Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
1. Name of Project: Florida High Water Marking Strike Team
2. Name of State Team: Florida Silver Jackets
3. USACE Contact:
State Contact:
David P. Apple, PE
Chief, Watershed Planning Section, CESAJ-PD-PW
P.O. Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL 32232
david.p.apple@usace.army.mil
(904)-232-1757
Joy Duperault, CFM
National Flood Insurance Program Manager
Florida Division of Emergency Management
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(850) 922-4518
4. Description of the Project:
The Florida Silver Jackets has formed a High Water Mark Strike Team (HWMST)
comprised of Federal and State agencies to obtain, electronically collect, and process High
Water Mark (HWM) data after a flood. The proposed project will fill a gap and improve
stakeholder’s ability to assess, manage and communicate information about flood risk. Today
there is no common website specifically designed to collect or host HWM data. The proposed
project will initially entail developing a website where team members can submit their data in
various forms such as digital photos, aerial videos, on site report forms, river gage data, and
others.
Once data is received it must be put in a format such that it is easily posted to an
interactive map tool which will assist in forming information to be reviewed to provide
intelligence about flood condition with rivers, streams, coastal areas or flash flooding. Data
collected from USGS and NOAA/NWS for conditions upstream in Alabama and Georgia must be
used to determines or predict the impact on Florida’s rivers or floodplain management areas.
Additionally, Federal Partners in the State Emergency Operations Center will review data
collected during the response and recovery phases of disaster response which means data
collected must be easily accessed or pushed to EM constellation.
It is essential that the site allow easy access before, during, and after a flood and run
error free. Access to a live help desk for trouble shooting needs to be sustained and
continuously maintained. The following is the proposed statement of work:
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
Phase 1
A. Requirement analysis: Collect and study types of information from current
stakeholders such as video, photo, email, or other types of reports and data.
B. Proof of concept and application review with stakeholders, web design, development,
and test a website where stakeholders may forward their data despite the format
submitted.
C. Pilot Testing and Rollout: Develop a database to hold collected data that allows for
ease of access for review. Track and communicate with stakeholders during database
entry. Estimated development time is about 180 days.
Phase 2
A. Develop graphic map presentation tool, test and turn up. This must be interactive and
feature reach. Estimated time is about 180 days.
Phase 3
A. Provide resources to ensure stakeholders have access to a live helpdesk to resolve
any issues concerning access, loading, data presentation and use. This must become a
standard and continuously manned service.
Why High Water marking is necessary: After significant flooding from a hurricane or flood it is
imperative to collect data rapidly to:
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Document the event
Assist in response, recovery, and mitigation
Improve disaster preparedness and prevention for future disasters
HWM data collection and processing is an initial step in accurately documenting an
event. These data help place the event within a historical context, improve estimates of
current flood risk, and enable the State and local governments to make predictions
about potential future flooding and to assist with mitigation efforts.
Collection of site-specific high water elevation data has numerous applications
including:
 Estimate storm frequency and severity
 Assess accuracy of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)
 Assist in preparation of Wind Water Line Maps
 Prepare inundation maps
 Share information for building performance assessments
 Share information for calibrating models that simulate the storm
 Assist in prioritizing mitigation projects and preparing their benefit/cost analysis
 Determine depth of flooding of structures for post-disaster loss avoidance studies.
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
Project Background
In June 2012 Tropical Storm Debby dumped over 22 inches on Suwannee County in less
than 24 hours flooding much of the county area including the city of Live Oak. On July 12, 2012
message #716 went out via EM Constellation requesting assistance needed to record High
Water Marks in affected areas. The response from one of the state’s water management
districts in SW Florida produced almost 1,000 photos marking hundreds of locations. This
district also contracted with Aerial Cartographic of America, Inc. to do an over flight covering
300 square miles in 3 counties. Once collected via the EM Constellation website, this data
could be sorted, reviewed and posted to GATOR. Information was also provided from other
WMDs as well as NOAA/NWS and USGS. Subsequently, conference calls, a workshop and
periodic meetings were held by Florida Silver Jackets HWMST members including; USGS,
NOAA/NWS, five Florida Water Management Districts, FDOT, FDEO, FDEM and USACE. The
team reviewed data collection methods, technology, skill sets and resources.
Today, HWM data is collected by Federal, State, local government, and volunteer
agencies using multiple collection methods, tools, and forms. Data is collected using river gages
(some connected via satellite uplink while others are physically checked), aerial survey, on site
photos, red cross volunteer notes, state trooper road blocks, DOT road sign requests, county
assistance requests, NOAA weather reports, FEMA contractors or USGS Hydrology reporting.
Up until this date, among five state agencies specifically focusing on water management, three
use gages readings (collected manually or via telecommunications uplinks), one aerial surveys
and one with on site engineering studies. Each of these sources has and can provide data on
high water marks.
FDEM activates it’s State Emergency Response Team during Disasters and utilizing its
mission tracking software known as EM Constellation receives data posted or emailed to its
Emergency Operations Center website from Local, State or Federal partners.
EM Constellation is a web based information management software platform in
adopted by the State of Florida for emergency management. The platform allows state
emergency management response teams composed of county, state, federal, volunteer and
mutual aid entities to use the same operating environment when responding to and recovering
from an agency. Having this information all in one place allows for effective response to and
recovery from emergencies while documenting events for reimbursement and after-action
reporting. EM Constellation is available at http://seoc.floridadisaster.org/emc. It has the
following functionality and features:
 Requests for assistance may be made through the platform, these requests approved
and tasked as missions, and tracked throughout their life cycle.
 Information messages like situation reports, press releases and incident action plans
may be shared through this platform.
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
 Incidents: each situation requiring a response is considered an incident. This tool selects
the active incident for a user’s session.
 Missions: provides the ability for users to initiate, assign, task, track, and bring a
mission to completion
 Info: provides the ability to post and respond to incident-related information
 Reports: This software provides a tool for the end user to be able to run reports
for incidents in EM Constellation. A user can run a report for missions and info
messages in a given incident.
 Contacts: storehouse of personnel information
 Essential Elements of Information (EEI): provides forms for collecting
information from county-level emergency management on critical preparedness
and response status factors
 Admin: for approved users, provides the ability to manage application security,
roles, and incidents
 Gator: Geospatial Assessment Tool for Operations and Response. GATOR is the
flagship common operation picture/situational awareness, web-based map
viewer for the FDEM and the SERT.
 Web mapping application
 Real-time data like weather radar, watches, storm reports
 Base map, event, and post-event data
 http://www.floridadisaster.org/mitigation/silverjacket/documents/201
21017_HighWaterMarks/sert_info_resources.pdf
Demographics: Florida is the fourth largest state by population and expected to grow to 24
million residents by 2030. As Florida’s population has rapidly increased since 1960, so has the
profile of the state’s landscape. Rapid urbanization has manifested itself in the form of
increased impervious surface areas such as asphalt roads, concrete areas, sidewalks, and
structures. This increase has led to a much higher level of flash flooding during heavy
rainstorms and also during flooding events.
Topography: The entire State of Florida is particularly susceptible to flooding do to its low-lying
topography and large amounts of coastline combined with its subtropical climate. This makes
Florida highly vulnerable to inland or riverine flooding. For example, portions of major drainage
basins in Alabama and Georgia drain into the rivers in north Florida, and excessive rainfall in
these states often causes flood conditions. FEMA estimates that about 41 percent of Florida is
flood prone, which is the highest percentage of all 50 states. Due to the potential for flood
damage, Florida has the highest number of flood insurance policies required by the National
Flood Insurance Program of any US state. Despite the fact that floodplains cover a very large
area in Florida it is unlikely that any undeveloped land will stay in its natural state. Pressure
from developers to build, and the potential tax revenues from developments, make it difficult
to keep floodplains open. This lack of control coupled with inadequate information available
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
regarding the extent of floodplains and flood prone areas typically leads to unsound
development on floodplain land which puts lives and property at risk.
Weather: The State of Florida is repeatedly impacted by flooding, 23 of 64 FEMA-declared
disasters in Florida involved a flooding component. In the past 20 years (1992-2012), Florida has
received 38 major disaster declarations. By successfully implementing mitigation, not only can
Florida reduce the impacts but it can significantly reduce the recovery time span.
Flooding Hazard: In Florida, several variations of flooding occur due to the effects of severe
thunderstorms, hurricanes, seasonal rain, and other weather-related conditions. The loss of life,
personal property, crops, business facilities, utilities, and transportation are major impacts of
flooding. Florida has nearly 121,000 census blocks that are potentially threatened by riverine
flooding. This exposure translates to nearly $880 billion in property. Estimated annual loss for
the state associated with riverine flooding is $255 million. Flash floods present more significant
safety risks than riverine floods because of the rapid onset, the high water velocity, the
potential for channel scour, and the debris load. In addition, more than one flood crest may
result from a series of fast moving storms. Sudden destruction of structures and the washout of
access routes may result in the loss of life.
5. Proposed Timetable of Project:
Total project development should occur within 360 days from project initiation. The
initial three month phase includes a requirement analysis buy USACE resources who will do all
of the work or contract it out and then host on their equipment the finally developed web
tools. USACE resources will also perform all trouble reporting, resolution and help center
activities through the continuous operation of this website, HWM data bases and Graphics
presentation tools.
6. Outcome of Project:
“The more we know about our communities, the better we can understand their real-life
safety and sustaining needs and their motivations to participate in emergency managementrelated activities prior to an event” are the words FEMA uses to discuss resiliency or whole
community engagement. The results of HWMST data collection, forwarding, processing,
reviewing and graphically posting for institutional review will work towards this understanding
of our flood hazard.
Life Safety Issues: Will be addressed in the immediate as HWM data is reviewed during the
response and recovery phases of emergency management. Ready knowledge of flooded areas
and the analysis of real time river gage data will allow emergency managers to close roads,
predict where flooding will occur next, and evacuate as required.
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
Reduction of Property Loss: Florida has the largest number of homes under the NFIP
nationwide. There are also 16, 814 homes with repetitive loses due to flooding as of September
30, 2012. Improved information about potential flooding or updates to floodplain mapping can
inform local county authorities who make decisions about their need to acquire such properties
for demolition, as well as where development should be stopped in the future to prevent
further losses.
Increased Resiliency: The ability of a community to readily recover from adversity is based on
understanding the needs of the community, engaging and empowering its citizens and
strengthening what works, their institutions. Information about flooding extracted from HWM
data will enhance a community’s ability to make factual decisions toward updating their
community flood maps. The update of flood maps will have an economic impact on these
communities which must be understood in terms of flood insurance costs.
Loss Avoidance Assessment: One method used to quantify the value of mitigation. There is
perhaps no simpler way to express the benefits of mitigation than to show losses that would
have occurred without it. Loss avoidance assessments substantiate the value of mitigation in
real dollars. Flood elevations are the most important piece of event data for determining losses
avoided to building modification projects and high water marks are the most accurate way to
determine flood elevations. In August 2013, a report entitled “Loss Avoidance Assessment
Tropical Storm Debby” was published. Results show a 116% return on investment for the
assessed projects, primarily after only one event. These results can help guide policy-makers in
their decisions.
7. Conclusion:
Leverage resources invested by others: Collecting HWM data at a single site allows for the
broadest possible review by subject experts such as hydrologists, meteorologists, engineers and
technicians who are ready resources for the Florida EOC as part of ESF teams. This review can
provide critical information to emergency responders, recovery operators and later mitigation
planners and state floodplain managers.
Resources Include:
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Data/Information: Data collected currently varies depending on the originating
organization (see chart). At its most basic the initial HWM data collected is comprised of
an address, date, time, and some indication of water level. The more sophisticated form
includes a digitized photo or the high water Mark with a date and time stamp along with
coordinates. The secondary phase of data collection focuses on providing an accurate
elevation of the HWM recorded earlier.
Talent, Labor, and Funding: The talent provided at federal and state agencies varies
from hydrologists, meteorologists, engineers, technicians or floodplain managers.
Florida’s WMDs, NOAA, NWS, and USGS have all of these representatives. FDOT
provides aircraft, pilots, and surveyors for aerial surveys. FDHS has state troopers who
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
set up road blocks and monitor road conditions. FEMA contracts with providers who
follow-up on damage claims within the disaster or flooded area. Local county and city
governments have road and infrastructure departments with engineers and technicians
who monitor and report on flood conditions.
Discussion
Interagency effort: This project proposal will be a multi level interagency effort leveraging the
resources from state water management districts, FDOT, FDHS and local or contacted sources.
They will collect HWM data physically on site which will be sent to a the proposed website as
the central collection point where the information can be reviewed by USGS, NOAA, and NWS
experts and used to advise state and local agencies immediately of the need to respond, focus
potential recovery resources or later to use for mitigation when combined with other flood
information and used to update mapping.
Implementation of State Mitigation Plan: The 2013 Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation Plan
identifies flooding as a major hazard responsible for both death and destruction each year. 66
percent of Florida jurisdictions rate flooding as high risk. The approach used to mitigate this
hazard encompasses several mitigation programs to include floodplain management,
residential construction, and the administration of federal grant, assistance and insurance
programs. The floodplain management program also reviews and provides local ordinances
and building code resources with instructions, checklists and on site visits. The Mitigation
Bureau at FDEM provides training and outreach to counties and jurisdictions that develop and
submit their Local Mitigation Strategies and priority mitigation project activities for review and
submission to FEMA. The bureau also oversees with project and program plan managers the
grant applications for either individual or public assistance monies.
Communication measures tied to specific long term flood reduction results: The final step or
goal of the process of which HWM is a part will be to develop, update and amend local
floodplain or inundation maps. Once updated these maps are readily available to residents,
potential developers, county commissioners/elected officials, property tax offices, code
enforcement specialist, floodplain managers, and insurance companies. The end product of
this product is a more informed public with ready access to information that is updated and
more precise that had been available previously.
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Adopt land use regulation changes in order to reduce flood risk. Updated Flood maps
will become critical information for local decision makers when determining new or
stricter regulations to reduce Flood Risk.
Must include a table quantifying leveraged resources invested by others, including other
federal agencies, state agencies, regional or local agencies, and a titled section for each
selection criterion
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
8. Letter of support from a state lead of the Silver Jackets Team:
Indicating how the proposal helps achieve state or community goals, the role the state
or partner anticipates taking in the conduct of the project, and the state or partner’s ongoing
commitment to long-term outcomes. (Attach)
9. Completed funding request template
Florida High Water Mark Strike Team
Phase 1: Requirement analysis, proof of
concept, application reviews, Web
Design & Graphics development, pilot
testing and rollout(database driven
application -dev time 180 days)
Phase 2: Develop graphic map
presentation tool, test and turn up, Time
line =180 days
Phase 3: Continuous operation and
maintenance -Hosting & web site
maintenance
Total
Total Study Cost
$30,000
$50,000
$20,000
$100,000
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
High Water Mark Strike Team Leveraged Resources Table
Agency
Resource
Aerial/Photo/on-site
Survey
Collection and processing
to EM Constellation
dbase/ GIS-
Description
Aircraft-mission, elevation
survey teams available
HW platform/ SW
Photo/GPS teams
SWFWMD
On site HWM and Civil
Engineering survey to GIS
mapping
NWFWMD
SFWMD
SRWMD
Using experienced
hydrologists with
boat/safety training to
inspect river changes in
Teams
HWMST in Development
Uses FDOT Serial Survey
Survey/ air/ on site photo/
elevation/ processing to
map products using
experienced certified
Regions Engineers familiar
with Flood maps.
Photo/ GPS, Have website
for Flood map info
SJRWMD
Internal and contracts
NOAA/NWS
Information and expertise
to analyze hydrological
data
USGS
Website
American Red Cross
House to house survey
FEMA
Contractor home site
inspection post disaster
FDOT
FDEM
Under development
Photos/video of River
Watershed Areas
Monitors internal project
water levels and has
contract with USGS for
regional levels.
Planning and coordination
to help target surveys that
support modeling and
operational requirements.
USGS FIMI, can offer
expertise to EOC during
response
Can fill out forms with
location and damage
information.
After home owner files a
claim for individual
disaster assistance FEMA
deploys inspector w/in 3
days//On occasion FEMA
hires HWMST inspectors
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Limits
Mission Priorities
Must be made priority and
resources for GIS team to
develop. Expected time
for completion – one to
three months. Currently
data is collected in ad hoc
manner.
None
staffing
Unknown
Mission Priorities, not on
site teams, no internal
survey for elevation
resourced
HWM data collection
considered local
responsibility.
No staff available for
HWM on site data
collection
Staffing for onsite HWM
collection
Volunteers do not
necessarily have any
training nor do they mark
high water levels.
Information about
homeowners filed claims
for individual assistance is
not shared at present.
Home inspectors currently
not including HWM as
part of their job
Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
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Florida Silver Jackets Nonstructural Flood Risk Management Proposal
References
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Loss Avoidance Assessment Tropical Storm Debby:
http://www.floridadisaster.org/mitigation/State/documents/2013stateplan/Appendix%20
M%20TS%20Debby%20Loss%20Avoidance%20Report%20FINAL.pdf
http://www.floridadisaster.org/eoc/debby2012/
USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Initiative:
http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/toolbox/index.html
Field forms HWM
Sample from the WI WSC (updated 8/4/08, 38 kb PowerPoint)
Windows and PDA versions of software for field documentation of HWMs (FTP:
documentation and downloads from the ftp site)
HWM Data Collection Tools
HWM Draft SOP - HWM naming conventions and other information on how to collect
HWMs (updated 9/22/11)
HWM Draft Database - Access Database designed to capture HWM information in a
consistent manner (updated 9/22/11, Access Database)
This Access Database is designed to easily upload into the future HWM database. If you
have any questions, please contact Marie Peppler (email Marie or 608.821.3821)
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