Floods News Archives

Most recent articles are listed first:

News Article 14 - National Levee Report Update

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina brought to the forefront of public debate and discussion the issues of levee policy, flood hazard management, and flood insurance. In response to these issues, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) convened the Interagency Levee Policy Review Committee. Read entire article

News Article 13 - Living with Levees

One of the legacies of Hurricane Katrina is a better understanding of the duality of life with levees. The same levees that protected New Orleans from many storms caused catastrophic and hard-to-repair damage when they failed. A flood protection system is part of a larger environment that, if degraded or altered (e.g., Gulf Coast marshes), will affect system performance. Read entire article

News Article 12 - Washington Receives Federal Assistance to Recover from November Floods

Record rainfall during November led to devastating flooding in many areas throughout Washington. Record flood stages occurred on the Carbon, Puyallup, and Skykomish Rivers during this month which topped all others in 115 years of recorded rainfall data. On November 9 Governor Gregoire issued a emergency proclamation for 24 of our 39 counties. Read entire article

News Article 11 - Washington State's Floodway Law: Some Recent Examples

Washington’s floodplain management law at Chapter 86.16 RCW exceeds the minimum National Flood Insurance Program standards by prohibiting new residences or substantial improvements of existing residences in the State’s floodways. This law was originally enacted in 1969 and was most recently amended in 1999 to exempt existing farmhouse residences and certain other damaged residences. Read entire article

News Article 10 - No Adverse Impact Floodplain Management - Association of State Floodplain Managers 2004

Flood damages in the United States continue to escalate. From the early 1900’s to the year 2000, flood damages in the United States have increased six fold, approaching $6 billion annually. This occurred despite billions of dollars for structural flood control, and other structural and non-structural measures. We continue to intensify development within watersheds and floodplains, and do it in a manner where flood prone or marginally protected structures are suddenly prone to damages because of the actions of others in and around the floodplain. Read entire article

News Article 9 - New Flood Maps and Insurance Grandfathering

FEMA and the State of Washington, as a FEMA Cooperating Technical Partner, are modernizing flood maps throughout the State, a process that is underway and is scheduled for completion in 2009. All of the new maps will be produced in a digital format that will be much more useful for local governments and citizens, though paper maps will continue to be produced. Read entire article

News Article 8 - The Elevation Certificate is changing

Perhaps you were just getting used to FEMA’s Elevation Certificate (EC) that came out in 2000, with its many changes from past versions. Well, that EC expires on December 31, 2005 (as the little box on the cover indicates), and a new version is on the way. Read entire article

News Article 7 - Fall 2005 - WASHINGTON CONSERVATION CORPS: A Hidden Gem in the Emergency Response Field

A week of heavy rain has anxious riverfront property owners watching the rising waters of the Skokomish River in Mason County. Read entire article

News Article 6 - Summer 2005 - More Great Flood Hazard Reduction Projects to be Funded by FCAAP for the 2005-07 Biennium

Good news greeted the Flood Control Assistance Account Program (FCAAP) for the 2005-2007 biennium. We were fortunate that the legislature restored a significant portion of the program’s budget after last biennium’s reduction. Read entire article

News Article 5 - How much is that flood hazard map in the window?

Don’t leave it there - map adoption can be quick and painless. OK, so they’re not as cute as a puppy but they can be useful allies when it comes to land use planning and permitting. Read entire article

News Article 4 - Winter 2004-05 - ELEVATION CERTIFICATES - Key FEMA Compliance Tool

Elevation Certificates (EC) are not new. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has used one form or another of the EC since the 1970s. What is new, however, is the reliance FEMA and the Department of Ecology now place on the EC as a key indicator of compliance on the part of local governments with their floodplain management ordinances. Read entire article

News Article 3 - Fall 2003 - Floodplain Ordinances and Insurance Rates

As of October 2003, there are 286 communities in Washington that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). All must adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations of the NFIP and of Washington’s Floodplain Management Law at RCW 86.16. Read entire article

News Article 2 - Fall 2002 - Local Official Duties and Opportunities in the Post-Disaster Setting

As the State Coordinating Agency for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as well as the agency responsible for administering the State Floodplain Management law, and on behalf of FEMA, we would like to take this opportunity to remind local officials in Washington of their responsibilities in administering local floodplain ordinances after disasters strike. Read entire article

News Article 1 - Spring 2002

The Department of Ecology is in the midst of several activities that have statewide significance. They include issuance of a Proposed Rule to effect the Farmhouse Floodway law that was passed in 1999, consultation with the Office of Community Development on promulgation of a Frequently Flooded Areas section of a new Model Critical Area Ordinance, and preparation for implementing the Federal Emergencies Management Act's (FEMA) Map Modernization infusion of study funds. Read entire article