“Diving deeper to ask, ‘Why is that?’ was helpful for us on the planning side,” Lentz said. For instance, analysis of some natural hazards, such as extreme heat, revealed social vulnerability in the central spine of the state. With more mapping, a more comprehensive picture of risk in Florida emerged. “Almost everybody that looks at the hazard vulnerability map pauses and wants to talk about it because they understand hazard risk in a new way.” “We mapped risks and hazards and draped social vulnerability on top of that,” Rydl said. In a similar way, FDEM uses maps to show communities in need of more help and areas where hazard risks are highest. “In mitigation, projects utilize effective resilience techniques to improve future outcomes, which can be highlighted through these reports.” “The loss avoidance reports help us with storytelling and getting buy-in for more projects,” Lentz said. Other eligible projects include stormwater mitigation to increase drainage and, in some cases, elevating homes in areas that experience repeat flooding.ĭrainage channels help reduce flooding when the Everglades receive heavy rains.Īfter a major event, FDEM assesses damages to determine how mitigation projects reduced property loss and saved people from harm. The work entails hardening infrastructure such as electric and telecommunications networks to uphold power and internet connections. Hazard mitigation projects encompass retrofitting critical facilities such as schools and hospitals to better withstand hazards such as high winds, flooding, and extreme heat. Mitigation Projects through a Lens of Vulnerability They will continue to update the site’s open data and analytical guides for counties and municipalities. They built the site using ArcGIS Hub to organize information and ArcGIS StoryMaps for narratives. Then, to make the plan more intuitive, Lentz worked with Dan Rydl, GIS manager at FDEM, on incorporating digital maps. To meet FEMA’s directive by the August 2023 deadline, the FDEM team applied GIS analysis of hazards, climate, and social vulnerability. What was once a 500-page PDF is now a website with data-rich maps and insightful narratives. So Lentz and her team at FDEM used geographic information system (GIS) technology to build a more engaging experience. “We met with local jurisdictions, and they told us they didn’t find the previous plan useful, which is a dagger to our heart for this huge five-year effort,” said Kristin Lentz, the mitigation planning manager at the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Mitigation managers in Florida are meeting this Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mandate in a new way, via interactive maps to make their plan more user-friendly. It’s time for every US state to update its five-year hazard mitigation plan-now with priorities around community vulnerability and climate forecasts. Benefits of GIS tools include plan usability, loss avoidance reporting, stronger collaboration, and clear risk visibility.Florida created an interactive map and open data hub to better support statewide and local jurisdiction mitigation efforts.To meet a FEMA mandate, US states are creating hazard mitigation plans that consider climate and vulnerability.The Florida Division of Emergency Management took a new approach to the once-every-five-year state hazard mitigation plan, incorporating interactive maps and decision support tools instead of a 500-page report.
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