Mitigation Best Practices

ALLEGANY COUNTY, MD - This project represents the second phase in Allegany County government's plan to remove residential properties from the 100-year floodplain along Willis Creek. Severe flooding in 1984 resulted in 29 homes receiving serious damages from water. Seventeen of these properties were purchased, and the remaining twelve were elevated above the 100-year floodplain. The Maryland Historical Trust ruled that the flooding in 1984 eliminated any historical value that Locust Grove may have possessed.

DAVIDSON COUNTY, TN – Wimpole Drive, a street that stretches along Mill Creek in southeast Nashville, Tennesee, is tailor-made for the property acquisition option of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA’s) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Because Wimpole Drive experiences repetitive flooding, residents are in harm’s way and financial costs are significant.

WINCHESTER, MA - Major storm events repeatedly overwhelmed the culverts at Sylvester Avenue and at Canal Street in Winchester, Massachusetts. A 50-year storm event caused flooding and erosion of the culverts in 1996, and in 1998 a 25-year storm damaged the locations. Finally, a 2001 storm brought substantial damage, which led to a hazard mitigation project for the Town of Winchester.

SOUTHPORT, NC - Frank and Pamela Taylor know the pain of losing a home to disaster. In 1988, fire claimed the couple's 4,000 square foot historic house in Michigan. "We were away when our home was destroyed," recalled Pamela Taylor. "When we arrived at the scene, we were greeted by the charred remains of what was once a source of pride and comfort." They vowed never to lose a home to disaster again.

BATAVIA, NY - Plagued by repeated flooding from the Tonawanda Creek, the City of Batavia, located in Genesee County in western New York, suffered millions of dollars in damage to its homes and businesses over the years. So the citizens of Batavia decided to do something about it.

BELLE CHASSE, LA – Hurricane Isaac’s winds, rain and flooding were a big test for the new Plaquemines Parish Government Administrative Headquarters. The building, purchased shortly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was refitted with exterior storm panels beginning in 2010.

WISCONSIN - In 2005, the agency charged with helping safeguard the State of Wisconsin against the impacts of all types of disasters initiated a significant undertaking: to conduct a 100-year flood risk-and-loss estimate that could apply to the entire state. While still engaged in that ambitious project, Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) has also been preparing for the launch of a second statewide assessment, one that will utilize the powerful processing abilities of HAZUS-MH methodology.

DARLINGTON, WI - Several communities in the State of Wisconsin experience repetitive flooding. The City of Darlington is one that has successfully reduced its risk through a variety of flood mitigation measures. In cooperation with The Wisconsin Emergency Management and Department of Natural Resources (DNR), they created a video to encourage other communities to follow in Darlington's example.