Taking the Lead in Disaster Recovery and Mitigation

There is a logical fit between regional development organizations and state and federal agencies with respect to disaster response, preparedness and planning. Regional organizations have the technical capacity and staff expertise needed to help local governments approach disaster clean-up, planning and mitigation in a coordinated way. Twenty-six percent of respondents to the NADO Research Foundation’s 2000 survey of regional development organizations reported they are actively involved in emergency management programs, including floodplain map management and revision, disaster recovery and clean-up, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Project Impact program, hazard planning and mitigation, voluntary property acquisition, outreach to businesses regarding flood prevention, and compliance monitoring.

Regional Development Organization Roles in Emergency Management Region Nine Development Commission, an EDA funded district in Mankato, Minnesota, created a revolving loan fund after a 1990 flood to help people repair their homes. By early 2000, 133 families had received assistance, totaling more than $1 million. Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center (RDC), an EDA funded district serving nine counties, works with three FEMA designated Project Impact communities. Much of the focus is on educating residents and visitors about natural disaster risks and people’s responsibilities. Eastern Alabama Regional Planning and Development Council (RPDC), an EDA funded district serving ten counties, works with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency on recovery efforts, and provides administrative support to the Alabama Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission.

The Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission (RPC), an EDA funded district serving six counties in south central Indiana, has coordinated numerous disaster recovery efforts. At the request of the Town Council of English, Indiana 15 managed the downtown relocation effort after a 1990 flood disaster. This effort included a mitigation strategy for the acquisition of more than 44 residential and 40 business properties in the floodplain at a cost of over $3 million. “English is located in Indiana’s most economically distressed county. Detailed plat maps are essentially non-existent. Therefore, much of the town was not even platted so property ownership was not at all clear,” explained Karen Dearlove, Indiana 15’s Executive Director. Indiana 15 is now working with the town’s park board to plan for the reuse of the floodplain area for parks and recreation.

Disaster Facts From FEMA Between 1993 and 1997, over 1.4 million Americans were impacted by presidentially declared disasters. Between 1989 and 1993, average annual losses from disaster were $3.3 billion. That increased to $13 billion by 1997. During the 1990s, FEMA spent $25.4 billion on 460 declared natural disasters. During the 1990s, FEMA obligated $7.78 billion for hurricanes and typhoons, $7.73 billion for flooding, $7 billion for earthquake recovery, $1.72 billion for tornado-related disasters, and $1 billion for winter storm damage.

After the Ohio River flood of 1997, Indiana 15 again managed flood mitigation efforts in voluntary property acquisition in Perry and Spencer Counties, and updated the zoning and floodplain ordinances and zoning maps for the town of Grandview. They also worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and Indiana Department of Natural Resources to map the floodway and floodway fringe delineations for Grandview for use in better enforcement of their floodplain ordinance. The RPC also worked with Perry County to update their floodplain ordinance.

By Laurie Thompson, NADO Research Foundation Director of Programs

For more information, contact Karen Dearlove of Indiana 15 RPC at (812) 482-4535; Wes Judkins of Region Nine Development Commission at (507) 387-5643, by email at wes@rndc.mankato.mn.us or at www.rndc.org; Vernon Martin at Coastal Georgia RDC at (912) 264-7363 or www.coastalgeorgiardc.org; Bill Curtis of Eastern Alabama RPDC at (256) 237-6741, by email at bcurtis@adss.state.al.us or at www.earpdc.org.

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