[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54019-54021]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25784]
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FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Cooperating Technical Communities
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
ACTION: Notice of Cooperating Technical Communities flood hazard
mapping initiative.
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SUMMARY: We (FEMA) give notice of the Cooperating Technical Communities
initiative that will recognize and encourage participation by states,
regional agencies, and communities in the flood hazard mapping process.
DATES: Pilot projects are ongoing.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Your FEMA Regional Cooperating
Technical Communities Coordinator. We list contact names for the
coordinators under Section 5 of this document.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and
under Sec. 1360 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended
(42 U.S.C. 4101), we establish and update flood-risk zone data in
floodplain areas. In the identification of flood-prone areas, we may
consult with, receive information from, and enter into agreements or
other arrangements with the head of any State, regional, or local
agency in order to identify these floodplain areas.
We are implementing the Cooperating Technical Communities (CTC)
concept as part of our Flood Map Modernization plan (http://
www.fema.gov/library/mapmod.pdf). The CTC initiative will formally
recognize and encourage the ongoing contributions that our mapping
partners--States, regional agencies, and communities--make in assisting
us in providing timely and accurate flood hazard information. The
participating entity will enter into a partnership agreement with us to
develop or maintain all or a component of its flood hazard maps.
CTC partnerships will maximize the effectiveness of the limited
local and Federal funding available for flood mapping, while
maintaining consistent national standards. Through these partnerships,
the integration of locally-funded or developed flood and mapping data
in the flood mapping process will enable contributing partners to
expand the scope of our flood mapping efforts. We expect that this will
result in enhanced responsibility for the maps by the partners and, in
turn, heightened local awareness of flood risks, more effective
floodplain management, and more accurate maps. The Cooperating
Technical Communities initiative includes both locally-funded and FEMA-
funded activities.
Under the initiative, the partner will enter a general overall
agreement (CTC Agreement) with us that recognizes the fundamental
importance of flood hazard identification, as well as flood insurance
and floodplain management. Then, as the CTC partner and we identify
specific flood mapping activities to undertake, we and the CTC partner
will develop and enter into Mapping Activity Agreements under the
umbrella of the overall CTC Agreement.
We envision that most Mapping Activity Agreements will be
collaborative efforts where both the CTC partner and FEMA contribute
data and units of work to maximize the extent, accuracy, and utility of
flood studies to best meet local and Federal needs, while minimizing
costs for all parties. Federal
[[Page 54020]]
funding will be limited even if we can allocate supplemental map
modernization funding. In any event, we will allocate funding within
the context of our flood study prioritization process.
We will consider Fiscal Years 1999 and 2000 as pilot years for this
initiative. Initial Guidance is available at http://www.fema.go/mit/
tsd/CTC--main.htm. We anticipate that updated guidance will be
available in Fiscal Year 2000.
2. Availability of Fiscal Year 1999 Funds
We set aside $400,000 ($40,000 per Region) for FEMA-funded CTC
activities in Fiscal Year 1999. We identified partners as potential
recipients of funding through CTC agreements for this pilot year. We
based the selection on floodplain mapping needs and on the partners'
interest, contributions, and their capability to perform the types of
activities that we identified for the pilot effort.
3. Activities
All of the activities listed below contain the following benefits
for both the CTC partner and for FEMA:
Local capabilities in hazard identification and risk
assessment--the building blocks for disaster resistance--will be
enhanced through FEMA technical assistance, experience, standards, and
funding;
The data, methods, and mapping used for local, regional,
and state permitting processes will also be used for NFIP mapping, to
the extent possible;
Close coordination and involvement in the flood hazard
mapping process will result in more efficient local floodplain
management by the CTC partners;
The program has the potential to interject a tailored,
local focus into a national program where unique conditions may exist
that necessitate special approaches to flood hazard identification.
By incorporating local knowledge and expertise, FEMA's
National Flood Insurance Program flood hazard maps will be more
accurate and can be updated faster;
Mapping Activity Agreements will support the development of flood
hazard mapping or a component of the production and maintenance of
flood hazard mapping. FEMA and the CTC partner will collaborate on
these mapping activities. FEMA may provide technical assistance,
support, and data to the CTC partner. In some cases, funding may also
be available. The following mapping activities may receive funding in
Fiscal Year 1999 through a cooperative agreement with FEMA:
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Activity Partner Description
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Refinement of Approximate Zone A Community/Regional/ The CTC partner
Boundaries. State Agency. works with FEMA
to perform
analyses to
refine Zone A
boundaries.
Emphasis placed
on automation
techniques.
Hydrologic & Hydraulic (H&H) Community/Regional/ The CTC partner
Modeling and Floodplain State Agency. develops digital
Mapping. engineering data
and floodplain
mapping using GIS-
based or
traditional H&H
modeling.
DFIRM Preparation............... Community/Regional/ The CTC partner
State Agency. digitizes the
effective FIRM
into a DFIRM.
Redelineation of Detailed Flood Community/regional/ The CTC partner
Hazard Information Using State Agency. redelineates the
Updated Topographic Data. effective flood
hazard
information using
more up-to-date
topographic data.
GIS is used,
where available.
Analysis of Community Mapping Regional/State The CTC partner
Needs to support FEMA's Mapping Agency. performs a
Needs Update Support System detailed
(MNUSS). community-by-
community
investigation and
assessment of
every NFIP
community's
mapping needs,
including flood
data updates, map
maintenance, and
includes unmapped
communities.
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While we provide no funding to CTC partners for the following
mapping activities, we may provide technical assistance, support, and
data to the CTC partner:
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Activity Partner Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base Map Inventory.............. Regional or State The CTC partner
Agency. performs an
investigation and
provides an
inventory of base
maps meeting
FEMA's
specifications
for NFIP
communities in
the state.
Digital Base Map Data Sharing. Community/Regional/ The CTC partner
State Agency. supplies a base
map for DFIRM
production. The
base map will
comply with
FEMA's minimum
accuracy
requirements and
be distributable
by FEMA to the
public (hardcopy
and electronic
formats).
DFIRM Maintenance............... Community/Regional/ The CTC partner
State Agency. assumes
responsibility
for long-term,
periodic
maintenance of
the DFIRM.
Hydrologic and Hydraulic Review Community/ The CTC partner
Agreement. Regional/State evaluates H&H
Agency. studies prepared
for flood data
updates and/or 44
CFR Part 65 map
revisions. The
review will focus
on compliance
with the
technical and
regulatory
requirements
contained in
FEMA's various
flood mapping
guidelines and
specifications,
the pertinent
NFIP flood
mapping
regulations, as
well as standard
accepted
engineering
practices.
[[Page 54021]]
Technical Standards Agreement... Community/ Adoption of
Regional/State specific
Agency. technical
standards or
processes
appropriate for
local conditions
for NFIP flood
mapping purposes.
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4. Eligibility Criteria
The cooperative agreements (CAs) awarded in this effort are
intended to supplement and not supplant, on-going mapping efforts by
the community, regional agency, or State. The FEMA funds are in
addition to the partner's current effort. This is the first year of
this initiative and the FEMA Regional Offices have selected pilot
communities based on the following criteria:
(a) The CTC partner must have existing processes or systems in
place that support mapping or data collection activities that
contribute to flood hazard identification. These ongoing processes or
systems must be supported by non-federal funding.
(b) The CTC partner must have demonstrated the capability to
perform the mapping activities for which it is applying.
(c) The CTC partner must be a community participating in the NFIP,
and be in good standing in the program as determined by the FEMA
Regional Office, or be a State or regional agency that serves
communities that participate in the NFIP.
These criteria, which have been used in this pilot year, will be
evaluated by FEMA and further enhanced in subsequent years. In addition
to the selection criteria above, communities that receive a CA must be
able to perform the financial management activities required as part of
the cooperative agreement (i.e., account for federal funds, prepare
financial reports). FEMA regional offices will assist the communities
with these financial management activities.
5. Cooperating Technical Community Contacts
Region 1: (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont), Dean Savramis, 442 J.W. McCormack POCH, Boston, MA
02109, Telephone: (617) 223-9564, (email) dean.savramis@fema.gov.
Region 2: (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), Paul
Weberg, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 1337, New York, NY 10278, (212) 225-
7229, (email) paul.weberg@fema.gov.
Region 3: (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West
Virginia, District of Columbia), Erik Rourke, 615 Chestnut Street, 6th
Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106, (215) 931-5665, (email)
erik.rourke@fema.gov.
Region 4: (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee), Bel Marquez, 3003 Chamblee Tucker
Rd., Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: (770) 220-5436, (email)
bel.marquez@fema.gov.
Region 5: (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,
Wisconsin), Ken Hinterlong, 536 S. Clark Street, 6th Floor, Chicago, IL
60605, Telephone: (312) 408-5529, (email) ken.hinterlong@fema.gov.
Region 6: (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas), Jack
Quarles, FRC 800 North Loop 288, Denton, TX 76210, Telephone: (817)
898-5156, (email) jack.quarles@fema.gov.
Region 7: (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska), Bob Franke, 2323
Grand Avenue, Suite 900, Kansas City, MO 64108, Telephone: (816) 283-
7073, (email) bob.franke@fema.gov
Region 8: (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah,
Wyoming), John Liou, Denver Federal Center, Bldg. 710, Box 25267,
Denver, CO 80225, Telephone: (303) 235-4836, john.liou@fema.gov.
Region 9: (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa,
Guam), Les Sakumoto, Bldg. 105, Presidio of San Francisco, San
Francisco, CA 94129, Telephone: (415) 923-7183, (email)
leslie.sakumoto@fema.gov.
Region 10: (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington), Larry Basich,
Federal Regional Center, 130--228th Street, Bothell, WA 98021,
Telephone: (425) 487-4703, (email) lawrence.basich@fema.gov.
Dated: September 23, 1999.
Robert F. Shea, Jr.,
Acting Associate Director for Mitigation.
[FR Doc. 99-25784 Filed 10-4-99; 8:45 am]
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