Upper Monongahela Watershed Discovery Meeting
FEMA Announcement
4 June 2014
Dear Upper Monongahela Watershed Stakeholders:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III has
initiated the Risk MAP Discovery process for the Upper Monongahela
Watershed. The Discovery process involves a dialogue among FEMA,
communities and other watershed stakeholders to discuss and
exchange data about flood risk and increasing resilience.
Information about the Risk MAP program and Discovery process are
available at: https://www.rampp-team.com/fact_region3.htm.
Discovery Meetings
You are invited to attend one of two Discovery Meetings to
discuss flood risk, resilience, and whether a Risk MAP project is
suitable within your watershed. These very important
meetings will be held on:
Monday, June 9, 2014 from 2:30 – 6:30 PM at I-79 Technology Park,
Robert H. Mollohan Research Center, Exhibition Hall, 1000 Galliher
Drive, Fairmont, West Virginia 26554
Tuesday, June 10, 2014 from 2:30 – 6: 30 PM at West Virginia
University, Dept. of Geology & Geography, 325 Brooks Hall, 98
Beechurst Avenue, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506
If you plan to participate in one of these meetings, please reply
to this email and indicate which meeting you will attend.
For the meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at West Virginia
University, please see that attached campus maps for directions to
the venue and parking availability. Parking is available in
the Short Term Parking lots noted on the map for the cost of up to
$1.25 per hour. Access to Brooks Hall is best from the
University side of the building, walking in from the Lair or
Downtown Morgantown. Elevators operate between the 5 th and Ground
floors of Brooks Hall.
At the meetings, we will review the flood risk data we have
gathered to date, discuss your community’s flooding history,
development plans, flood risk concerns, stormwater and floodplain
management activities and other daily operations that impact your
flood risk. The content of both meetings will be the same. You are
invited to attend whichever meeting is more convenient for you.
Pre-Meeting Web Conferences
FEMA will also host three Web Conferences on Thursday, June 5,
2014 to introduce Upper Monongahela Watershed stakeholders to Risk
Map and the Discovery process and respond to your initial
questions. Discussing some of this material in advance of the
Discovery Meetings will enable meeting participants to engage in
more meaningful conversations about flood risk and resilience.
Although each Web Conference will focus on a particular group of
stakeholders, you are invited to participate in whichever call is
most convenient for you.
Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 9:00 – 10:00 AM –
Community Officials
Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 10:30 – 11:30 AM – Non-Profit and
Educational Organizations
Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM – Businesses and
Other Private Organizations
The Web Conference information for each call is the same:
Call-in number: 888-369-1427
Access Code: 2489692
Link to the Web Conference:
https://connect15.uc.att.com/urs/meet/?ExEventID=82489692
Meeting number (if requested) 888-369-1427
Access Code: 2489692#
To prepare in advance for the conference (for all devices) visit https://connect15.uc.att.com/urs/Prepare/
To view supported Operating Systems and devices visit http://www.uc.att.com/support/SupportedDevices.html
Other Information
To join the email list for the project, please reply to this
email.
[at
uppermonongahela@rampp-team.com]
For communities, we recommend that in addition to your community
CEO, you consider asking your emergency managers, GIS staff,
floodplain administrator, engineers, public outreach specialists
and/or planners to participate in the calls and meetings as
appropriate given your community’s resources. For all
stakeholders, we recommend inviting other organizations with a
vested interest in your watershed’s resources, floodplains, and
flood risk.
We have attached a Discovery Data Questionnaire for you to
complete if you have flood risk data that you would like to share
with FEMA. It is important to complete the questionnaire and
submit it to this email address at your earliest convenience.
FEMA is committed to ensuring that the Discovery Meetings and
materials are accessible to all, and so in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (www.ada.gov), reasonable
accommodations are available upon request. Please include a
description of the accommodation you will need, including as much
detail as you can. Please include a way we can contact you
if more information is needed. Make your request as early as
possible; please allow at least 5 days advance notice. Last
minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to
fill. Please contact Peter J. Herrick, Jr. at
peter.herrickjr@fema.dhs.gov or 215-931-5949 with any questions or
concerns regarding accommodations.
We thank you for supporting this effort. The partnership between
FEMA and your community will be vital to our success in
identifying flood risks and needs that may exist. If you
have any questions regarding Discovery, please reply to this email
or contact to contact the Study Manager, Marc Radell, at
215-681-9032 or marc.radell@urs.com.
Sincerely,
Cynthia McCoy
GIS/Risk Analyst
FEMA Region III