State News

California

DWR Awards $5 Million for Delta Communities to Improve Flood Emergency Response

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced awarding $5 million in funding for seven emergency response agencies within the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta to increase their ability to respond to flood emergencies. This funding will help to improve the emergency response efforts for first responders and help these communities prepare for threats of flooding in the Delta, which is increasingly vulnerable to flooding from storm events and sea level rise. https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2022/ Nov-22/DWR-Awards-5-Million-for-DeltaCommunities-to-Improve-Flood-Emergency-Response

Amid Climate-Driven Extremes in Weather, California Highlights the Importance of Preparing for Flooding, Even During Historic Drought

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today commemorated the start of Flood Preparedness Week, which runs October 22 through October 30, by encouraging residents to prepare for flood season. “While we are preparing for a fourth year of extreme drought, we still need to plan for swings between severely dry conditions and large storms and flooding,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Just last year, December brought record-breaking precipitation to some parts of the state and was followed by the driest January, February, and March on record. That was a wake-up call for all Californians that we must prepare for both drought and flood conditions at the same time.”

https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2022/ Oct-22/California-Highlights-the-Importance-ofPreparing-for-Flooding

The Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Update - released November 4, 2022

7

DWR Awards $50.4 Million to Protect California Communities from Flood Risk

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced awarding $50.4 million in funding for 18 flood management and protection projects across the state. This funding will support local agency efforts to prepare for flooding by planning and implementing flood risk reduction projects related to stormwater, flooding, mudslides, and flash floods. Although California is entering a fourth year of drought, climate extremes require preparing for the increased risk of flooding even during a drought. https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2022/ Oct-22/DWR-Awards-over-50-Million-to-ProtectCalifornia-Communities-from-Flood-Risk

New Flood System Repair Program (FSRP) Guidelines 2021 Update Now Available

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR), Flood Maintenance and Operations Branch (FMO) is pleased to announce that the new Flood System Repair Program Guidelines 2021 Update (PDF) is now available. The Flood System Repair Program (FSRP) is a flood risk reduction program, consistent with the State Systemwide Investment Approach (SSIA) as identified in the 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP). Under FSRP, DWR may execute cost share agreements with the Local Maintaining Agencies (LMAs) to repair documented prioritized problems on the facilities of the State Plan of Flood Control (SPFC). California Central Valley homeowners, businesses, and the agricultural industry are protected from flooding by more than 1500 miles of SPFC levees. FSRP repairs assist in maintaining a dependable levee system for flood protection of these valuable assets. FSRP is a proven cost-effective program for maintaining the current level of flood protection provided by SPFC facilities, primarily in non-urban areas while advancing DWR initiatives for Economically Disadvantages Areas (EDAs). https://water.ca.gov/News/Public-Notices/2022/ Oct-22/FSRP-Guidelines-2021-Update-Now-Available

STATE NEWS (Continued)

Hawaii

See the latest news stories relating to Hawaii’s floodplain management issues. For the transformed flood information platform from Hawaii visit their exciting weekly blog at https://waihalana.hawaii.gov/ Some of the latest postings relate to hurricane preparedness, stewarding our environment, and Flood Insurance. For archived Wai Halana Newsletters (prior to 2018) https://dlnreng.hawaii.gov/nfip/wai-halana/

Nevada

The Nevada Floodplain Management Program has been active with in person outreach at several different events in northern Nevada from the Genoa Candy Dance to the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair. A notable event is the installation of another High Watermark which was unveiled August 11th in Carson City. This High Watermark includes a beautiful mural that marks the highest height of flood waters along with an interpretive sign that describes the historic events and provides links to flood preparedness information. Our office participated in planning and supporting the successful unveiling event. Our 9th annual Nevada Flood Awareness Week is November 13th-19th and we will participate in person outreach events in Carson City, Douglas County and Storey County. We will also be sharing lots of great information via social media (Nevada Floods on Facebook) so keep an eye out! If you’re local to Northern Nevada you’ll also find an ad featured the free quarterly magazine Growing Up Reno Tahoe. Just as we have done in the past, we submitted a request for a Governor’s Proclamation recognizing Nevada Flood Awareness Week. Some of our local communities including Carson City and Storey County will also be officially proclaiming Nevada Flood Awareness Week. Some of our partners have also funded other multimedia campaigns to support this annual effort. Nevada Silver Jackets projects have been keeping us busy this time of year and have been a driving force for trainings delivered to our local Floodplain Managers. In September we hosted an in person Nevada Flood Mitigation and Funding Opportunities Workshop in Washoe County. Then in October we hosted a condensed Nevada Flood Mitigation and Funding Opportunities Workshop version virtually. On November 8th and 9th we will be hosting virtually the Nevada Watershed University Summit which will have a focus on Floodplain Management in Arid Regions. In early 2023 we plan to host our final in person Nevada Flood Mitigation and Funding Opportunities Workshop in Southern Nevada. Additionally, Silver Jackets projects have included the development of an informational pamphlet for teachers that summarize all of the standard classroom curriculum we have created to go hand in hand with our virtual outreach materials. This pamphlet and all other materials will then be accessible on our website; Nevadafloods.org. Lastly the Nevada Silver Jackets have prepared a draft Floodplain Management Plan for South Fork dam in Elko County with the goal of this being an example for applicants applying for funding from FEMA’s the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams (HHPD) grant program. This draft is entering the public comment phase. The Nevada Floodplain Management Program has a goal of setting our communities up on a 5-year cycle for Community Assistance Contacts/Community Assistance Visits. This requires Nevada’s State Coordinator to complete a combination of 12 Community Assistance Contacts/Community Assistance Visits. The first phase will be with the CRS communities that have been selected for audit this year will be asked to additionally complete a Community Assistance Contact (CAC) with our office.

9