Form 319 FEMA QS and Lo 319 FEMA QS and Lo 319 FEMA QS and Local Officials FINAL

Baseline Objectives and Questions – State and Local Officials

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is conducting this brief survey of elected local officials to:

• Understand their awareness and understanding of local flood risk

• Identify the types of flood prevention or flood risk reduction activities undertaken

• Determine if and how they share flood risk information with their citizens

• Understand how FEMA can make it easier for them to communicate about flood risk

The survey will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. CFI Group will treat all information you provide as confidential. All information you provide will be combined with others’ for research and reporting purposes. Your individual responses will not be released. This survey is authorized by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Control No 1090-0007.

I. Demographics

1. Which community do you represent? Please specify your community, country, State and Zip code.

2. When were you last elected into office? Please specify the month and year.

3. How long have you served in your current capacity? Please specify the month and year.

4. What is your title?

1. Mayor

2. City Administrator

3. Other (Specify)

II. Awareness and Understanding

5. Do you believe that your community is at risk for flooding?

1. Yes (Skip to question 7)

2. No (Skip to question 8)

3. Not sure (Skip to question 8)

4. Flood risk is the responsibility of another community official or local agency

6. Which of the following community officials or agencies are responsible for flood risk reduction? (select all that apply)

1. Local floodplain manager

2. Emergency manager

3. Public sector land use planner

4. State hazard mitigation officer

5. Flood zone determination companies

6. Other (Specify)

7. How would you characterize your community’s flood risk?

1. High risk

2. Moderate-to-low risk

3. Not sure (Skip to question 9)

8. What is the source of your flood risk information? (select all that apply)

1. Flood experience

2. Flood maps or data

3. Community planning activities

4. Flood insurance purchase requirements

5. Other (Specify)

IF Q8=1 FLOOD EXPERIENCE THEN ASK Q9

9. What was the year of your most recent flood?

IF Q8=2 FLOOD MAPS OR DATA THEN ASK Q10a-g

10. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “not very valuable” and 10 is “very valuable” how valuable have you found the following tools? If you have not used the tool please select “Not applicable.”

1. FIRMette Online

2. FIRMette Desktop Viewer

3. MapViewer Online

4. MapViewer Desktop

5. Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) / National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) Data through Google Earth

6. DFIRM / NFHL Data with your own Geographic Information Systems tools

7. Risk Assessment software (e.g., HAZUS)

11. Has your community taken action to prevent flooding or reduce flood risk?

1. Yes

2. No (Skip to question 13)

3. Not sure (Skip to question 13)

12. Which of the choices below best describes your community’s actions to prevent flooding or reduce flood risk? (select all that apply)

1. Prevention—government actions that influence how land and buildings are developed and built. (Select all that apply.)

1. Planning and zoning

2. Building codes

3. Capital improvement programs

4. Open space preservation

5. Storm water management regulations

6. Other

7. None of the above

2. Property protection—changes to buildings or structures to protect them from a hazard or remove them from the hazard area. (Select all that apply.)

1. Acquisition

2. Elevation

3. Relocation

4. Structural retrofits

5. Storm shutters

6. Shatter-resistant glass

7. Other

8. None of the above

3. Public education and awareness—actions to inform and educate citizens, elected officials, and property owners about the hazards and potential ways to mitigate them. (Select all that apply.)

1. Outreach projects

2. Real estate disclosure

3. Hazard information centers

4. School-age education program

5. Adult education program

6. Other

7. None of the above

4. Natural resource protection—actions that reduce flood risks while preserving or restoring the functions of natural systems. (Select all that apply.)

1. Sediment and erosion control

2. Stream corridor restoration

3. Watershed management

4. Forest and vegetation management

5. Wetland restoration

6. Preservation

7. Other

8. None of the above

5. Structural projects—construction of structures to prevent flooding or reduce risk of flooding

1. Dams

2. Levees

3. Seawalls

4. Other

5. None of the above

6. Other (Specify)

13. Which of the choices below best describes why your community has not taken action to prevent flooding or reduce flood risk? (select all that apply)

1. Competing priorities

2. Resource limitations

3. We are not sure which actions to take

4. We do not believe that our community is at risk

5. Other (Specify)

14. Does your community have a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Don’t know

15. Is Federal flood insurance available in your community?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Don’t know

16. Does your community participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Don’t know

IF Q16=1 YES ASK Q17

17. Does your community participate in the Community Rating System (CRS)?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Don’t know

IF Q17=2 NO ASK Q18

18. How familiar are you with the Community Rating System (CRS)? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is “not very familiar” and 10 is “very familiar.”

III. Communication

19. Whose responsibility is it to communicate with your citizens about flood risks? (Select all that apply.)

1. Mayor/CEO

2. Public safety commissioner

3. Floodplain manager

4. Emergency manager

5. Mortgage lender

6. Insurance agent

7. Newspaper/Media

8. State

9. FEMA

10. Other (Specify)

20. How often do you communicate with your citizens about flood risk?

1. At least twice a year

2. Annually, during the flooding season

3. Once every few years

4. Never

21. How often do other local officials communicate with your citizens about flood risk?

    1. At least twice a year

    2. Annually, during the flooding season

    3. Once every few years

    4. Never

22. If you learned that a new flood map was being developed for your community, how would you let your citizens know? (Select all that apply.)

1. Advertisements in newspapers

2. Speaking engagements (if so, to whom)?

3. Media briefings (TV, radio, print)

4. Web site posting

5. Outreach to insurance industry/real estate agents

6. Blogs/other social media

7. Other (Specify)

23. What do you think could motivate your citizens to take steps to protect themselves from floods? (Open end)

24. Has FEMA conducted a flood mapping study in your community since you have been in office?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t know

IF Q24=1 YES ASK Q25-27

25. Please rate the effectiveness of FEMA at communicating the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the mapping study. Use a 10-point scale, where 1 is “poor” and 10 is “excellent.” If you did not receive any communications from FEMA, please select “not applicable.”

26. Please rate the effectiveness of FEMA at keeping your community informed of the progress of your mapping study. Use a 10-point scale, where 1 is “poor” and 10 is “excellent.” If you did not receive any communications from FEMA, please select “not applicable.”

27. Please rate the effectiveness of the information and tools that FEMA provided to help you communicate the mapping study’s outcomes to other local officials and your citizens. Use a 10-point scale, where 1 is “poor” and 10 is “excellent.” If you did not receive any communications from FEMA, please select “not applicable.”

28. How satisfied are you with FEMA’s efforts to help your community understand and communicate its flood risks? Please use a 10-point scale, where 1 means “not very satisfied” and 10 means “very satisfied.”

29. How well does FEMA’s efforts to help your community understand and communicate its flood risks compare to your expectations? Please use a 10-point scale where 1 means “did not meet your expectations” and 10 means “exceeds your expectations.”

30. How does FEMA’s efforts to help your community understand and communicate its flood risks compare with the ideal effort. Please use a 10-point scale where 1 means “falls short of expectations” and 10 means “exceeds expectations.”

31. What one thing could FEMA do to make it easier for you to share flood risk information with your citizens? (Open end)