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US Army Corps of Engineers

Institute for Water Resources Website

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Flood Risk Reduction Standard for Sandy Rebuilding Projects Engineering and Construction Bulletin Available

Published Jan. 29, 2014

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Debris left in Hurricane Sandy’s wake on Fire Island, N.Y., awaits removal Feb. 22, 2013. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the removal of hurricane debris on Fire Island as part of the federal government’s Sandy response and recovery efforts in New York.

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Coney Island landmarks are visible as crews work to place sand and restore the beach at Coney Island Friday September 20, 2013. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is placing roughly 600,000 cubic yards of sand at Coney Island to replace sand lost during Hurricane Sandy and also to restore the Coney Island project to its original design profile from when the coastal storm risk reduction project (primarily the beach) was originally constructed in the 1990s. While the beach is a tremendous recreational asset, it's important to note that the engineered beach is designed to act as a buffer and reduce risks to the community from coastal storms like Hurricane Sandy.

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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel discuss beach renourishment activities at the site of active sand placement work in the Rockaways August 15, 2013. Post-Sandy sand placement activities are underway at Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY as part of a project placing roughly 3.5 million cubic yards onto the beach to help reduce risks from future storms.

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A red fox braves winter weather on Fire Island, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2013. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the removal of hurricane debris on Fire Island as part of the federal government’s Sandy response and recovery efforts in New York. The Corps is coordinating debris removal operations with local, state and federal agencies to minimize disruption of the island’s sensitive ecosystem.

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ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has posted a new Engineering and Construction Bulletin (ECB) 2013-33, “Application of Flood Risk Reduction Standard for Sandy Rebuilding Projects.” The ECB provides information on how to apply the April 2013 Flood Risk Reduction Standard (FRRS) for Sandy Rebuilding Projects.

The ECB outlines a procedure to establish applicability, determine best available base flood elevation (BFE), and calculate the minimum flood risk reduction elevation required. IWR’s Global and Climate Change team developed a web tool to facilitate this process.

The guidance requires all Sandy related vertical construction infrastructure and nonstructural mitigation projects funded by Public Law 113-2 to:

Establish whether the project is located within or outside the applicable geographic area of the Sandy recovery area containing projects funded by Public Law 113-2.
Determine best available base flood elevation (BFE) for the project location and the nearest acceptable long-term tide gauge.
Determine the minimum FRRS elevation.
Identify whether the applicable local minimum flood risk reduction standard is more restrictive.
Determine the minimum elevation of the first floor of vertical infrastructure for rebuilding or incorporating nonstructural retrofits to existing structures.

The ECB contains an appendix with instructions for establishing applicability of the FRRS, including an example.

The point of contact for the ECB is Dr. Kate White, PE, Senior Lead, Global and Climate Change team.