Baton Rouge, La. — The Water Institute of the Gulf was recently selected as a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) and awarded funding to prepare a business plan describing how the organization can support FEMA’s Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) initiative, and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
FEMA works with federal, state, tribal, and local partners across the nation to identify flood risk and help reduce that risk through the Risk MAP program. FEMA and its partners provide high quality flood maps and information, tools to better assess the risk from flooding, and planning and outreach support to communities to help them take action to reduce or mitigate flood risk.
The Water Institute was established as a CTP based on the Institute’s expertise to forecast and evaluate risk due to natural hazards such as flooding, storm surge, and high rainfall. As a CTP, The Water Institute will be called upon to perform program management and technical mapping-related activities.
“We are honored to have been selected by FEMA and we look forward to collaborating with relevant federal, state, and local agencies as they work to reduce flood risk to communities across Louisiana,” said Director of Natural Systems Modeling and Monitoring Ehab Meselhe.
The Water Institute will submit a final business plan for a five-year horizon in March 2016. Assistant Director of Natural Systems Modeling and Monitoring Katelyn Costanza will serve as Principal Investigator on this project.
This project is funded under the FEMA Cooperating Technical Partners program, Award Number EMW-2015-CA-00217. The views expressed in this publication are those The Water Institute of the Gulf and do not necessarily represent the views of FEMA or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
About The Water Institute of the Gulf
The Water Institute of the Gulf is a not-for-profit, independent research institute dedicated to advancing the understanding of coastal, deltaic, river and water resource systems, both within the Gulf Coast and around the world. This mission supports the practical application of innovative science and engineering, providing solutions that benefit society. For more information, visit www.thewaterinstitute.org.