insurance requirements are, and what the regulations are for floodplain development in these areas. The format of the public meeting is an open house with a 15-minute simplified overview of the NFIP, the flood study, and the study process. The open house format is explained and an explanation is given of what questions can be answered at tables where subject matter experts are present. Resilience Workshop The Resilience Workshop is the final meeting in the Risk MAP process. The workshop is held in the community and led by FEMA, the State Risk MAP Coordinator and the Risk MAP Project Team. The workshop combines building-level analyses of hazard impacts with available resources. Information about FEMA programs, technical and administrative expertise from the State, and local knowledge of capacity is shared in an effort to help the community identify high-priority risk-reduction actions, and connect those actions to appropriate funding mechanisms. Before the Resilience Meeting, FEMA holds a webinar to review the content and results of the Risk Assessment, which helps prepare attendees for the Resilience Meeting. During the first portion of the Resilience Workshop, State and Federal staff provide presentations covering: The Risk MAP Process Overview Hazard Data Risk Assessment Results Mitigation Actions Potential Funding Opportunities In the second portion of the Resilience Workshop, communities work with State and Federal staff to discuss local hazard concerns, mitigation priorities, implementation timelines, and funding opportunities. After the Resilience Workshop is held, mitigation actions and other information identified during the workshop will be integrated into the draft Risk Report, which will be finalized and presented to the community. Resilience (Years 5+) Click to open a full sized graphic of the Resilience process. During this final phase of the Risk MAP process, FEMA and the State Risk MAP Coodinator will work with the commmunity to integrate Risk MAP information into local plans, implement the actions identified during the Resilience Workshop, and seek funding to implement projects identified during the Risk Reduction Phase. The State Risk MAP Coordinator may hold quarterly teleconferences with the community to check-in wiht the community and notify local officials of progress on mitigation efforts. During this phase, Risk MAP products and tools can inform or lead to a number of efforts inlcuding the following: New or Updated Hazard Mitigation Plan Mitigation/Adaptation Projects Climate Adaptation Plan Local Land Use Plan Community Comprehensive Plan Protect-In-Place/Relocation Analysis Community-Led Interagency Working Group Contact for More Information Sally Russell Cox Division of Community and Regional Affairs Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1650 Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (907) 269-4588 FAX: (907) 269-4563 Email:sally.cox@alaska.gov