Team Activities
New Hampshire Flood Hazards Geodatabase
In response to past floods, New Hampshire has merged its content of flood information from every town into a statewide geodatabase. Silver Jackets members combed their records for flood information that includes site and event date. Going forward, after a flood event, this information is placed into the geodatabase from three sources: (1) locals, via the state’s web-based system (WebEOC); (2) NOAA NWS local storm reports; and (3) state/federal agencies. This will provide consistent flood data that could enrich flood information and funding options, and refine how locals send flood event impact information to the state to increase precision. This will grow and enhance the flood hazards geodatabase.
The NH Flood Hazards Handbook for Municipal Officials
The NH Silver Jackets Team has released the Flood Hazards Handbook for Municipal Officials. This guide has been developed for use by NH municipal officials as a resource to help communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate floods. It provides guidance, best practices, and information about available federal and state resources organized into situation-specific sections: Before the Flood, During the Flood, and After the Flood (Short Term Recovery and Long Term Recovery Considerations). Also included with the handbook are the customizable Flood Response and Recovery Checklist which can be used by municipal officials to identify and manage priority activities when a flood event happens and an Agency Contact List for more information about specific topics covered.
New Hampshire Ice Jam Assessment and Outreach Project
On December 5, 2016, the NH Silver Jackets Team kicked off its second project, which includes partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). Since New Hampshire's rivers are prone to ice jams and local officials often seek technical assistance from the state, the project will seek to enhance the Team's understanding of ice jam science, increase the state's ice jam response capability, and develop tools to address and mitigate ice jams. The project will focus specifically on the Gale River at Franconia and Sugar Hill, which experienced ice jams and related flooding in 2012 and 2016. The project will include: an assessment of existing conditions and recommend channel modifications, if appropriate; a geomorphic assessment to identify morphological changes that may have prompted ice jam formation; and production of an outreach package, to include Ice Observer Training, an item in the state's Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Hinsdale Flood and River Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Communication Project
Hinsdale Site Visit In November 2016, the NH Silver Jackets Team finalized the report for their first project, a flood and river vulnerability assessment and risk communication project for the Town of Hinsdale. The project began in Spring 2015 when the Team was contacted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who asked for assistance with one of their grant projects, which was to assess the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure vulnerability in the Town of Hinsdale. When the Team met with Hinsdale town officials, they requested additional assistance with flood-related concerns specifically those related to Kilburn Brook, which had experienced at least two flood events since 2005. As a result, the Team's first project was developed and approved in July 2015. Under the project, the following activities were completed: an assessment of Kilburn Brook to assist in understanding potential future hazards; an assessment of selected stream crossings in Hinsdale to provide information on those most at risk from river process compatibility and aquatic organism passage; provided the town a copy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Dams Flood Emergency Plan for Otter Brook Dam and Surry Mountain Dam, an item in their hazard mitigation plan; and provided an assessment and recommendations about Hinsdale's floodplain management program. The project provided the town with the necessary data and information to move forward with addressing the identified flood risks.