This page outlines the Federal Interagency Floodplain Management (FIFM) Task Force work plan, effective floodplain policy development, and floodplain management recommendations.
Task Force Approval of Work Plan with Vision, Goals, and Objectives
Purpose of the Work Plan
This Work Plan seeks to identify and develop opportunities for the federal government to be more effective in promoting and encouraging floodplain management decisions that will 1) reduce the loss of life and property caused by floods, and 2) protect and restore natural resources and functions of floodplains.
This Work Plan is a living document that reflects the evolution of knowledge about effective floodplain management and a variety of stakeholder perspectives and input. Through this Work Plan, the Task Force will provide federal leadership by supporting and promoting effective floodplain management, but with care not to preempt or direct local decion-making. The Task Force will identify ways to improve interagency coordination, disseminate critical information, and formulate effective policies and guidance to help achieve the goals of floodplain management. The Task Force will also actively seek stakeholder involvement and collaboration with public and private interests to reduce flood losses and the environmental degradation of floodplains for current and future generations.
The FIFM Task Force Fact Sheet is available for you to view and download.
For additional information please contact David Stearrett, Branch Chief, Floodplain Management Branch, FEMA/DHS, 202-646-2953.
Background
The Federal Interagency Floodplain Management (FIFM) Task Force was authorized and established by Congress in 1975. The purpose of the Task Force is to carry out the responsibility of the President to prepare for the Congress proposals necessary for a Unified National Program for Floodplain Management.
For more than 40 years, some form of an interagency group has worked to better understand the interactions between human actions and natural systems in the floodplain environment and to make recommendations to reduce the loss of life and property caused by floods. In 1994, the Task Force submitted to the President A Unified National Program for Floodplain Management, which called for the formulation of a more “comprehensive, coordinated approach to protecting and managing human and natural systems” in a sustainable development context. The Task Force includes representatives from the following agencies: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Homeland Security-FEMA, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Council on Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration and Tennessee Valley Authority. Before being reconvened in 2009, the Task Force last met in 1997 after publishing the document Protecting Floodplain Resources: A Guidebook for Communities.
Federal Interagency Floodplain Management (FIFM) Task Force Member Agencies
Department of the Army (Corps of Engineers)
Department of Homeland Security--Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Transportation
Environmental Protection Agency
General Services Administration
Tennessee Valley Authority
Council on Environmental Quality (Advisor)
Office of Management and Budget (Advisor)
FIFM Task Force Activities Update (July 2013)
The FIFM Task Force has developed an activities update to inform floodplain management professionals, interest groups, the public, and other stakeholders about the work of the Task Force and highlight key floodplain management issues.
For additional information please contact David Stearrett, Branch Chief, Floodplain Management Branch, FEMA/DHS, 202-646-2953.
The Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force (FIFM-TF) has identified a number of opportunities to enhance floodplain management efforts at various levels of government and to help agencies become better stewards of public resources. The Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force Consensus Recommendations from a Federal Floodplain Management Policy Analysis provides recommendations for taking advantage of these opportunities. Some activities are recommendations to one or more federal agencies. Others describe actions that the Task Force will take and incorporate into its overall work plan to be carried out over the next 3-4 years.
For additional information please contact David Stearrett, Branch Chief, Floodplain Management Branch, FEMA/DHS, 202-646-2953.
Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force - Guidance on Unwise Use of Floodplains
The Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force (FIFM-TF) prepared guidance on unwise use of the floodplain. This document is intended to help Federal agencies avoid the unwise use of floodplains and reflects the perspectives of the various Federal agencies on the Task Force. It is not intended to supersede the missions, legislative requirements, or policies of any agency. This guidance may be of use in several instances, including the ongoing effort to revise the Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies, dated March 10, 1983, in the development of the corresponding individual agency guidance, and future activities where a consolidated Federal perspective may add value.
For additional information please contact David Stearrett, Branch Chief, Floodplain Management Branch, FEMA/DHS, 202-646-2953.
Unified National Program for Floodplain Management
These reports set forth a conceptual framework and identifies strategies fundamental to implementing a balanced approach to floodplain management. The reports were prepared by a task force of Federal agenices and submitted by the President to Congress. Note the President's Letter to Congress dated 1995 within the Executive Summary of FEMA 248.
- A Unified National Program for Floodplain Management, 1994 (FEMA 248, March 1994)
- A Unified National Program for Floodplain Management, 1986 (FEMA 100, March 1986)
- A Framework for Implementing a National Program for Floodplain Management (FEMA 168, May 1989)
May 10th-11th, 2010 Listening Session Summary Report
Dates: Afternoon of May 10 & morning of May 11, 2010
Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia
Purpose of the Listening Session
• Solicit input on specific topics of interest to inform the content and sequencing of the work of the Task Force;
• Provide an overview of key concepts and themes associated with floodplain management, as well as the related laws, regulations, current initiatives, and future initiatives (such as development of a unified, national vision) to promote a common frame of reference among participants;
• Explore the most significant benefits associated with floodplain management, and identify the challenges to achieving this vision; and
• Obtain the perspectives of stakeholders on how these challenges can be addressed in order to more effectively protect resources and reduce hazards to people and property.
FIFM-TF LS Day 1 Opening Remarks and Presentations Play List
- Opening Remarks – Terrence “Rock” Salt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Department of Defense
- The Cost of Flooding – Sandra Knight, Deputy Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administrator, MT, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security
- Natural Resources and Functions of Floodplains – John McShane, NEP Team Leader, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Key Challenges of Floodplain Management: Federal Perspective – Edward Hecker, Chief, Office of Homeland Security and Provost Marshal, Directorate of Civil Works, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense
- Key Challenges of Floodplain Management: State and Local Perspectives – Sam Riley Medlock, Policy and Partnerships Program Coordinator, Association of State Floodplain Managers
- 50 Years of Floodplain Management: Concepts & Actions – Dr. Gerald Galloway, PE, Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering, University of Maryland
PowerPoint Presentations from the Opening Presentations of the Listening Session:
- The Cost of Flooding – Sandra Knight, Deputy Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administrator, MT, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security
- Natural Resources and Functions of Floodplains – John McShane, NEP Team Leader, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- 50 Years of Floodplain Management: Concepts & Actions – Dr. Gerald Galloway, PE, Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering, University of Maryland
For additional information please contact David Stearrett, Branch Chief, Floodplain Management Branch, FEMA/DHS, 202-646-2953.