HAVANA – Funding to the Northwest Florida Water Management District to improve and complete flood hazard maps totals $16.8 million with a recent grant of $1.9 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The grant was approved by the District governing board this week and will improve flood risk maps primarily in Gadsden, Gulf, Calhoun, Leon and Liberty counties.
“FEMA notified us of additional grant funding under its new program, RISK MAP, to fill deficiencies that were recognized in processing flood hazard maps of the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee river basins,” said Ron Bartel, District Director of Resource Management. “This work will also support outreach for our coastal counties, including upgrades of our website, NWFWMDfloodmaps.com.”
“I am pleased with the diligent work of District staff that has persuaded FEMA to continue funding for data collection that will serve many water resource purposes,” said District Executive Director Douglas Barr. “More accurate flood maps and flood elevation data across northwest Florida will improve stormwater engineering and flood prevention planning and help protect lives and property.”
Actual cash match spent to date from the District’s general revenue source is about $133,326. Additionally, local governments have provided cash matches of $264,987 and in-kind efforts to help the District achieve comprehensive flood hazard mapping.
The public may access data at the NOAA Coastal Service Center Digital Coast: Data Access Viewer, http://csc-s-maps-q.csc.noaa.gov/dataviewer/viewer.html or view a somewhat coarser version at USGS, http://nmviewogc.cr.usgs.gov/viewer.htm. The District’s web site, NWFWMDfloodmaps.com, also provides information about Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and will update detailed data sets as they become available.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Ex-FEMA director could help BP out of its disaster
WASHINGTON — James Lee Witt, America's go-to guy for disaster response, knows how to take an unpopular organization and turn it around. If BP hires the former Federal Emergency Management Agency director to help with community relations, it could further a makeover of the oil giant's Gulf Coast image.
Last week, the company's British CEO, Tony Hayward, stepped down from managing the day-to-day operations of the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Hayward handed off the job to managing director Bob Dudley, a Mississippi native.
On Friday, BP and Witt's company were still hammering out the details of a contract. Dudley told reporters he asked Witt to go down to New Orleans with him to get some feedback on the company's response and what it could do in the future.
"As long as they get the job done, we don't care who they hire," said Kyle Plotkin, spokesman for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
A Dudley-Witt duo could be harder for Gulf Coast officials to criticize. For years Witt's consulting firm has been working with governments in that region to help with disaster planning and recovery.
"When James Lee Witt does something, people listen and respect it," said Bev Ciglar, a public policy professor at Penn State University. "I'm very, very surprised that he has not been more involved."
President Bill Clinton appointed Witt as FEMA director in 1993. At the time, the agency was considered one of the worst in the government after its poor responses to hurricanes Hugo and Andrew in 1989 and 1992. After Hugo thrashed South Carolina, the state's Democratic senator, Ernest Hollings, called FEMA "the sorriest bunch of bureaucratic jackasses I've ever worked with."
That reputation changed under Witt, partly because of the new image he brought to the agency. In 1994, Witt made news simply by flying to the scene of a disaster the day it occurred.
Earlier this month, Witt told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the Obama administration responded to the BP oil spill quickly. "They've got some of the smartest minds in the business coming up with solutions, but it seems to be going at a snail's pace," Witt said.
One of Witt's most valuable skills is his ability to talk about disasters, the people affected and how to help them, said George Haddow, who worked for Witt during the Clinton administration and is now a research scientist and adjunct professor at George Washington University's Institute of Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management.
"James Lee Witt knows a lot about how you communicate about disasters," Haddow said.
BP could use some help in that department. Officials estimate more than 100 million gallons of oil have leaked from the rig since the April 20 explosion.
The oil company executives' gaffes have angered Americans, particularly when Hayward said, "No one wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back."
Former Arkansas Sen. David Pryor said he called Vice President Joe Biden's office about a month ago to ask whether the Obama administration had reached out to Witt for assistance.
"I was mystified why he was not brought into the picture sooner, and frankly, I was frustrated about it," Pryor said.
As president-elect, Barack Obama sought Witt's guidance on homeland security and disaster response issues. FEMA's reputation had suffered a relapse after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when the Bush administration was slow and unprepared to respond.
James Lee Witt Associates is already working with Escambia and Okaloosa counties in Florida on their response to the BP oil spill, a company spokeswoman said.
Last week, the company's British CEO, Tony Hayward, stepped down from managing the day-to-day operations of the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Hayward handed off the job to managing director Bob Dudley, a Mississippi native.
On Friday, BP and Witt's company were still hammering out the details of a contract. Dudley told reporters he asked Witt to go down to New Orleans with him to get some feedback on the company's response and what it could do in the future.
"As long as they get the job done, we don't care who they hire," said Kyle Plotkin, spokesman for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
A Dudley-Witt duo could be harder for Gulf Coast officials to criticize. For years Witt's consulting firm has been working with governments in that region to help with disaster planning and recovery.
"When James Lee Witt does something, people listen and respect it," said Bev Ciglar, a public policy professor at Penn State University. "I'm very, very surprised that he has not been more involved."
President Bill Clinton appointed Witt as FEMA director in 1993. At the time, the agency was considered one of the worst in the government after its poor responses to hurricanes Hugo and Andrew in 1989 and 1992. After Hugo thrashed South Carolina, the state's Democratic senator, Ernest Hollings, called FEMA "the sorriest bunch of bureaucratic jackasses I've ever worked with."
That reputation changed under Witt, partly because of the new image he brought to the agency. In 1994, Witt made news simply by flying to the scene of a disaster the day it occurred.
Earlier this month, Witt told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the Obama administration responded to the BP oil spill quickly. "They've got some of the smartest minds in the business coming up with solutions, but it seems to be going at a snail's pace," Witt said.
One of Witt's most valuable skills is his ability to talk about disasters, the people affected and how to help them, said George Haddow, who worked for Witt during the Clinton administration and is now a research scientist and adjunct professor at George Washington University's Institute of Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management.
"James Lee Witt knows a lot about how you communicate about disasters," Haddow said.
BP could use some help in that department. Officials estimate more than 100 million gallons of oil have leaked from the rig since the April 20 explosion.
The oil company executives' gaffes have angered Americans, particularly when Hayward said, "No one wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back."
Former Arkansas Sen. David Pryor said he called Vice President Joe Biden's office about a month ago to ask whether the Obama administration had reached out to Witt for assistance.
"I was mystified why he was not brought into the picture sooner, and frankly, I was frustrated about it," Pryor said.
As president-elect, Barack Obama sought Witt's guidance on homeland security and disaster response issues. FEMA's reputation had suffered a relapse after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when the Bush administration was slow and unprepared to respond.
James Lee Witt Associates is already working with Escambia and Okaloosa counties in Florida on their response to the BP oil spill, a company spokeswoman said.
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