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Best Practice: Daytona Beach Museum of Arts & Sciences

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In May of 2009, Florida’s northeast coast was drenched by five consecutive days of rain. One of the worst hit areas was Daytona Beach, where more than 20 percent of the streets were underwater and nearly a thousand buildings reporting some kind of flood damage.

One of those structures was the West Wing of the Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS), which contained a range of exhibits from prehistoric fossils and historic weapons to Cuban art and African artifacts. Located on a low-lying plot about three feet lower than the rest of the museum campus, the 22,416-square-foot wing gradually filled with three to four inches of flood water.

According to Jenelle Codianne, the museum’s director of marketing and public relations, there was damage to the floors, walls, interior walls, electrical, doors and office furniture. No collections were lost, but several exhibits were damaged including the Center for Florida History, which displayed the museum’s giant ground sloth skeleton. It took several days to disassemble, but the prehistoric skeleton was moved to another wing and avoided water damage. Meanwhile, museum employees were busy moving artworks into other galleries.

As one of Daytona Beach’s leading cultural institutions, it was imperative the wing be rebuilt. But museum authorities were adamant that reconstruction should eliminate the potential for future flooding.

In order to fund the reconstruction, MOAS applied for a Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and financial aid from the Volusia County Environmental, Cultural, Historic and Outdoors (ECHO) Program. The FMA program is one of the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs funded by FEMA and managed by the State of Florida.

The FEMA grant provided more than $4 million of the $5.4 million reconstruction price, with an additional $1.3 million coming from local sources including an ECHO grant and the museum’s own funding. The Orlando office of global architects VOA Associates Inc. won the competition to design the new structure, while locally based Hall Construction handled the fabrication.

After demolishing the flood-damaged structure, construction began on its replacement – on the same footprint but slightly larger than the previous building. The new wing was built on a concrete spread foundation with concrete masonry stem walls backfilled with earth and overlaid with a concrete slab. The floors of the new wing were elevated 2.5 feet above the old level and 2.2 feet above Base Flood Elevation – or roughly six inches above the maximum water level of the 2009 flood.

Unveiled in October of 2015, the new West Wing is a state-of-the-art museum space that features five exhibit galleries as well as a planetarium. In addition to being a huge success with the press and public, the resurrected building also passed its first weather test with flying colors.

“Happy to report NO FLOODING!” Stephanie Mason-Teague, the museum’s director of development, declared via email the week after Hurricane Matthew stormed up Florida’s Atlantic coast. The new West Wing held up perfectly to Hurricane Matthew. Water didn’t even get close to the building, let alone enter it. The mitigation measures incorporated at the time of the rebuilding did the job of preventing repetitive flood loss.

“We had a lot of tree debris,” Mason-Teague added, “and were without power, phones, internet.” But that was the extent of the hurricane’s impact. The museum was able to get back online, clean up the tree debris and open its doors to the public again within a week of Matthew striking Daytona Beach.

For more information on Florida’s disaster recovery visit fema.gov/disaster/4280, fema.gov/disaster/4283, twitter.com/femaregion4, facebook.com/FEMA, and fema.gov/blog, floridadisaster.org or #FLRecovers. For imagery, video, graphics and releases, see fema.gov/Hurricane-Matthew.

For more information on FMA/HMA programs, visit Floridadisaster.org or www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.

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Best Practice: Daytona Beach Museum of Arts & Sciences

Recovery on Pine Ridge – One Year Later: Oglala Sioux Tribal Members Aiding Efforts

PINE RIDGE, S.D. – Hundreds of people from all over the country have contributed to recovery efforts at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservations following severe storms and flooding in May 2015. The response triggered the largest permanent housing construction effort in FEMA’s history. As part of that effort, the agency has hired 25 local tribal members to assist in that effort, and their role has been vital.

On all disasters, FEMA tries to hire people from the impacted area to provide important local knowledge. At Pine Ridge, this process was even more important, as the local hires also served to bridge the cultural gap and assisted more seasoned FEMA individuals in dealing with disaster survivors.

Glenda Red Feather performs clerical work and has served as a guide, traveling with FEMA staff around the reservation and helping to explain to disaster survivors the assistance they are receiving. Being part of positive change in her community is what attracted her.

“The reason I wanted to work with FEMA was the fact that they were providing safety and security for our people throughout the reservation,” she said. “FEMA has had such a huge impact and brought much change to the lifestyles in numerous areas around the Pine Ridge Reservation. Things like that don’t come around too often so I found it hard not to want to be able to participate in that!”

Besides assisting the disaster survivors, the local hires have also helped other FEMA staff acclimate to the reservation, as many were unfamiliar or had never been on one previously. Staff have held numerous potlucks and informal lunches, serving as a meeting of different cultures.

“Throughout our time with FEMA we were able to teach our colleagues our cultural beliefs, customs and values,” said Red Feather. “All of that now comes across when we are meeting with the disaster survivors.”

For the local hires, like all the FEMA staff, the rewards coming in assisting those impacted by the disaster. But that has extra meaning when those people are neighbors, friends and family.

“The highlight of working with the FEMA agency would most definitely have to be seeing the look on the applicants face when their keys were being handed over to them,” said Red Feather. “Some didn’t know how to express their feelings while others weren’t able to control it. It’s an amazing feeling knowing you’re a part of such a program that is changing ones’ life (or many for that matter) for the better. This job has been such an overwhelming yet remarkable job.”

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Recovery on Pine Ridge – One Year Later: Oglala Sioux Tribal Members Aiding Efforts

FEMA Funding Continues to Flow to New York for Sandy Recovery

Main Content

Release date:

June 9, 2014

Release Number:

SRO-008

NEW YORK – Area parks and beaches that Hurricane Sandy left in shambles are opening, heralding another summer season. They also serve as tangible signs that New York is steadily recovering from the historic storm. Federal aid continues to flow to the state to help rebuild; FEMA Public Assistance grants total nearly $2.6 billion.

Recent awards include:

More than $72.4 million to New York City Parks and Recreation for debris removal and ongoing repairs to picnic areas, handball courts, marinas, equipment and other facilities;
Nearly $150 million to Suffolk County for debris removal at Tadsen’s Marina and throughout the county; for permanent repairs at Timberpoint Golf Course and for emergency repairs at Meschutte Beach Park and other county facilities;
Nearly $300,000 to the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs to replace office equipment and to make building repairs;
More than $68.5 million to the City of Long Beach for debris removal and beach repairs;
About $11.3 million for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for repair, replacement and hazard mitigation of damaged elements of the transportation system;
Nearly $2.7 million for repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

For Hurricane Sandy, FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses local, state and tribal governments and eligible private nonprofit organizations 90 percent of eligible costs for emergency and permanent work. Additional funding is expected for an array of projects throughout the affected areas.

To learn more about FEMA Public Assistance in New York, visit: fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit and dhses.ny.gov/oem/recovery.

Email NYRN@fema.dhs.gov to join the New York Recovery Network to find news, reports, grant announcements, events, training opportunities and research related to recovery and resilience

Last Updated:

July 2, 2014 – 15:47

State/Tribal Government or Region:

New York

Related Disaster:

New York Hurricane Sandy

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FEMA Funding Continues to Flow to New York for Sandy Recovery

FEMA Specialists to Provide Historic and Environmental Preservation Information at Upcoming Missouri Preservation Clinic

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.–On September 6, 2013, President Obama declared a major disaster for 18 counties in the State of Missouri. In addition to Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program funding for state and eligible local governments, qualifying private non-profit organizations many be eligible for assistance as a result of the declaration.

To help private non-profit organizations understand federal disaster assistance eligibility and the grant application process, Historic and Environmental Preservations specialists from the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) will participate in a Preservation Clinic hosted by Missouri Preservation this Friday, September 20, 2013.

Missouri Preservation Conference Preservation Clinic

Isle of Capri Hotel
100 Isle of Capri Blvd.
Booneville, MO 65233
September 20, 2013
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Free of charge and open to the public, the Clinic is organized as part of Missouri Preservation’s annual Statewide Preservation Conference and will feature demonstrations of various hands-on techniques to restore and preserve historic building materials as well as short one-on-one sessions with experts in the preservation field.

During the Clinic, FEMA representatives will also provide information on a variety of preservation topics including:

Integrating Historic Property and Cultural Resource Considerations into Hazard Mitigation Planning

Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions: Before and After Disasters
Heritage Emergency Task Force

For more information on the Missouri Preservation Conference and Preservation Clinic, contact Missouri Preservation at 660-882-5846 or email Preservemo10@yahoo.com.

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Visit FEMA Region VII’s website and follow us on social media, at www.twitter.com/femaregion7, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate on Twitter. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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FEMA Specialists to Provide Historic and Environmental Preservation Information at Upcoming Missouri Preservation Clinic

Local Groups Making Long-Term Commitment to Louisiana’s Recovery

BATON ROUGE, La. – As Louisianians continue to recover from Hurricane Isaac, some of their needs may go beyond the scope of assistance from the state or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That’s when community-based long-term recovery groups can help, providing what hurricane survivors most often need: money, materials and manpower.

With support and guidance from FEMA and the state, long-term recovery groups are working vigorously in 15 parishes. Formed from a multiple-parish network of nonprofits, voluntary agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations, these recovery groups are assessing the longer-term needs of individual hurricane survivors and connecting them to assistance.

Some of the groups were in place even before Hurricane Katrina while others formed after that storm. They were all able to act after Hurricane Isaac and will continue to do so for months or even years. Other parishes have groups that are under development or forming now.

“Long-term recovery groups are an integral part of the whole-community approach to recovery,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Gerard M. Stolar of FEMA. “The volunteers who make up these groups are working hard to take Hurricane Isaac survivors through the last steps in their recovery.”

Staff and volunteers from some of the groups are helping clear debris that remains at hurricane-damaged homes, while others are recruiting volunteers and staff. Some groups have programs to help survivors pay utility bills or obtain help with everyday necessities such as clothing, appliances and furniture.

Specific efforts include:

The Benevolent Rural Alliance for Cultural and Environmental Strategies (BRACES) operates in eight parishes. One of the group’s initiatives is a veterans’ building and repair assistance program.
Northshore Disaster Recovery in St. Tammany Parish is repairing hurricane-damaged homes, funded, in part, with money raised from fundraising efforts in other states.
A new long-term committee has formed in St. John Parish where many of the members themselves sustained damage and loss in the August storm. Subcommittees include volunteer and donation coordination and construction and clean up.
The South Louisiana Long-Term Recovery Committee (SOLA) has been active since 1993 and is currently operating in Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes. Among SOLA’s efforts is the revitalization in St. Mary Parish of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster group, which has not been active for seven years.
Formed in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery (CPR) is made up of local nonprofit and faith-based groups. CPR, with technical assistance from FEMA, is training local churches on how to perform case management. CPR and the parish government have a memorandum of understanding that designates CPR as the primary point of contact for voluntary organizations and nonprofits for response and recovery after a disaster.

In each case, Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) from FEMA and the state helped to organize the groups, and VALs continue to support them by, for example, providing training for services such as case management.

“VALs prepare the recovery groups to help survivors rebuild their lives,” said Mark Davis, supervisor of FEMA’s VAL group in Louisiana. “Their work makes a community whole again, one household, one neighborhood at a time.”

Survivors who wish to contact a long-term recovery group and are not already connected with an agency in their community may visit Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster at www.lavoad.org or contact their parish officials.

Following is a list of groups and the locations they are serving:

Long-Term Recovery Group	Parish/City Served
Benevolent Rural Alliance for Cultural and Environmental Strategies (BRACES)	St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, Livingston, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. John and St. Helena
Committee for Plaquemines Recovery	Plaquemines
Crescent Alliance Recovery Effort	Orleans
Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster	Livingston, Tangipahoa, St. Helena, St. Tammany, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, and Washington
Jefferson Disaster Recovery Committee	Jefferson
Madisonville Relief Effort	City of Madisonville
Northshore Disaster Recovery Inc.	St. Tammany
St. John Parish Long-Term Recovery Group	St. John
South Louisiana Long-Term Recovery Committee	Lafourche, St. Mary, Terrebonne, and Town of Grand Isle
St. Bernard Resource Committee	St. Bernard
Washington Emergency Recovery Cadre	Washington

For more information on Louisiana disaster recovery, click www.fema.gov/disaster/4080 or www.gohsep.la.gov. You can follow FEMA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion6 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FEMA. Also visit our blog at www.fema.gov/blog.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

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 us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6, the R6 Hurricane Preparedness website at www.fema.gov/about/regions/regionvi/updates.shtm and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

Originally posted here –

Local Groups Making Long-Term Commitment to Louisiana’s Recovery

St. Bernard Parish’s Public School System Enters Final Leg of Recovery

Release Date: May 1, 2012
Release Number: 1603-974

» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Rita
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Katrina

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today a $148.3 million consolidated grant to the St. Bernard Parish School Board, largely supporting the implementation of their post-Katrina, overall recovery plan.

“For nearly six and a half years, we have been steadfast in our efforts to fully rebuild our schools for the children of St. Bernard. These efforts, comprised of partnerships between our school board, FEMA and the state, have culminated in this monumental grant, which allows us to finish our final recovery endeavors,” said St. Bernard School Board Superintendent Doris Voitier.

During Hurricane Katrina, St. Bernard Parish’s public school system was destroyed, with most of their facilities rendered inoperable following the storm. Prior to the unprecedented destruction, these facilities served nearly 9,000 students throughout the local community.

“Given the reality of the large-scale catastrophe at hand, St. Bernard Parish School Board Superintendent Doris Voitier had to swiftly make initial, yet effective, recovery decisions with the goal of quickly returning students to school. Through her leadership, these early efforts transformed into a comprehensive recovery plan that is now nearing fruition,” said FEMA’s Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan.

The school system’s new layout is built upon the determination that rebuilding all damaged facilities at their original locations was not in the best interest of the community’s post-Katrina needs. Instead, the same functions and capacities that existed pre-Katrina were restored in a different configuration.

FEMA’s recent grant supports these efforts, approving Voitier’s consolidated alternate project request for the agency to streamline federal funding provided for 15 damaged facilities into nine targeted projects.

The nine projects include Chalmette High School; Chalmette High School’s baseball field house, football field house and storage facility; Maumus Arts Center and Planetarium; new Lacoste Elementary School; the Cultural and Performing Arts Center; the school system’s transportation, maintenance and storage building; Arabi Elementary School’s gymnasium; J.J. Davies Elementary School’s enclosed walkway and new Gautier Elementary School.

“Our consolidated funding best reflects the needs of the St. Bernard Parish School Board as they embark on their final rebuilding efforts and becoming the first school system in Louisiana destroyed by Hurricane Katrina to reach their end goal—full recovery,” added Cadogan.

In total to date, FEMA has provided approximately $500 million in public assistance to the St. Bernard Parish School Board for all recovery work related to restoring their school system following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

When FEMA approves projects through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are made available to the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, who disburses them to the applicant for eligible work completed.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations’ buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 02-May-2012 08:16:57

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St. Bernard Parish’s Public School System Enters Final Leg of Recovery