Flood Prep

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Hurricane Preparedness Is No Accident

Make a plan. Make a kit. Stay informed. – PrepareDE.org

DEMA – “Get Prepared, Delaware!”

That’s the key message from the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) as it offers tips and resources to help residents and visitors to get ready in case a hurricane or tropical storm impacts the First State.

The Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 to November 30. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast is predicting an above-average season: 14 to 21 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes, and 3 to 6 major hurricanes. So far, the Atlantic Basin has had only three named storms: Alex, Bonnie, and Colin. However the potential risk is still very real.

Delaware does not need to have a direct hit from a hurricane to experience the most disastrous effects of a major weather event: storm surge and severe coastal flooding, high winds, inland flooding, tornadoes, large waves, and rip currents. Delaware’s average elevation is only 60 feet above sea level, but most of the state south of the C & D Canal is lower. The state’s unique location on the Delmarva Peninsula – surrounded by water on three sides – makes it vulnerable to storm surge on top of high tides.

Recent history shows even the remnants of a hurricane or tropical storm can pack a powerful punch. In August 2020, Tropical Storm Isaias spawned a record-breaking 29.2-mile tornado with maximum winds up to 105 mph that wreaked a devastating path of destruction from Dover to Middletown. One woman in Milford was killed by a falling tree after the storm. And in September 2021, historic amounts of rainfall from Tropical Depression Ida caused record flooding in the Brandywine Creek in and around the City of Wilmington, causing millions in catastrophic property damage that resulted in a federal disaster declaration for New Castle County.


Flood Factors, Assessment and Preparation

https://amp.seacoastonline.com/amp/4558624001

This site provides flood risks by addresses and also steps to minimize flood damage.

DNREC - Preparing for Tomorrow’s High Tide 2014 Sea Level Rise Workshop Proceedings and Interim Implementation Plan

UD team partners with national research group dedicated to addressing America’s flood risk

  • Article by Peter Bothum Photo by Lisa Tossey June 03, 2020

https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2020/june/flood-research-data-coastal-retreat-first-street-foundation/

America's Flattest State Prepares for the Future

UDel Research

http://www1.udel.edu/researchmagazine/issue/vol4_no1/sea_level_rise_everything.html


DNREC, Delaware Geological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey:

  • Delaware is called the “First State” for being the first to ratify the Constitution, but it also ranks “first in flatness.” Delaware has the lowest mean elevation of all the U.S. states, at 60 feet. Its elevation ranges from sea level at the ocean beaches to nearly 448 feet above sea level on Ebright Road, near the Pennsylvania state line.

  • Delaware lies within a sea level rise “hotspot” where sea levels could rise faster and higher than elsewhere due to a combination of rising seas and sinking land. Sea level rise at Bowers Beach, Del., is climbing at a rate faster than anywhere else on the Atlantic coast.

NAI (No Adverse Impact) How-to Guide for Regulations and Development Standards for Floodplain

https://asfpm-library.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/FSC/General/ASFPM_NAI_Regulations_2020_version_2017_updated.pdf

  • How-to Guide for No Adverse Impact Regulations & Development Standards - 2017 Regulations

Our county’s water table is rising and our flood risks are increasing. Cluster development is a best practice recognized by the American Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) in their No Adverse Impact (NAI) guidance.

This document uses clustering as a best practice. In page 82: "the message to developers is that they can make money by using NAI approaches" like clustering. Ex: lower construction costs and maintenance costs, homebuyers will be willing to pay more money for these communities.

Cluster developments are a win-win approach to allowing development in the coastal zone. Lastly, flood risks are increasing. Local observations validated by NOAA point to a higher incidence of high tide flooding in Lewes (from an average of 4 days of high tide flooding in 2000 to 9 flood days in 2019. The # is projected to increase to 15-30 days by 2030).

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/HighTideFlooding_AnnualOutlook.html


SUBDIVISION DESIGN AND FLOOD HAZARD AREAS

Subdivision Design and Flood Hazard Areas_PAS-Report-584.pdf