Matthew Gonser is appointed as the City's Executive Director for the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency.
Hawai'i CFM Matt Gosner is the new Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency’s Executive Director
2021 Hawai'i Floodplain Management Virtual Training
This training opportunity is FREE and made possible through FEMA RIX’s support. Although it may appear that some of these sessions are targeting community officials, they will also be useful to design professionals. Architects, engineers, and surveyors will learn how their SFHA development projects are reviewed for compliance and understand some of the common errors... Continue Reading →
STATE CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION COMMISSION ENDORSES TOOLS FOR SEA LEVEL RISE PLANNING
At its October meeting, the Hawai’i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission (Climate Commission) endorsed two recently completed documents that operationalize the recommendations of the state’s Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (2017). These guidance documents, produced in support of the Commission’s Climate Ready Hawaiʻi Initiative, help state and county planners and government officials... Continue Reading →
Counties Offer Emergency Notification System to Islanders
In order to broadcast vital information in a timely manner, all four counties offer residents and visitors the ability to receive emergency notifications should they arise. These alerts will provide information on impending weather changes or emergencies.
New Topographic Data for Hawai'i
Data on ground elevations are the most important input for flood maps and this hazard mapping is the foundation for floodplain management and flood insurance rating. Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) is a remote sensing method used to examine the surface of the Earth. The United States Geological Survey's (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) announced... Continue Reading →
FEMA Will Host a Series of Civil Rights Stakeholder Summits
Author(s): Jo Linda Johnson, Esq. FEMA’s Office of Equal Rights Director Jo Linda Johnson, shares more about the importance of FEMA's upcoming Civil Rights Stakeholder Summits. While disasters can affect us all, they can also create unique challenges to the individuals they impact. FEMA has seen firsthand how disasters affect communities differently. When working to... Continue Reading →
Wetter Than Average Conditions Predicted Over the Hawai'ian Islands from October 2020 Through April 2021
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, there is an ongoing La Nina event in the Pacific. This La Nina event is expected to persist through the spring of 2021. The consensus of climate models is projecting large scale wetter than average conditions over the Hawai'ian Islands region from December 2020 through April 2021.
Kauaʻi Property Owners and Renters: Flood Map Changes Coming Soon.
"Is your property going to see a change in flood risk?" A Letter of Final Determination (LFD) was issued by FEMA on August 26, 2020 indicating that new flood hazard determinations affecting Kauaʻi County’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report will become effective in 6 months. Updated flood studies for Hanapepe and Waimea... Continue Reading →
Agencies Sign Partnership Agreement to Enhance Mitigation and Flood Risk Communications
Representatives from the City and County Honolulu (City) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed a Charter that signals a next step to reduce flood risk along 22 streams on O‘ahu. Detailed flood hazard studies have been initiated by FEMA under their Risk MAP program. These rigorous studies are being developed under contract and... Continue Reading →
Premium Changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
Premium Changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) outlined in the attached FEMA Write Your Own (WYO) Bulletin dated October 1, 2020.