Flood Risk Management Plan

With every major flood, there comes an overwhelming level of activity and a need for quick information and response. The city of Columbus, Indiana experienced this emergency situation in June 2008. The devastation led the city to create a flood risk management plan to better prepare and respond when faced with this flooding potential. Working closely with the city, Burke engineers and planners created a four-phase plan based on the emergency life cycle.

Phase One: Respond
Burke evaluated the validity of current flood risk data, developed flood depth mapping for selected areas, identified flood prone areas in the planning jurisdiction, and noted existing as well as future flood forecasting  tools. Using this information, Burke developed a comprehensive flood response and evacuation plan (FREP).

Phase Two: Recover
Building upon the city’s existing procedures, Burke established specific recovery protocols for damage assessment and data collection.

Phase Three: Mitigate
Burke considered more than 350 solutions and, based on additional modeling, cost estimates, benefits and prioritization, identified the most promising solutions.

Phase Four: Prepare
As part of the new flood response plan, the city will share relevant education and outreach materials, watershed studies, master plans and other flood preparedness plan components with the community.