Flood Technical Assistance Partnership Committee
Committee Chair
Brian Varrella, P.E., CFM
CDOT Region 4
Email
FTAP Vision
Our vision is to improve flood resiliency for communities throughout Colorado.
FTAP Mission
The mission of the Flood Technical Assistance Partnership (FTAP) is to bring organizations together across multiple levels of government to create a unique group that can offer technical expertise to advise and comment on floodplain management issues, improve local and regional communication, and influence policy and change throughout Colorado.
Founded in 2011, FTAP addresses the unmet needs that exist between the participating organizations to provide outreach and education to local floodplain officials, facilitate risk communication, and promote the understanding of roles and responsibilities before, during and after a flood related disaster.
Core Members of the FTAP include:
DHSEM: Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
CDWR: Colorado Division of Water Resources: Water Conservancy Board & Dam Safety
CDOT: Colorado Department of Transportation
CDPHE: Colorado Department of Public Health & Education
DOLA: Colorado Department of Local Affairs
UDFCD: Urban Drainage & Flood Control District
FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency
CASFM: Colorado Association of Stormwater and FloodPlain Managers
Supporting Members:
City & County of Denver
Clear Creek County
FTAP Goals
- Increase collaboration & integration, by providing technical assistance, guidance, and expertise during and after the response and recovery phase of a flood.
- Provide expanding outreach communication, with a focused message to educate communities and stakeholders about important flood related issues in Colorado.
- Improve awareness to available resources such as grants, subject matter experts, technical presentations and current issues by promoting knowledge and advocacy.
These goals may be ambitious, but by utilizing our primary strength a statewide panel of experts and the collective drive to improve awareness and engage the public FTAP can achieve them.
In April, FEMA Region VIII completed the Reducing Losses through Higher Regulatory Standards Losses Avoided Study on the September 2013 flood event in Colorado, which includes a Best Practices and Cost Effective Strategies Report, trifold, and PowerPoint presentation. The report, case study, and trifold have been uploaded to the FEMA Region 8 cloud. The study evaluated scenarios including regulating freeboard, restricting building of residences and critical facilities in regulatory floodplains, and controlling development in erosion zones. In addition to regulations, the study investigated how the adoption of regulations over time affected losses, and how CRS scores affected NFIP claims and policies. Thanks to Matt Buddie for forwarding.