October 11, 2012
Re: Hudson‐Hoosic Watershed Discovery Stakeholders Meeting/ FEMA RiskMAP Program
Dear Sir or Madam:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) are cooperating on a new Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (RiskMAP) project for the Hudson‐Hoosic Watershed, including your communities associated with your organization. FEMA’s RiskMAP program is designed to deliver quality data that increases awareness of flood risks and leads to mitigation activities which reduce the potential loss of life and property. To achieve this goal NYSDEC and FEMA is continuing to work with communities within the Hudson‐Hoosic Watershed to determine if additional floodplain and flood risk mapping products are needed. To learn more about FEMA’s RiskMAP program, visit http://www.fema.gov/rm‐main.
In March 2012 NYSDEC and FEMA conducted pre‐Discovery meetings to discuss each community’s flood mapping needs, development pressures, and to request any data each
community or county may have that would be useful in the flood mapping process. As a follow up to those meetings, NYSDEC and FEMA will be holding two Discovery Stakeholder Meetings in the Hudson Hoosic Watershed.
For areas in the western half of the Hudson Hoosic Watershed (portions of Saratoga and Warren Counties) the discovery meeting will be held:
October 22, 2012
1:00 PM
Malta Town Hall
Main Meeting Room
2540 State Route 9
Malta, NY 12020
For areas in the eastern half of the Hudson Hoosic Watershed (portions of Rensselaer and Washington Counties) the discovery meeting will be held:
October 23, 2012
9:30 AM
Washington County Municipal Center
Building B
Basement Training Room 1
Ford Edward, NY 12828
Kindly confirm your organization’s attendance, including which meeting you will be attending, via email to NYSDEC Floodplain Management Staff at floodpln@gw.dec.state.ny.us by October 17th, 2012. Please extend this invitation to other interested individuals in your organization. The purpose of the Discovery Meetings is to review the information stakeholders provided in the March 2012 meetings, discuss the floodplains and floodplain management activities throughout the watershed, discuss the mitigation plans, mitigation projects and flood risk concerns, and to provide additional feedback for FEMA and NYSDEC to consider when developing the RiskMAP project scope, including development of new Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). In addition to updated DFIRMs, flood risk mapping projects may include the development of easy‐to‐use risk assessment tools and data where appropriate. Other RiskMAP projects may range from activities involving mitigation projects or planning, communication and outreach support, or other related efforts that reinforce a community’s flood resiliency.
We would welcome attendance and feedback from your organization since this will be the primary opportunity for stakeholders to learn about the RiskMAP program and provide local input to proposed watershed project. If this is not possible, or if you have any questions, please contact NYSDEC at 518‐402‐8185 so that other arrangements can be made.
Sincerely,
Chief, Floodplain Management Section,
Bureau of Flood Protection and Dam Safety,
NYSDEC