A Note From The Chair

By Alex Yescas

Greetings Floodplain Managers,

Summer. The time in the West where we shift our attention from making sure we can control the volume of water we have to hoping we have enough water to avoid rationing.

The troublesome drought conditions the region is facing can be summarized by these dramatic images from Lake Oroville, showing the receding waters from April to July 2021. As we face this and other challenges, I am hoping your summer has been and will continue to be great.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, the president is saying that the goal is to create a resilient, innovative economy for the nation’s future.

The overall package is being reviewed by lawmakers, but there is plenty of optimism that in the end, this will most likely benefit our flood risk reduction projects.

I am hoping that many of the projects that we have planned will be well funded and implemented under this package. Stay tuned.

SAVE THE DATE

Floodplain Management Association Annual Conference September 7-10, 2021 - Virtual via the Hubilo Platform

CRS Webinars September 7-9, 2021 - see page 10

Our 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE is right around the corner from September 7-10, where we will have a great series of speakers, including Mark Pestrella from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and Colonel Julie Balten, 63rd Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Los Angeles District, to talk about their flood programs and steps the agencies are taking to help our communities become flood resilient.

I am excited to listen to some of the great panel sessions the conference committee has planned, such as the LA River Masterplan, Effective Implementation through the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, and the Emerging Professionals Panel on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

We will also have open forums with the California and Nevada Departments of Water Resources, Cal OES, and FEMA to help answer any questions that you may have.

In addition, CRS One-on-One Appointments will be available to agencies throughout the conference to help answer questions for your CRS program. Please register to the attend the conference so that you participate in these great panels and forums.

Also, don’t forget another upcoming event focused on floodplain modeling. The 2-D MODELING FOR

FLOODWAY APPLICATIONS WEBINAR in October will help attendees create and evaluate 2-D modeling-based floodways, with a special emphasis on doing so in accordance with FEMA's guidelines and standards (G&S).

An overview of the G&S specific to 2-D modeling floodways will be provided, followed by an interactive technical session focused on creating the floodway analysis, setting encroachments that are informed by 2-D modeling outputs, and evaluating floodway surcharge compliance. I am proud to have been your Chair over the last two years, helping navigate FMA through the virtual environment, and supporting the growth of the Emerging Professionals Committee. Thank you for all the support that you have provided FMA through this past challenging year.

I am confident that FMA and the members will continue to thrive moving forward and I look forward to networking with you all at the conference in September and in-person in the near future.

Cheers! Alex Yescas 5