FEMA Announces Membership of New Technical Mapping Advisory Council

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced the membership of the newly created Technical Mapping Advisory Council (TMAC). As directed by Congress, the Council is tasked with developing recommendations for FEMA’s flood mapping program to ensure that flood insurance rate maps reflect the best available science and are based on the best available methodologies for considering the impact of future development on flood risk.

The establishment of the TMAC was mandated by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, and it was further expanded by the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014.

The national flood mapping program provides flood maps to inform communities about the local flood risk and help set minimum floodplain standards so communities may build safely and resiliently. The flood insurance rate maps established under the program are used to set flood insurance premiums. 

“The experts selected to serve on the Technical Mapping Advisory Council represent a broad range of engineering and mapping disciplines,” said David Miller, FEMA’s associate administrator for the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA).  “Their extensive knowledge and diverse points of view will be great assets as they make recommendations for the national flood mapping program and how we continue to map using technically credible and scientific practices in identifying flood risk.”

Members were selected based on specific, Congressionally mandated membership guidelines to ensure that a variety of stakeholder perspectives are reflected in the deliberations and recommendations.  The legislation requires the appointment of members from 16 specific member categories to ensure a significant cross section of technical expertise. These categories include a geographically diverse group of federal, state and local agencies, and various categories of private sector associations and organizations that deal with flood-related issues.

In addition to the expertise of Council members, FEMA recognizes that specific subject matter experts will be a critical component of the Council’s work and will be selected to assist the TMAC membership.  Subject matter experts will include tribal officials, climate science experts, flood control experts from states with high concentrations of flood insurance policyholders, and other expertise the Council concludes is not fully represented within the Council’s membership categories.

The TMAC intends to hold six meetings during the first year; three virtual, and three in-person meetings. Members serve either one to two year terms to refresh and ensure the expert input required to produce the specific recommendations and reports required.

Proposed TMAC Membership:

Pending final approval of disclosure forms that must by law be submitted by certain appointees and acceptance of terms of service, membership is proposed as follows:

CATEGORY:  FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA) DESIGNEE

• Doug Bellomo, P.E. (Va.) – Director, Risk Analysis Division (RAD), FEMA.

CATEGORY:  NATIONAL OCEANIC AND AIR ATMOSPHERIC (NOAA) / COMMERCE FOR OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE DESIGNEE

• Juliana Blackwell (Md.)– Director, National Geodetic Survey (NGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

CATEGORY:  U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS DESIGNEE

• Acceptance to be confirmed.

CATEGORY:  STATE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) REPRESENTATIVE

• Richard Butgereit, GISP (Fla.) – GIS Administrator, Florida Division of Emergency Management

CATEGORY:  U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPRESENTATIVE

• Mark DeMulder (Va.) – Director, National Geospatial Program, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

CATEGORY:  STATE COOPERATING TECHNICAL PARTNERS (CTP) REPRESENTATIVES (2)

• John Dorman (N.C.) – Director, Emergency Management Division, Geospatial and Technology Management Office, North Carolina State Government
• Leslie Durham, P.E. (Ala.) – Director, Floodplain Management Unit, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs/Office of Water Resources

CATEGORY:  MAPPING MEMBER

• Scott Edelman, P.E. (N.C.) – Division Director for North America, AECOM Water Resources

CATEGORY:  STATE MITIGATION OFFICER

• Steve Ferryman, CFM (Ohio) – Mitigation and Recovery Administrator, Emergency Management Agency, State Government of Ohio

CATEGORY: REGIONAL FLOOD AND STORMWATER MEMBER

• Gale Wm. Fraser, II (Nev.) – General Manager and Chief Engineer, Clark County Regional Flood Control District

CATEGORY: LOCAL COOPERATING TECHNICAL PARTNER (CTP) REPRESENTATIVES (2)

• David Mallory, P.E. (Colo.) – Manager, Urban Drainage & Flood Control District’s Floodplain Management Program
• Second representative acceptance to be confirmed.

CATEGORY:  ENGINEERING MEMBER

• Christopher P. Jones, P.E. (N.C.) – Registered Professional Engineer

CATEGORY:  RISK MANAGEMENT MEMBER

• Acceptance to be confirmed.

CATEGORY: SURVEYING MEMBER

• Wendy Lathrop, PLS, CFM (Pa.) – President and owner, Cadastral Consulting, LLC

CATEGORY:  DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR (DOI) DESIGNEE

• Robert Mason (Va.) –  Deputy Chief, Office of Surface Water, Department of Interior (DOI)

CATEGORY:  STATE FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT MEMBER

• Sally Ann McConkey, P.E., CFM, Diplomat, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE) (Ill.) – Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois

CATEGORY:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) DESIGNEE

• To be confirmed.

CATEGORY:  NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE COORDINATION OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE

• Christine Shirley (Ore.) – Oregon State NFIP Coordinator, Natural Hazards Program Group Leader

CATEGORY:  FLOOD HAZARD DETERMINATION FIRM MEMBER

• Cheryl Small (Texas) – Vice President of Operations,  CoreLogic Flood Services

###

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.