Find where you are and take the next step

There are several opportunities to make your community safer before the next flood. The questions below will help you learn more about your current situation and lead you to various strategies. When thinking about what to do first, prioritize preventing new building in risky areas by updating bylaws. Then, consider what you can do to reduce the risk your community already faces.

• Know What's at Risk

  • Where are the floodplains and river corridors?
  • How many buildings are at risk of a hundred year flood and how can we protect them?
  • Which roads, bridges, culverts and services are most at risk?

• What Might Flood Damage Cost Our Town?

  • Is flood insurance available and used?
  • Will we get the maximum recovery funding assistance after a disaster?

• Do Our Bylaws, Plans, and Standards Stop the Problem from Getting Worse?

  • Are new buildings and roads in the floodplain putting existing buildings at risk?
  • Are river corridors protected?
  • Are our road and bridge standards current?
  • Is our Local Hazard Mitigation Plan current?
  • Is our Local Emergency Operations Plan current?
  • Do we have a flood recovery plan to direct post-flood recovery toward safe locations as identified in the municipal plan?
  • Where can we get assistance in the update process?

• Are We Flood Ready?

  • Have we taken steps to reduce risk for individuals, businesses, and the town?
  • Do we have adequate first responder and road management capacity to respond to and recover from flood damage?
  • Do we have adequate administrative resources to respond to and recover from flood damage?
  • Do we have adequate financial resources to respond to and recover from flood damage?

• How Can We Make Our Community Even Safer?

  • Can we slow the water down and give the river more room?
  • Is there funding available?

• How Do We Explain How Important This Is for Our Town?

  • What communication tools can help us tell this story?

Know What's at Risk

Where are the floodplains and River Corridors?

Opportunity: Everyone can see which areas in the community are at risk of flood damage.

How many buildings are at risk of a hundred year flood and how can we protect them?

Opportunity: Reduce the risk for families, businesses and the Town through building improvements.

Which roads, bridges, culverts and services are most at risk?

Opportunity: Keep roads passable for emergency response and recovery, schools, and businesses.

What Might Flood Damage Cost Our Town?

Money from FEMA after a disaster should always be thought of as the third method of defense in restoring damaged property. Often flood damage to a few sites, or even across the town, is not enough to qualify the flood as a federal disaster.  Therefore, flood insurance is the second method of defense, after the first one of not building in the hazard zone at all. As long as a municipality is participating in the NFIP, flood insurance is available to all structures in the town, not just those mapped in the SFHA. 

Is flood insurance available and used?

Opportunity: Ensure your community has the resources to rebuild after a disaster.

Will we get the maximum recovery funding assistance after a federally-declared disaster?

Opportunity: Get the federal and state governments to cover 92.5% of rebuilding costs instead of only 82.5%.

Do Our Bylaws, Plans, and Standards Stop the Problem from Getting Worse?

Are new buildings and roads in the floodplain putting existing buildings at risk?

Opportunity: New development will have no adverse impact on existing structures in the floodplain.

Are river corridors protected?

Opportunity: The stream channel will have the room it needs to find the slowest path, causing no adverse impact to structures downstream.

Are our road and bridge standards current?

Opportunity: VTrans recovery assistance is at highest level.

Is our Local Hazard Mitigation Plan current?

Opportunity: Help qualify for ERAF and plan for a safer community.

Is our Local Emergency Operations Plan current?

Opportunity: Help qualify for ERAF and effectively meet community needs in emergencies.

Do we have a flood recovery plan to direct post-flood recovery  toward safe locations as identified in the municipal plan?

Opportunity: Take advantage of the disaster to rebuild a safer community.

Where can we get assistance in the update process?

Opportunity: Be supported in preparing for the best outcomes.

Are We Flood Ready?

Have we taken steps to reduce risk for individuals, businesses, and the town?

Opportunity: Reduced risk factors for next flood.

Do we have adequate first responder and road management capacity to respond to and recover from flood damage?

Opportunity: Ready to respond effectively to flood damage, no matter where in our community it strikes, even if roads wash out.

Do we have adequate administrative resources to respond to and recover from flood damage?

Opportunity: Municipal services can still operate when most needed.

Do we have adequate financial resources to respond to and recover from flood damage?

Opportunity: Stable municipal budget and qualified for maximum ERAF assistance.

How Can We Make Our Community Even Safer?

Can we slow the water down and give the river more room?

Opportunity: After ensuring we don’t make things worse, we can work to decrease the likelihood of flood damage.

Is there funding available?

Opportunity: Assist with project cost to reduce risk.

How Do We Explain How Important This Is for Our Town?

What communication tools can help us tell this story?

Opportunity: After ensuring we don’t make things worse, we can work to decrease the likelihood of flood damage.

Reflection Questions

• Which of the actions above would be relatively easy for your community to start with?
• What actions feel most important to take for the safety of your community?