Tennessee Association of Floodplain Management

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1 PAGE 1 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 3 JULY 2014 Tennessee Association of Floodplain Management Inside This Issue 1 Chairman s Corner 2 5 th Annual Conference 10 TN AFPM Board of Directors - Elections 10 NEW TN State NFIP Coordinator Meet Amy Smith 11 TN State NFIP Corner 11 TN AFPM Treasurer s Report 12 TN AFPM Regional Updates 13 TN AFPM Contact Information Chairman s Corner As I sit to write what is to be my last letter to you as the Chairman of our Association, I want to take a look back at the last few years and recap for you where we started, where we have grown to and lay out what I see as the opportunities ahead. In 2009 a group of four people began a discussion of creating an Association in the State of Tennessee. In January, 2010 a meeting was held to discuss forming an Association and the decision was made to move ahead. Elections were held and I was honored to be elected as the Chairman for our Association and tasked with finalizing our Constitution and By-Laws. A great part of that initial discussion of the purpose and emphasis for our Association was to ensure that the focus of our Association was on the Local Government Floodplain Administrator. For the last 5 years I have tried very hard to ensure that our Association is one place that Floodplain Administrators can come to get nothing but the unvarnished truth. We have provided approximately 75 to 80 percent of all Floodplain Management Training reported to FEMA in the State of Tennessee. I have made every effort to ensure that our presentations were relevant to the every-day dealings of our floodplain administrators. I trust and sincerely hope that our association will always keep the needs of our floodplain administrators in mind going forward. I charge each member to ensure that it does. As of July 2014 our membership stands at 205 members representing 80 jurisdictions in Tennessee. While that may seem like a success story, it is one of my regrets. You see, there are almost 400 communities in Tennessee that are members of the National Flood Insurance Program. If we just had one representative from each of these communities we would have a much more robust membership. This should be an area of focus for all current members and the next administration. My second, and my biggest, regret is that I have not been able to generate consistent volunteerism from our membership. Currently our Association has many vacant billets and a great need for willing volunteers. Please consider volunteering your time and talents. Your Association has gained approval as a non-profit this year which opens the door for even greater possibilities for training and education. They will be limited only by your vision and effort going forward. Obtaining this status platforms our Association for greater things. It opens the door for grant opportunities which could greatly enhance our training capabilities and efforts. Keep your eye on this going forward. To date the Association has brought in $57, in dues and fees, spending $47, for equipment, training and the association s operation. Most of the dollars were spent for our conferences. I leave the Association with a balance of $10, as of 10 July 2014.

2 PAGE 2 Chairman s Corner (continued) IT IS CONFERENCE TIME!!! Our 5 th Annual Conference will be held 5 to 8 August in Murfreesboro. Shamefully, I have to report that less than 50 people have registered. We can change that!!! If you have not registered to attend, please do so NOW. Your FEMA mitigation specialist will be attending the conference and providing training, along with other members from the FEMA staff. You will be able to receive the latest information on the new insurance changes. That alone will be worth the cost for the conference. I don t believe that you can get a better bang for your buck in training dollars. Lastly, I want to take a moment to thank all of the volunteers who have made my tenure successful. To all who have served on our Board of Directors, thank you. Your efforts are appreciated more than you know. See everyone at the conference. Sincerely, Alan M. Armstrong Chairman, TN AFPM TN AFPM th ANNUAL CONFERENCE August 5 th 8 th, 2014 The Tennessee Association of Floodplain Management (TN AFPM) welcomes you to our 5 th ANNUAL CONFERENCE in Murfreesboro, TN. On-line Registration is available on our association website: and annualconference Tuesday, August 5 th Kickoff at 1pm Wednesday, August 6 th Full Day w/ lunch Thursday, August 7 th Full Day w/ lunch Friday, August 8 th CFM Exam Course instructors from: FEMA Region IV TEMA Local TN Governments Industry Leaders Certified Floodplain Manager: Refresher Course Exam Exhibitor Showcase Networking and Social Events!

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10 PAGE 10 TN AFPM Board of Directors - Elections The Tennessee Association of Floodplain Management (TN AFPM) Nominating Committee has solicited nominations for the Board of Directors and compiled the following ballot for your review. Please utilize this survey (link below) to review all nominees and cast your ballot. Our new officers will be installed at the upcoming Annual Conference this August 5th - 8th in Murfreesboro, TN. NEW TN State NFIP Coordinator Meet Amy Miller As the State NFIP Coordinator, Amy manages Tennessee s efforts to provide technical assistance and coordination of activities for sound floodplain management throughout the state. In this role, she assists citizens and professionals with questions regarding the National Flood Insurance Program and aids local elected officials and staff to implement effective floodplain management strategies in their communities ensuring compliance with the NFIP requirements. This includes program oversight and technical assistance as well as evaluation and documentation of floodplain management activities. Amy has a background in land use and community planning and previously worked in ECD s Local Planning Assistance Office as a Principal Planner. In this role, she assisted several cities in Middle Tennessee with their comprehensive planning and development efforts. Amy s experience at Local Planning provided her with an understanding of the critical points of planning law, Tennessee enabling statutes, site design techniques, as well as the opportunity to assist local floodplain administrators and elected officials with floodplain management regulations. During the catastrophic floods of 2010, Amy worked directly with the impact assessment and recovery efforts in small towns impacted by the flood. This experience exposed Amy to the dramatic impacts that flooding can have on a local community and the operational and administrative aspects of the NFIP in response to a catastrophic event. These experiences built upon her graduate work at The Ohio State University and other professional development experiences working in planning agencies in Ohio. Additionally, Amy has also valuable administrative experience from her time working as a Budget Analyst in the Division of Budget for the state of Tennessee s Department of Finance and Administration. A native of northeast Ohio, Amy worked for local government specializing in farmland preservation, enterprise zone monitoring and rails-to-trails development. She obtained her Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University before moving to Nashville in 2009.

11 PAGE 11 PAGE 11 TN AFPM State NFIP Coordinator s Corner Part of effective and efficient floodplain management is reaching out to others through various communication channels. Beginning in April, Stanley Harrison and Amy Miller at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) conducted Community Assistance Contact visits to six local communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program to monitor and assist in improving floodplain management administration in these communities. In addition, through the remainder of the year Amy will call over 40 communities participating in the program to provide compliance information and offer assistance for improved floodplain management. In May, Stanley Harrison and Roy McClure from FEMA Region Four office in Atlanta, Georgia conducted an L-273 class in Chattanooga for planning officials to gain increased knowledge of flood zones, map reading, federal regulations, and administration of the model ordinance. Through the remainder of the year, TNECD staff will conduct training workshops to prepare Development District staff in each grand division to educate numerous local governments in their respective regions. Through this effort, in-depth information on a variety of topics will be provided to local staff assisting their communities with sound floodplain management techniques and regulations. Additionally, through a partnership with the Development Districts outreach and training will be provided to communities participating and those not currently participating in the NFIP. Through this effort, TNECD and Development District staff will contact the numerous community officials to make them aware of opportunities to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and various topics related to floodplain management. For communities already participating, efforts will be made to identify and correct any issues that would cause them to lose their standing in the program. Also, training sessions will be made available for local officials to gain insight on the program and to answer questions about various aspects of floodplain management. As the new NFIP Coordinator, I look forward to working with each community to provide technical assistance regarding issues your community faces. I would like to personally thank Stanley Harrison for his leadership and knowledge of the National Flood Insurance Program. Your hard work and diligence has greatly benefited the citizens of Tennessee especially your leadership on map modernization and administration of the floodplain model ordinance. You will be greatly missed! TN AFPM Treasurer s Report Deposits = $57, Expenditures = $47, Balance = $10, Membership = 205 in 80 unique jurisdictions

12 PAGE 12 PAGE 12 TN AFPM Regional Updates EAST TENNESSEE STACY MORRISON TN AFPM held a Regional Training and Outreach Session in East-Tennessee at the Cleveland / Bradley County Area Chamber of Commerce in Cleveland, Tennessee on Wednesday May 7th, The training session was hosted by the Bradley County Planning Office and featured an informational session on the Biggert- Waters Act of 2012 as well as recent updates to the federal law including the Grimm-Waters Act of That session was presented by Stanley Harrison and Amy Miller from the State of Tennessee. In particular, Stanley Harrison focused on impacts the federal legislation would have on local jurisdictions in the State of Tennessee. Stacy Morrison, CFM, from TDOT s Long Range Planning Division also provided presentations to the group on the planning aspects of the NFIP and a presentation on TDOT s Long Range planning efforts. Lunch was provided and afterwards there was a question and answer session with Stanley. Stanley announced his retirement coming up in June and his replacement Amy Miller was present at the meeting. Stanley has been a tremendous resource over the years and will be greatly missed and we were glad to have one last opportunity to meet with him and pick his brain. The session was well attended including participation from as far away as Knox County, Oak Ridge and Graysville, Tennessee. There were between 15 and 20 people in attendance including surveyors, engineers, and local flood plain administrators in attendance. Keep a look out for a training opportunity on the NFIP to be provided through the planners of the Southeast Tennessee Development District. The plan is to provide that training in the fall; September 10th in Chattanooga and September 18th in Knoxville. Additional details will be provided later. We in East Tennessee appreciate the opportunities that TNAFPM has provided us and look forward to all the organization has to offer throughout the rest of this year. MIDDLE TENNESSEE TOM BRASHEAR The Middle-Tennessee Regional Training and Outreach Session was held earlier this year in March Currently, the floodplain management professionals of Middle- Tennessee are looking forward to the upcoming 5th Annual Conference in August. WEST TENNESSEE TOM SKEHAN Once again the Development Districts have contracted with FEMA to provide NFIP trainings in each of the nine Tennessee Development District territories. In addition, a training session in each grand division will be offered. Stay tuned to notices from each district. Speaking of training, the West Tennessee Region will conduct their annual training on December 5 th from 9 AM to 3 PM. SWTDD in Jackson will host this event in their Executive Board Room. As always, this event will be free to TN AFPM members and lunch will be included. Specific training topics have not been determined, therefore, should you have any training topic ideas or if you have any recommendations on a speaker, please or call me. Contact Information for all TN AFPM Regional Representatives is provided on the following page.

13 PAGE 13 PAGE 13 TN AFPM Contact Information Chairman: Alan M. Armstrong, CFM, FPA, CMSWM PLANS & MORE, LLP 2508 Pleasant View Road Pleasant View, TN (615) (Home) (615) (Cell) Treasurer: William Veazey, CFM Tipton County Planning Dept. 220 Highway 51 North, Suite 3 Covington, TN (901) (Office) tcplanning@bellsouth.net East TN Regional Representative: Stacy Morrison Tennessee Department of Transportation 4005 Cromwell Road, P.O. Box Chattanooga, TN (423) stacy.morrison@tn.gov West TN Regional Representative: Tom Skehan, Regional Planner Southwest TN Development District 27 Conrad Drive, Suite 150 Jackson, Tennessee (731) tskehan@swtdd.org Ex-Officio: Amy J. Miller State NFIP Coordinator TN Department of Economic and Community Development 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 26th Floor Nashville, Tennessee (615) (Office) (615) (Cell) Amy.J.Miller@tn.gov Vice Chairman: Ms. Sandra Knight, P.E., F.ASCE, CFM Bradley County, TN P.O. Box 1167 Cleveland, TN (423) (Office) (423) (Cell) sknight@bradleyco.net Secretary: Cindy Popplewell, P.E., CFM AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc Ezell Road, Suite 100 Nashville, TN (615) ext (Office) (615) (Cell) cindy.popplewell@amec.com Middle TN Regional Representative: Tom Brashear Wilson County Planning 228 East Main Street Lebanon, TN (615) tombrashear@wilsoncountyplanning.com Ex-Officio: Roy B. McClure, CFM FEMA Region IV Mitigation Branch 3003 Chamblee Rd. (770) (Office) roy.mcclure@fema.dhs.gov TN AFPM th ANNUAL CONFERENCE