Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio (Hurricane Katrina)

Title:

Hospital Haven: Facelift Provides Safe Hurricane Refuge for Young Patients

Brief:

www.fema.gov/mitigationbp/brief.do?mitssId=2525

Full Story:

www.fema.gov/mitigationbp/bestPracticeDetail.do?mitssId=2525

Main Points:

• Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) underwent a state-of-the-art retrofit to enable it to withstand a Category 4 hurricane.
• A $5 million HMGP grant helped pay for the $11.3 million project.
• Surgeries, diagnoses, and nursing care for the hospital’s young patients continued uninterrupted throughout all phases of the renovation.
• MCH sheltered patients, staff, and their families during Hurricanes Frances, Katrina, and Wilma.
• MCH has proven to be a safe haven for sheltering sick children and those who care for them.

Title:

The C-4 Project: Moving Water to Prevent Flooding

Brief:

www.fema.gov/mitigationbp/brief.do?mitssId=2585

Full Story:

www.fema.gov/mitigationbp/bestPracticeDetail.do?mitssId=2585

Main Points:

• Mitigation was necessary to minimize or eliminate the threat of repeated lowland and street flooding in Miami-Dade County.
• To handle the distribution of water, the region is crisscrossed by a 620-mile series of canals and waterways.
• The C-4 project installed forward pump stations and an emergency detention basin.
• Canals were smoothed and reshaped, allowing water to move at a higher volume and speed.