I had the opportunity this week to attend a National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) Mentoring Session on the Future [of] Flood Risk Data. This session, offered by NAFSMA in partnership with FEMA and including other interested parties, educated folks on several FEMA missions and discussed
Our April 26, 2023 article noted that the Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines (PR&G) are about money. The Federal government has a lot of money. Even in an era of budget cutting, it still has a lot of money, and it chooses to spend that money on a whole bunch of
Members of the Rangers led the First Continental Army during America’s Revolutionary War, and their “No man left behind” motto became a central fixture of U.S. military protocol. The slogan communicated the need to make sure that EVERYONE was taken care of. But do we have the same policy when it comes
[It would seem silly to post this article without first acknowledging an elephant in the room: We haven’t posted in 23 months. Why, you might ask? Is it because there is nothing going on in the flood world? No. Is it because we have retired to tropical islands? No. Is it because we got really busy, and this kept slipping to the bottom of the list? No. Well, actually, yes, that’s it. Nothing dramatic or sinister. Life just got in the way. But we promise to be better about this going forward.]
Most of our past Blog posts have been focused on current events, analysis of new trends, and breaking news. Today, we are sharing some news that is eight months old but that offers a potential and promising path for getting things done. Some of you may already know of a
Most people would not associate flood insurance with the protection of endangered species. But over the past decade, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been the target of multiple lawsuits alleging that the agency has violated the Endangered Species Act by not considering the impacts of its flood insurance
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) often seems to be the Congressional-stepchild; everyone knows that it deserves some attention but everyone is too busy with their favorite child. Unfortunately, the Program is scheduled to expire in May and when it expires, the consequences can be dire. Financial Services Committee
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018, included as title I of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (S. 3021), was signed into law today. The new law provides the needed authorization for investment in harbor, waterway, flood protection, and other water infrastructure improvements throughout the country.
As
Amidst much fanfare, on Friday President Trump released a Presidential Memoranda (much like an Executive Order, yet different?) directing Federal agencies to work together to reduce regulatory burdens on Western water deliveries. It appears that the main thrust of the Memoranda is for NOAA Fisheries (which has Endangered
Great news for those of us tracking the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes specific projects, creates and modifies programs, and updates authorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: The Senate has scheduled a a cloture vote on Tuesday. For those with less background on the inner-workings of