On August 16^th, 2016 the Louisiana Floodplain Management Association (LFMA) Disaster Response Team (DRT) embarked on their first team mission to assist communities affected by an unnamed storm, commonly referred to as the “Great Flood of 2016.” The storm event produced historic and widespread flooding throughout 22 parishes and affected over 150,000 homes. Despite having formed as an official committee of LFMA one month prior, the resourceful and dedicated team was able to band together to assist five jurisdictions on the fringes of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area.

Under the leadership of LFMA DRT Coordinator, Shandy Heil, CFM, the team of 15 volunteers, comprised of floodplain managers, building code officials, and mitigation professionals were able to assist communities with flood-damage reconnaissance of the entire jurisdictional boundaries; collect high-water mark data that was put into GIS maps to capture the historic flood depths; provide flood recovery education to property owners; and perform Substantial Damage screenings. Substantial Damage assessments in E. Feliciana Parish solely by DRT volunteer/former retiree, Russ Hicks, CFM, with assistance from the DRT Coordinator. It is notable to report that Hicks came out of retirement to fill the role of Floodplain Manager for his community to ensure Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE) determinations were handled and to aid the residents of his community during the recovery process.

While FEMA PTS contractor support was provided to many of the larger jurisdictions affected by the August 2016 flood, utilization of the LFMA DRT was essential for the smaller communities needing assistance. In two cases, where there were several thousand affected structures within the jurisdiction needing SDE assessments, the DRT’s flood damage reconnaissance and high-water mark data collection was still used by the local Floodplain Administrators to communicate the actual conditions in the days following the flood event and provide this data to the FEMA PTS contractors, who were not able to arrive until three to four weeks after the flooding. This ability to be nimble and respond immediately after waters receded proved to be the DRT’s greatest strength; capturing the most accurate flood inundation levels as possible and helping communities expedite recovery in the days and weeks following the flood event.

Bill Smith, CFM, P.E., of the Oklahoma Floodplain Management Association (OFMA) DRT, has been leading the way for the DRT concept since 2008, proving that dedicated volunteers are willing and capable of performing the post-disaster code enforcement requirements for affected communities. Smith reports that since many of the communities prone to flood are small, most of the SDE field work and evaluations are fully taken care of by the State Association DRT, rarely requiring assistance from FEMA and preventing duplication of efforts when FEMA assistance is needed. It is important to note that DRT coordination with the State Emergency Operations Center and FEMA region is a must when forming a DRT and is still critical during disaster events to ensure clear communication and proper documentation is achieved.

Although the LFMA and OFMA DRTs differ somewhat in the ancillary services they provide, their post-disaster code enforcement operations are the same. This is done in an effort to standardize training and certification requirements across state boundaries in hopes of satisfying a FEMA Region VI initiative to promote increased disaster response capabilities throughout the region; creating an alliance for disaster response and recovery assistance between Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico.

This vision of interstate mutual aid assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is now becoming a reality for floodplain administrators and building code professionals after the revision of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) of 2018. DRRA Section 1206, Eligibility for Code Implementation and Enforcement amendment allows building code enforcement and floodplain management (including substantial damage determinations) to be eligible under Stafford Act. This overturns the 1998 policy prohibiting reimbursement of mutual aid assistance through EMAC under Cat. B of Public Assistance.

However, in order for these DRT capabilities to realized, planning and preparation during blue sky operations must be done in advance before a disaster strikes. State chapters of AFPM, ICC, AIA and other member organizations with building safety, code, and floodplain management personnel should begin by creating an inventory, or Mission Ready Package (MRP), of the trained and certified professionals capable of performing Substantial Damage Estimates and building safety assessments. FEMA’s National Integration Center (NIC) is in the process of creating resource typing within the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to include building professional in the disaster response arena to make this process easier for a professional group that has not been traditionally viewed as disaster responders.

For more information about DRT formation or mutual aid deployment through EMAC, please contact Shandy Heil, Stantec, at shandy.heil@stantec.com. Bill Smith can be reached at wbsmith@hisinc.us regarding questions about the OFMA DRT.

Left: LFMA DRT volunteers collect high-water mark measurements on a flooded house, during the August 2016 flood.

Right: The LFMA DRT gathers around the requesting FPM, as she points out areas of concern that need flood damage reconnaissance and high-water mark data collection.

Bill Smith and the OFMA DRT

Check out FEMA’s SDE Tool for yourself: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/18692.            

For more information and tips on preparing yourself, family and friends for potential disasters, visit Ready.gov.

For more information about FEMA Building Science Branch, visit https://www.fema.gov/building-science.