Flood Mitigation in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
BACKGROUND
Lycoming County in Central Pennsylvania encompasses over 2,200 miles of riverine waterways including a 16-mile section of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. This extensive water system, combined with the area’s mountain and valley geography, have made the county one of the most flood prone regions in the United States, with 48 recorded flood events since 1814. In 1996, the most recent wide-scale flood event, federal disaster relief expenditures totaled $147 million. 160 businesses and 1,418 homes were damaged, with nearly 700 homes destroyed or heavily damaged; 1,000 jobs were interrupted or threatened, 200 people were injured, 88 were hospitalized and there were 6 fatalities.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
County government officials, realizing that a comprehensive mitigation strategy was necessary to end the cycle of recurrent damage, began a local initiative to develop a new approach to flood management.
- The county flood warning system was modernized and upgraded with the installation of 23 automated stream gauges. With the state and federal assistance, a county program of acquisition and demolition, elevation, and relocation has removed 196 homes and businesses from repetitive flood areas.
- In cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers, the County is establishing 19 first order vertical elevation benchmarks throughout the county watersheds.
- A county-wide survey of floodplain management regulation administrative and enforcement practices was conducted in 52 floodprone municipalities for use in preparing and recommending more effective local land use regulations, including Flood Hazard Area Construction Standards for local building codes.
- The County’s GIS program has been expanded to include a range of land use information in determining hazard vulnerability areas. The vulnerability analysis database (VAD) also includes elevation certificates, repetitive loss property information, public infrastructure and critical facilities.
The County is currently partnering with FEMA and USGS to develop Digitized Flood Insurance Rate Maps for 52 municipalities. This project will incorporate the County GIS base data, DEM elevation data and hydraulic and hydrologic data for a new Flood Insurance Study and digitized flood modeling and forecasting.
BENEFITS
- Improved and extended flood early warning system
- 196 homes and businesses removed from repetitive flood areas since 1996. Fifty of these structures were repetitive loss properties under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) comprising one quarter of all repetitive loss properties in the county.
- The VAD system will assist local officials and emergency service providers in determining hazard vulnerabilities, risk relationships and damage reduction actions and will improve disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
- Improved floodplain management administration and enforcement
- County-wide involvement and awareness of flood risks and safety measures
- Reduction in future damages estimated at $35.6 million
PROJECT COST
$15.3 million to date
FUNDING SOURCES
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
- County of Lycoming
- 52 Lycoming County municipalities
- Lycoming County businesses, organizations and citizens
For additional information about Lycoming County’s comprehensive mitigation effort visit their Internet website at: http://www.lyco.org/projectimpact/default.htm
