Storm water and flooding comprise major and growing risks to cities, transportation systems, people, and the environment. Flooding is the major cause of property damage in the U.S., and recent catastrophic hurricanes such as Harvey, Irma, Sandy and Katrina have raised losses to unprecedented levels. Storm water management requires the organization of public utilities and responses to rain tax politics, consent orders, and demands for green inf...

Know how to use your stormwater permit to direct a comprehensive stormwater management. Think back fifteen years ago. Storm water management at municipalities, factories, and warehouses focused on keeping water off the streets and occasionally repairing a failing catch basin. Storm water issues were typically "out of sight, out of mind;" unless a drenching rain event drew attention to a clogged pipe or eroding channel. Now, as we begin 2018, m...

Gain key ways to resolve Natural Resource Disaster Damage Liabilities and how to avoid common pitfalls in the resolution process. Many potentially responsible parties and Trustees struggle with coming to resolution of a NRD claim. This topic helps both the PRP and the Trustee outline the steps and key decision points in resolving NRD claims. The material also offers some insights into avoiding common pitfalls in the resolution process. By succ...

Storm water and flooding comprise major and growing risks to cities, transportation systems, people, and the environment. Flooding has long been the major cause of property damage, and recent catastrophes such as hurricanes Matthew, Sandy and Katrina have exacerbated the total losses and created chain effects in the economy. While storm water control was considered a drainage issue in the past, it has expanded to include regulation under the C...

Understand the applicable disclosure regulations and standards that apply to recipients of federal relief funds. Over the past several years, the federal government has required contractors and grant recipients to disclose various noncompliance to the awarding agency or face stiff consequences. These requirements have caused significant unease and tension between the contractor/grant recipient community and the federal government. For this top...

The Freedom of Information Act, enacted in 1966, was the first law that gave Americans the right to access the records of federal agencies. FOIA establishes a legal right of access to government records and information on the basis of the principles of openness and accountability in government. In 1974, after the Watergate scandal the act was amended to force greater agency compliance. In 1991 the General Accounting Office reported over 1.9 m...

Storm water management has long been a consideration of developers, municipalities and governments. Regulations and laws have been in effect in various forms governing the flow rate, flooding and erosive potential of storm water discharges for many years, however, the ultimate discharge of storm water was only rarely monitored or regulated for total volume or quality. Changes by the federal government over the past several years have now creat...

WEBINAR PROCEEDING AS SCHEDULED FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) plays a very important role in protecting communities and their residents and businesses from the disaster caused by flooding. It publicizes the areas of greatest flood risk, restricts construction with high flood risk, and provides insurance for the flood losses that are excluded from most homeowners and general business policies. These activities have a critical i...

Despite over 50 years of emergency management experience, many jurisdictions are still unsure if their plans are adequate to deal with disaster. This is largely a result of focusing on the development of plans that address various phases of response rather building overall organizational resilience. This live audio conference considers emergency response in the context of a jurisdiction-wide emergency management program and demonstrates the li...

Benefits FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program plays a very important role in protecting communities and their residents and businesses from the disaster caused by flooding. It publicizes the areas of greatest flood risk, restricts construction with high flood risk, and provides insurance for the flood losses that are excluded from most homeowners and general business policies. These activities have a critical impact on the ability of local...