Flooding...Perkerson Community

 

First, let's explain how our community has been affected by flooding so that we understand why this issue is critical for us to deal with the flooding problems in a proactive and a constructive manner. We asked for information from Fulton County's Flood Plain Office in order to get information on file for neighbors to know about how the process works to get land re-purchased that is flooding in the community. Listed below is a detailed explanation of the definition of a floodplain.

Let's be clear---all land that is flooding is not in the floodplain, so the first step for us was to get information on where the official flood plain was located so that we can begin the process of working with the City of Atlanta's Watershed Department and the City of Atlanta's Planning Department to document the capital improvement needs of the community in order to get flood prevention methods that will decrease incidents of flooding. Parts of our community literally rest in the boundary of the 100-Year Flood Plain.

For instance, the back side of some homes and buildings are in the 100-Year flood plain; but their structures are not. There are some structures that the sides of the structures have creeks which are in the 100-Year flood plain; but their structures are not. It's similar to the cases in the Perkerson Community where some homes and properties have back yards or sides of yards in the City of East Point. Basically, we work through it.

 

Current Places That Flood In Perkerson Community:

• Metropolitan Parkway & Perkerson Road
• Part of back yards of homes along the lower end of Quaker Street 
• Quaker Street & Jefferson Street @ Roseland Park Area (Creek Area)
• House on Jefferson Avenue by Creek (100-Year Flood Plain Area Boundary)
• Springdale Road & Pegg Road Area
• Home @ Langston Drive that drops down below others (Not in 100-Year Flood Plain Area)
• Houses at Pegg Road off Metropolitan Parkway-the first 2 houses on the right side that have a drop downwards

 

100-Year Flood Plain Boundary Area:

• Metropolitan Parkway & Perkerson Road (Creeks Flow by Old Nalley Automobile Site on both sides of Metropolitan Parkway)
• Part of back yards of homes along the lower end of Quaker Street (Where creek flows alongside)
• House on Jefferson Avenue by Creek

 

There are more areas that are being researched, so these will be updated as the information is verified.

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Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters--except fire. Most communities in the United States have experienced some kind of flooding, after spring rains, heavy thunderstorms, or winter snow thaws. FEMA has set up a National Flood Insurance Program to keep citizens prepared for the worst. Find out more information at www.floodsmart.gov.

 

What I have included here are the Fulton County-wide map update information. All can be accessed by clicking on the floodsmart website above.

 

FLOOD MAP UPDATE SCHEDULE:

All Communities with map updates scheduled for Fulton County, GA
Community Name	Project Name
ALPHARETTA, CITY OF	Chattahoochee River PMR
FULTON COUNTY *	Chattahoochee River PMR
Fulton County-wide	Chattahoochee River PMR
JOHNS CREEK, CITY OF	Chattahoochee River PMR
ROSWELL, CITY OF	Chattahoochee River PMR
SANDY SPRINGS, CITY OF	Chattahoochee River PMR

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Flood Map Update Schedule                       Reflecting data as of 06/03/2010

 

	Community: FULTON COUNTY * Project Name: Chattahoochee River PMR
	Projected Preliminary Date:	03/20/2009
	Actual Preliminary Date:	03/23/2009
	Appeal Period Start Date:
	Appeal Period End Date:
	Projected Effective Date:	06/18/2010
	Actual Effective Date:	06/18/2010
	Actual LFD Date:	12/18/2009
	Project Status:	Active

Definitions:
Preliminary Date -	The date when new preliminary DFIRMs were presented to community officials.
Appeal Start -	Start date for the official 90-Day Appeal Period.
Appeal End -	End date for the official 90-Day Appeal Period.
LFD Date -	The date where community officials are notified that a new or updated DFIRM will take effect in six months.
Effective Date -	The date when a new Digital Flood Insurance Map (DFIRM) become effective.
DFIRM -	Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map
LFD -	Letter of Final Determination
Project Status	Active - Mapping project in status
	On-Hold - Mapping project experiencing delays
	Completed - Mapping project finished; updated map in effect
Note - Projected Dates are only estimates as final dates have not been determined.   ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Community: Fulton County-wide Project Name: Chattahoochee River PMR   Projected Preliminary Date: 03/20/2009   Actual Preliminary Date: 03/23/2009   Appeal Period Start Date:   Appeal Period End Date:   Projected Effective Date: 06/18/2010   Actual Effective Date: 06/18/2010   Actual LFD Date: 12/18/2009   Project Status: Active Definitions: Preliminary Date - The date when new preliminary DFIRMs were presented to community officials. Appeal Start - Start date for the official 90-Day Appeal Period. Appeal End - End date for the official 90-Day Appeal Period. LFD Date - The date where community officials are notified that a new or updated DFIRM will take effect in six months. Effective Date - The date when a new Digital Flood Insurance Map (DFIRM) become effective. DFIRM - Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map LFD - Letter of Final Determination Project Status Active - Mapping project in status On-Hold - Mapping project experiencing delays Completed - Mapping project finished; updated map in effect   Note - Projected Dates are only estimates as final dates have not been determined.

Call your community's Floodplain Manager for more information on maps changing in your area. You can also reach the FEMA Map Information eXchange at 1-877-FEMA MAP begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-877-FEMA MAP      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (1-877-336-2627 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-877-336-2627      end_of_the_skype_highlighting).

Enter your Zip Code to see all of the communities in your county that have maps scheduled to be updated. Even if your community is not listed, changes may still be in progress.

 

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Flooding Emergency Pack:

If you live in a high risk area, you should have an emergency pack ready which contains the following:

• dry clothes,
• toiletries,
• medicines,
• emergency phone numbers,
• torch,
• a flask with hot drinks as well as
• important documents.

 

If you are currently a victim of the flood or are trying to avoid becoming one, the following Web sites and phone numbers can help.

• Metropolitan Atlanta Red Cross, 404-575-3730 , www.atlantaredcross.org, e-mail: info@arcatl.org. For other Red Cross branches go to www.redcross.org.
• The Centers for Disease Control has some tips for re-entering a flooded home at www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/mold/reenter.asp. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also has safety tips at CPS Website
• The Georgia Emergency Management Agency’s Web site lists myths and facts about flood insurance as well as other safety tips at www.gema.state.ga.us.

GEMA says people who need help should call their county emergency agency office first, which will probably refer them to non-profit agencies and charities.

 

The emergency management county office numbers for metro Atlanta are:

• Clayton County: 770-478-8271  or 404-608-2383  if in Forest Park.
• Cobb County: 770-499-4567  or 770-319-2511  if in Smyrna.
• Coweta County: 770-254-2650 
• DeKalb County: 404-294-2000 .
• Douglas County: 770-949-3007 .
• Fayette County: 770-305-5414  or 404-472-7019 .
• Forsyth County: 770-205-5674 .
• Fulton County: 404.730.5600 .
• Gwinnett County: 770-513-5060 .
• Henry County: 770-957-9121 
• Rockdale County: 770-278-8119 

*Source GEMA Web site and county offices.

 

The National Weather Services provides Flood Watches and Flood Warnings to the news media and public.

It is still very important for people who see flooding anywhere in the Perkerson Community to call 911.

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Flood Monitoring System:

The U.S. Geological Society has a method that allows people to be notified when flooding occurs in their areas. The

 

 

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Website: U.S. Geological Survey

 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY / Fact Sheet 076-03

Effects of Urban Development on Floods

By C. P. Konrad

Over the past century, the United States has become an increasingly urban society. The changes in land use associated with urban development affect flooding in many ways. Removing vegetation and soil, grading the land surface, and constructing drainage networks increase runoff to streams from rainfall and snowmelt. As a result, the peak discharge, volume, and frequency of floods increase in nearby streams. Changes to stream channels during urban development can limit their capacity to convey floodwaters. Roads and buildings constructed in flood-prone areas are exposed to increased flood hazards, including inundation and erosion, as new development continues. Information about streamflow and how it is affected by land use can help communities reduce their current and future vulnerability to floods.

 

Website: U.S. Geological Survey

 

Development can have negative effects on streams in urban and suburban areas. As a watershed becomes covered with pavement, sidewalks, and other types of urban land cover, stream organisms are confronted with an increased volume of storm water runoff, increased exposure to fertilizers and pesticides, and dramatic changes in physical living spaces within the stream itself.

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Website: Integrated Water Resources Management

 

USA: Integrated flood plain management (#86)

Description
Flood damage is caused by excessive precipitation and is exacerbated by actions that place people and property in watercourses. It accounts for more losses than any other natural hazard in the United States. Providing protection against flood damage involves land use controls and must, therefore, be integrated with other water management objectives. Moreover, floods cross jurisdictions and therefore require co-ordination. Analysing floods requires knowledge of hydrology, engineering, and the social sciences. Responses to floods include measures to regulate land use in the flood plain, use of flood control reservoirs and mitigation techniques, and the preservation of the natural and cultural resources of floodplains. Although Nature tends not to use structural approaches, and there are beneficial effects of floods, reliable flood control structures can prevent devastating damage and loss of life. In the US, flood management has shifted from a structural to a more IWRM approach:

• In the early 1940s, attitudes began to change, influenced by the work of Gilbert White at the University of Chicago.
• In 1966, a national unified programme for flood losses was recommended.
• In 1976, a federal report cited co-ordination as the weakest component of management efforts.
• By 1986, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had assumed responsibility for a federal interagency task force, and presented a mitigation strategy.
• In 1993, after the Great Mississippi River Floods, a report by an interagency review committee stated that structural measures should only be used when they can be integrated into a systems approach to basin-wide flood damage reduction.
• In 2001, an integrated strategy was favoured which involved the participation of three levels of government and the private sector. Most flood plain management is carried out by local government. Both small and large problems are dealt with, and land use and water quality objectives, as well as flood damage reduction, are considered. FEMA operates a comprehensive programme and is developing software (HAZUS) to estimate losses caused by floods on a national basis.

Lessons learned

• Flood damage reduction requires a complex mixture of policies that includes both structural and non-structural measures.
• Structural measures should normally be used only when they can be integrated into a systems approach to basin-wide flood damage reduction.
• Flood policy is closely connected to land use policy and is administered best at the local level.
• In addition to economic effects, flood policy has significant social and environmental implications, and both negative and beneficial effects of floods should be evaluated.
• Effective flood policy requires a comprehensive support programme consisting of flood plain mapping, hydrologic and engineering studies, insurance, warning systems, and related measures for mitigation, response, and recovery.
• River mechanics, sedimentation, changing channels and flood regimes must be considered in the evaluation of flood policy on specific rivers.

Importance of case for IWRM
The case shows how flood plain management requires integration of hydrology, engineering, and social science issues to successfully regulate land use in the flood plain, use flood control reservoirs effectively, apply appropriate mitigation techniques, and to preserve the natural and cultural resources of flood plains.