vernonia’s
voice
city news
march
2008
New Flood Plain Management
Ordinance Gives Citizens and
City Proper Tools
At a special City Council Session on February 7, 2008, the Vernonia City Council
voted to accept the new Draft Flood Hazard Study Map proposed by the Army Corp
of Engineers which establishes new flood zone areas. The Council also adopted Or-
dinance 851, the Flood Plain Management Ordinance, which repealed six previous
ordinances and is designed to promote public health, safety and general welfare for
Vernonia Citizens. Council approved the Ordinance after a hearing held by the City
Planning Commission.
The Ordinance is intended to minimize losses from flood conditions by ensuring
that occupants in the special flood hazard zone assume responsibility for any altera-
tions to their property by obtaining Flood Development Permits and by providing tools
for potential buyers to determine if properties are in the special flood hazard zone. The
ordinance brings the city into compliance with all state and federal guidelines. It is
especially pertinent because it allows the city to continue to participate in the National
Flood Insurance program which is intended to provide affordable rates for residents in
areas prone to flooding.
“The City was supposed to have been enforcing this ordinance since 1988 when
we joined the National Insurance Program,” said City Planning Commissioner Heath-
er Lewis who was instrumental in creating the new ordinance. “But because of a
misunderstanding between the city and FEMA about the language in the ordinance
and the way it was to be interpreted, it wasn’t. Because our previous building permit
process didn’t meet standards, FEMA graciously agreed to work with us to develop a
more efficient application and help us get caught up. They are allowing us to move
forward from this point and be considered in compliance.”
The Ordinance also provides for the determination by the City of Vernonia of
Substantial Damage. Substantially Damaged properties are properties that have been
damaged to more than fifty percent of the pre-flood value of the structure. “Substantial
Damage will have a direct bearing on whether home owners will be required to elevate
their homes,” said Lewis. “There are funds available to help with compliance. Each
case is going to be very different. We are really encouraging people to come in and get
assistance with this determination at the Flood Recovery Center. They need to look at
each specific situation to help determine what will be best for each property owner.”
The ordinance will monitor the impact of development in the flood plain by re-
quiring permits for almost any development in the flood zone. The new maps and
ordinance have created a new Flood Management Area which encompasses the previ-
ous designations of “flood way”, “100 year zone”, “500 year zone”. “Now everyone
within the Flood Management Area needs a Flood Zone Development Permit. This
will make it much easier to be in compliance,” said Commissioner Lewis.
The updated map is based on new datum that has provided a new mean sea level
measurement; it is approximately three and a half feet higher (depending on location)
than the one from 1929 which was what the previous flood map was based on. “The
new map is based on this new mean level and then also takes into account the new high
water levels of this flood.”
Lewis went on to explain what the new ordinance will accomplish. “This cleans
up what was not a very user-friendly process. This puts all the information in one
place. People used to get very different answers to similar questions about develop-
ment. It wasn’t the staff’s fault; it was the fault of the document that was in place.
This will seem like a change in the way the city is doing business at first, but what it
does is clarify a lot of issues.”
“This is going to be a different way to gather accurate information. The end result
will be no adverse impact on the flood plain,” continued Lewis. “It may be awkward
at first because it wasn’t being enforced before, but eventually it will be seamless.”
Lewis concluded by talking about the resources that are available to help people
with rebuilding. “There are so many resources available. The Flood Recovery team
has secured drywall and other building supplies. We have donated labor working here
in the community from Christian Aid Ministries. Habitat for Humanity and other aid
groups are considering coming to help. I really encourage people to investigate all
options before deciding to tear down their home and rebuild. I really think the Flood
Recovery people can save them a lot of money by helping them consider all options
and alternatives.”
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07
From Relief to Recovery: Columbia
County Flood Relief In Transition
By Scott Laird
Columbia County Flood Relief is going through some changes. For all intents and pur-
poses the mission and focus of the group is still the same- getting flood victims resources
so they can return to their homes. But the methods and actual work that Flood Relief is
doing on a daily basis has changed somewhat.
“To summarize what’s changed – we have moved from giving out clothing to put-
ting together resources to make things happen,” said Jim Tierney who is directing flood
relief for Columbia County. “And there is a lot that needs to happen.”
Columbia County Flood Relief (CCFR) is working now to identify potential fund-
ing sources and find creative and flexible ways to match those sources with the needs of
the communities and victims. “We have found through the initial information gathering
that we did as the Unmet Needs Committee that only about a quarter of flood victims had
flood insurance,” said Tierney. “And for many situations the flood insurance or FEMA
money is inadequate, so we have a huge pool of people who are looking for our assis-
tance.”
In addition to locating funding sources, CCFR is finding itself playing many roles.
They are helping the city and county understand and meet their obligation to make the
determination whether a property has been “substantially damaged.” They are locating
volunteer labor and securing building materials to help ease the burden of repairs for
those property owners who lack resources. The CCFR staff members are the case man-
agers who work with each property owner, establishing relationships, giving advice, and
matching needs with resources. They must establish policy and build and design a pro-
gram structure that meets state and federal requirements as well as the needs of hundreds
of local residents. And they are helping to guide the city and county to establish policy
and direct staff as to how to enact that policy.
“This has been like starting three or four new businesses, all at the same time,” said
Dan Brown, who has assumed a lead role in flood recovery for the community, “except
usually you take time to build a plan before starting a business. When we opened our
doors we had already been in business for two days with no real plan in place and almost
no trained employees. I don’t think people realize how difficult this process is.”
Jim Tierney stressed the complicated nature of putting so many recovery projects
into action. “Every project has variables. When we are trying to put someone’s home
back together, it depends on whether they had insurance, got help from FEMA, or if they
were a business owner. It depends on what kind of experience they have – can they do
any of the construction themselves, do they have skills that are helpful, do they know
how to manage a home repair project themselves? A lot of people we see don’t even
know how to start into something like this [by] themselves.”
Another huge issue is putting this all together with limited and varying funding
sources. “Different foundations, charities and government agencies have different in-
terpretations and rules,” said Tierney. “We have to wade through a lot of red tape and
be really creative. We have to be able to present our data and show how much work we
think we can do and how much it will cost. And a lot of times the funder’s requirements
and our needs don’t match up. So it’s a grueling process just to get funding for what we
need to do.”
“Our goal,” said Tierney, “is to keep as many people in this community as possible.
We are trying to find any way we can to help people get what they need. It is important
to this community, and it is vital to our local government. Whenever someone leaves
because they can’t repair their home, it reduces our tax base, and if they had children in
the school district, it affects the schools’ funding. This recovery effort is very important
to the health and welfare of this community. So we are doing everything we can.”
Tierney reiterated that recovery is going to take time, in some cases a long time.
“The people that had insurance or got adequate help from FEMA are the easy ones. The
people who have slipped through those cracks are more challenging. We have months of
work ahead of us getting people through an application process, finding funding, hiring
contractors, and administering the process. Flood Recovery is a very complicated job.”
Columbia County Flood Relief continues to encourage those in need of assistance
to come into the relief center and meet with a case worker. You can also schedule an
appointment to meet with Dan Brown to discuss the “substantial damage” process or ask
other flood recovery questions.
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