Last month, Colorado and the central United States were hit with a “bomb cyclone” that brought blizzard conditions and hurricane-force winds in what’s now officially deemed Colorado’s strongest storm ever. As some parts of Colorado still work to recover from the storm, communities lucky enough to have seen winter melt into spring should take advantage… Read more
Homeowners should be aware of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) recent updates to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The update will change the way FEMA assesses flood risks and determines flood insurance premiums. Instead of categorizing flood risk based on floodplain maps currently used, FEMA will assess properties on a property-by-property basis. This… Read more
Last week we posted about IBTS’s Start Towards a Recovery Today (STaRT) Program, through which IBTS provides on-the-ground pro bono educational services on federal funding programs available after a disaster. While the STaRT Program can be a saving grace after a disaster hits, it’s never too early to start preparing for your next disaster. “Once a… Read more
Through our involvement with community resilience assessments and planning at the local government level, the IBTS resilience team has discovered that local governments can struggle with resilience project prioritization and selection. Given the variety of projects that can be categorized under the resilience umbrella, local stakeholders may find themselves trying to evaluate the benefits of… Read more
In January 2019, the IBTS team, in partnership with the National Governors Association (NGA), will bring a group of experts together in Washington, D.C. to discuss resilience—lifecycle strategies and actions that address the mitigation, response, recovery, and reinvention of communities following a crisis. The need for communities to prepare for, respond and adapt to, and… Read more
The deadline for local governments to submit subapplications to their state for FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) programs is quickly approaching. With a combined more than $395 million available, the programs provide local governments with an important opportunity to jumpstart or maintain disaster mitigation planning and project activities that can significantly… Read more
Within a period of two months, Hurricanes Florence and Michael swept through North Carolina and Florida, causing the loss of many lives and billions of dollars in damages. Unfortunately, the impacts of the hurricanes will hit low-income residents — who disproportionately make up the population of coastal flood-prone regions — the hardest. Amplified by other factors impacting… Read more
With the 2018 hurricane season in full swing, coastal infrastructure must now withstand chronic, long-term challenges coupled with the looming threat of a severe tropical storm. To strengthen the effectiveness of existing infrastructure, coastal communities across the country may want to consider supplementing traditional “hard infrastructure,” with natural and nature-based infrastructure solutions like dunes and… Read more
Claire Collins, IBTS Development Manager of Local Government Solutions, has more than two decades of local government management experience in Virginia as a county administrator, city manager, assistant to county manager and first public affairs/legislative liaison. Below, Collins provides guidance for local government leaders and stakeholders on how best to engage community members in… Read more
Between 1973 and 2008, there were a total of 852 Magnitude 3 or higher earthquakes in the central United States. But between 2009 and 2017, there were 3,258. This recent spike in seismic activity in the region has a lot of people wondering if hydraulic fracture (fracking) methods of oil production are to blame. Well,… Read more
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