FEMA Region X – Risk MAP Discovery Interview
Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of St. Helens, Oregon
August 17, 2012; 12:00pm Pacific Time
City of St. Helens
Jacob Graichen – City Planner
FEMA Region X
David Ratté – Regional Engineer
STARR (FEMA Contractor)
Becca Croft – Interviewer
Jason Sidorski – GIS Specialist
Jennifer Anticknap – Recorder
The following information was collected during the Interview. Unless otherwise noted, all comments are
from the City of St. Helens representative.
I.
Contacts
 J. Walsh, City Administrator who functions as Community Development Director, was
added to the contact list. Mr. Walsh should be copied on project correspondence and
invitation list for the Discovery meeting.
 B. Don, Building Official, was added to the contact list. Mr. Don may have an interest in
the project in terms of earthquake and landslide hazard. Mr. Don should be copied on
project correspondence.
 C. Farnsworth, Planning Secretary who functions as Communications Officer was added
to the contact list. Ms. Farnsworth is the point of contact for the public.
STARR (J. Sidorski) reviewed the GIS data that has been collected for the city of St. Helens and explained
the types of additional data that could be beneficial to the project: parks, environmentally sensitive
areas, critical habitats, building footprints, parcels, topographic data (LiDAR, etc.).
II.
III.
Topography, LiDAR, and GIS
 J. Graichen is the GIS contact for the City of St. Helens.
 St. Helens maintains its own GIS datasets related to infrastructure data, critical facilities,
zoning, etc. J. Graichen is willing to provide GIS datasets.
 The City uses Columbia County datasets for aerial photography and property
assessment data.
Planning
 J. Graichen will check on the status of the Hazard Mitigation Plan and/or participation in
the Columbia County plan.
 The City would like information regarding mitigation planning and benefits.
 Critical infrastructure such as police stations and fire stations were identified for the
Areas of Concern layer.
Risk MAP Discovery Interview – Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of St. Helens – August 17, 2012
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IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
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The current Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for Columbia County was identified in
the old courthouse building in downtown St. Helens, located outside of the project area.
However, there is discussion between the City of St. Helens and Columbia County about
moving the EOC to an area within the watershed next to the Columbia County 911
Center and the Columbia River Fire and Rescue Training Center. Both areas were noted
in the Areas of Concern layer.
 There is a Capital Improvement Plan that addresses infrastructure.
 The City has been actively engaged in I&I project. Storm water lines need repair and
updating to carry capacity. In areas where the Engineering department has made
improvements to storm water infrastructure, localized flooding has been reduced. No
specific areas were identified for future projects at this time.
Earthquakes
 Earthquake risk should be discussed at the Discovery meeting.
Wildfires
 The City participates in Columbia County’s Wildfire Hazard Plan. A portion of this plan
specifically identified the Grey Cliffs area in the City of St. Helens (identified in the Areas
of Concern, but outside of the project area).
 In this area there a mix of residential and flora and one access road to the
community.
 The City did public outreach in this area to provide residents information on
how to protect their homes and reduce their risk.
 Columbia County Forestry Department had a grant to address the urban-forest
interface. Within the Grey Cliffs area the City did some public outreach to let residents
know there were grants available under that program.
Landslides
 There is no historical issue of landslide hazards in the city
 Most of the steep slopes in St. Helens are rock outcrops and the City has laws requiring
geotechnical engineering take place as a condition of approval for new development.
Severe Storms
 Ice storms are the main concern in the city as it hampers transportation.
 Snow events are of minimal concern. The City does not have snow plows in the fleet of
city equipment. Snow events are rare but can cause emergencies if snow events are
large enough to impact transportation corridors.
 J. Graichen does not recall any incidents of power outages or a need to open shelters
during or after a storm event.
 The recent hot weather has brought need to open cooling shelters. The St. Helens
Senior Center, identified on the Areas of Concern layer, has been opened as a cooling
shelter.
 The City of St. Helens participates in the countywide CAN system for emergency alerts.
The system sends text and phone messages.
Risk MAP Discovery Interview – Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of St. Helens – August 17, 2012
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VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
Page 3 of 4
J. Graichen will talk to communications officer about how the City gets emergency
information to the residents.
Flooding
 There are areas of localized flooding in areas where houses were built on historic
wetlands. These areas are dotted throughout the city and were not identified. The City
would appreciate a discussion at the Discovery Meeting about outreach materials that
inform city residents in localized flooding areas of their options and benefits of having
flood insurance.
 The City identified areas of concern for flooding (captured in the Areas of Concern
layer).
 The east side of the city has an interesting geological history that makes it prone to
flooding. Areas on the east side have a few inches of topsoil atop a hard basalt layer.
This basalt layer is impervious resulting in overland flooding. No specific area was
identified.
 The FIRM was updated in 2010; residents are asking questions as to why they are now in
a floodplain when their properties and/or structures did not flood in the 1996 flood
event. These areas were noted in the Areas of Concern layer. J. Graichen acknowledged
outreach materials and support to help residents understand the map updates and risk
would be helpful.
 In Zone A areas, background information may be necessary to help the City of St. Helens
explain how the Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) were established and why the area is
approximate. D. Ratté noted there is possibility to help redefine or reassess the Zone A
areas.
 The City identified an area along the Willamette River (Multnomah Channel and
Scappoose Bay) that could possibly be up for redevelopment. There is concern about
development and no-rise certification for the area. The area has no floodway but Base
Flood Elevations and the City would like assistance in what would be required by FEMA
to redevelop this area (possible project identified to designate a floodway in this area).
 There is a second area of industrial land up for possible redevelopment (captured in
Areas of Concern).
 Public Works officials (Sue Nelson and Neal Sheppard) may be better able to discuss
flooding issues within the city
Levees
 There are no levees identified in the city.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
 The City maintains a local wetland inventory. J. Graichen is willing to provide GIS data,
as well as CAD drawing since GIS dataset may not be complete.
Communications and Outreach
 J. Graichen acts as the Floodplain Administrator.
Risk MAP Discovery Interview – Lower Willamette - Tualatin Watersheds
City of St. Helens – August 17, 2012
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Page 4 of 4
The City has a separate process for floodplain permitting. This process is called the
Sensitive Lands Permit Process and addresses floodplain rules as required by FEMA. The
process is separate from the building code/permitting process and also addresses slide
hazards and wetlands.
Local and county emergency services branches would be good possible partners for
getting word out to residents about hazards in the area.
The City would be interested in receiving tools and templates for hazard outreach.
Status updates on this Risk MAP project would be welcome at City Council working
sessions.
The City would welcome training for floodplain management.