James C' Schwab, AICP

1
Municipal Information Preservation and Disasters
A User Perspective

• James C. Schwab, AICP
• Manager, APA Hazards Planning Research Center
• American Planning Association
• International Institute of Municipal Clerks
• Chicago, May 22, 2009

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Overview of Presentation

• Overall goal of information preservation in
  disaster
• Who cares?
• Potential users
• APA example case of national user of local
  disaster information
• What matters to such potential users?
• Access
• Adequacy
• Accuracy
• Case study in depth Arnold, Missouri

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Who Cares? Why It Matters

• The goal Preserving the widest array of the most
  useful information for future decision makers at
  all levels
• Scientific information (local data can often
  supplement other official data in significant
  ways)
• Crisis management
• Policy management

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Scientific Information

• Often available from state and federal scientific
  and regulatory agencies specializing in weather
  or geologic data collection
• National Weather Service
• U.S. and state Geological Surveys
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• BUT
• Local knowledge and data can supplement such data
  in significant ways

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Crisis Management

• How was crisis handled at an emergency management
  and public safety level during response and
  recovery periods?
• How well were agencies trained and prepared for
  the crisis that ultimately struck, and what they
  learned from real life?
• What was the nature and quality of the local
  experience of reviewing decisions made in crisis?

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Policy Management

• Heavily intertwined with crisis management but
  looking toward more long-term impacts on the
  community and region
• Involves analyzing both pre- and post-disaster
  decision making, including both hazard mitigation
  and recovery planning
• Much more focused on interactions between agency
  staff and elected and appointed officials
• Where policies for crisis management were in
  place, how well were they followed, or what
  adaptations were necessary?

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Potential Users Local Disaster Data

• Academic researchers in social and physical
  sciences as they intersect with disaster research
• Policy analysts in design, public administration,
  and urban planning fields
• End users of applied research in all the above
  fields
• Local planning and public works departments
• Emergency managers
• Engineering professionals
• Consultants in various disaster-related fields

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APA National User of Local Data

• What is the American Planning Association?
• Purpose and selection of case studies in research
  projects
• How we choose case studies

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What is APA?

• 44,500 members, of which 16,000 are credentialed
  as AICP (American Institute of Certified
  Planners)
• 47 state chapters within U.S.
• 20 divisions representing special member
  interests
• 501 (c)(3) with Research Department dating to
  1949
• Planning Advisory Service with 1,100 agency
  subscribers
• Research periodicals
• Publications Department
• Planning (magazine)
• Planners Press
• Journals (JAPA, PEL)
• Newly created National Centers for Planning aimed
  at producing cutting-edge research, policy,
  education and outreach
• Green Communities Research Center
• Planning and Community Health Research Center
• Hazards Planning Research Center

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Past and Current Research Projects Relating to
Natural Hazards

• Subdivision Design in Flood Hazard Areas
• Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery and
  Reconstruction
• Landslide Hazards and Planning
• Planning for Wildfires
• Planning for the Unexpected
• Integrating Hazard Mitigation into Local Planning

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Other Recent Projects

• Planning the Urban Forest
• Planning for a New Energy and Climate Future
• Brand New Community Planning Strategiesfor
  Successful Wind Energy Implementation

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Case Studies Purpose and Selection

• Opportunity to learn from best practices
• Comparison of efficacy of various types of
  policies and decision processes in specific sets
  of circumstances
• Improve knowledge of potential pitfalls in order
  to better prepare local officials in the future
• Basis for training programs grounded in local
  realities
• Example Planning for a Disaster-Resistant
  Community
• Four regional scenarios used as interactive small
  group exercises

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How we choose case studies

• Geographic diversity
• Best practices based on policies and
  implementation
• Size and type of jurisdiction
• Transferability of lessons learned
• Significance of lessons learned
• Other factors unique to the issue under
  consideration

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Urban Forestry Case Study Analysis

• What public policy goals does the case study
  serve?
• What problems or external stimuli are driving the
  program?
• Is this a holistic approach or a single-purpose
  approach?
• Is this program part of a comprehensive plan? If
  so, how? Are there linkages to other plans or
  plan elements?
• What codes help implement the plan or program?
• What agency(s) is responsible?
• What are the innovative features, if any?
• How is the program funded? How well is it funded?
• When did the program start? How long has it been
  in existence?
• How much of this is transferable to similarly
  sized cities? (All, most, some, none)
• Who is the best contact for a case study author
  to interview?

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Integrating Hazard Mitigation into Local
Planning Case Study Template

• Population, type of jurisdiction (bullet items)
• Triggers What was the most important factor
  (person, group, or event) that moved this
  community along the path to better integration of
  hazard mitigation into the planning process?
• Status of local hazard mitigation plan (DMA)
• Jurisdiction has own plan/part of
  multijurisdictional (and if so, what is the
  entity that prepared the plan?)
• Lead agency preparing LHMP was planning agency
  involved and how?
• Stand-alone or multipurpose (e.g., doubles as
  comp plan element)
• Most important hazards facing the community (use
  simple bullet list do not list all hazards)
• Hazards and visioning
• Was the topic of hazards part of any visioning or
  goal-setting process?
• Comprehensive plan
• Is this a mandatory planning state?
• Does comp plan have some sort of hazards element
  if so, provide fundamental details
• What other elements address or cross-reference
  hazards?
• What linkages exist between the elements that
  address hazards?
• What implementation methods are cited in the
  plan?
• Subarea and functional planning
• Do any neighborhood, corridor, or downtown plans
  address hazards in any meaningful way?
• Do any functional plans (sewer, transit, etc.)
  address hazards? For instance, sewerage may deal
  with stormwater, which is ultimately a potential
  flooding problem as well as an environmental
  issue.
• Plan implementation

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What matters to us in disaster-related case
studies?

• Access to decision-making process among (e.g.)
• Elected and appointed officials
• Line agencies (police/fire/emergency/public
  works)
• Staff agencies (planning/city manager/finance)

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What matters to us in disaster-related case
studies?

• Accurate, adequate records of events
• How early decisions may have opened or foreclosed
  later options
• Nature and extent of public involvement
• Problems that were averted/minimized/exacerbated
• Relationships with neighboring or area
  jurisdictions
• Relationships with other levels of government
• Interactions with private sector and institutions
  (e.g., hospitals and universities)

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Other Relevant Disaster Research

• Quick Response need access to data before it
  spoils
• Social science how communities adapt
• Emerging concept of resilience how to define it
• Public administration
• Crisis management and preparation and training
• Emergency management
• Effective tools and methods
• Integration with other professionals and agencies
• Civil and structural engineering

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Arnold, MO (1993 Midwest Floods)Case Study
Example in Depth

• Emergency period
• Historic documentation of flood problems
• 1993 floods aftermath
• Overall lessons

Map source http//www.city-data.com/city/Arnold-
Missouri.html
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The Emergency Period

• Searching for sandbags due to inadequate
  documentation from prior years on what real needs
  were
• 6,000 estimate became 50,000 per day, finally
  800,000 used
• Had to pay open market prices because of shortage
• Difficulty in moving supplies where needed
  because of bridge closures
• Need to manage a multitude of tasks because there
  is no choice
• Results of crisis
• Desire to beat up the Corps gave way to loss of
  commitment among many to life on the riverfront
• Communication with residents matters
• Siting matters
• City Hall is above the floodplain
• Dispatch center and police squad room are
  windowless
• Emergency power generators allowed quick backup

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Historic Documentation of Floods

• Good documentation on the source of the problem
  prior to Arnolds incorporation as municipality
  in 1971
• Overall accumulation of upstream flood
  development increased citys vulnerability to
  flooding over time
• Arnold joined NFIP in 1980 and maintained good
  flood history documentation
• Ultimately, 1991 floodplain management plan laid
  out long-term goals for acquisition and
  relocation of flood-prone properties
• Need to remove property from development after
  acquisition
• Developing this plan put Arnold in drivers seat
  for hazard mitigation grants in 1993 flood and
  accelerated implementation of existing plan

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1993 Floods Aftermath

• Water affected 252 residences, producing 4
  million in damages
• Previous history of acquisitions lent credibility
  to grant applications
• Solid documentation aided grant applications for
  federal aid thoroughness paid off
• Inventorying available funds for mitigation pays
  off for whole community

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Overall Lessons from Arnold

• Document vulnerabilities before disaster happens
  so you can seize the moment afterwards
• Floods are easily mappable and eliminate excuses
  for being able to anticipate possible damages
• Never settle for doing the bare minimum to
  prepare
• Put more, not less, information online and
  protect it well to make the public better
  educated and prepared
• Start examining your information storage systems
  NOW