Representatives from Centralia and Chehalis are set to partner with the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority of Lewis County to develop a master Program for Public Information (PPI) that will streamline public outreach initiatives used by the parties before, during and after flooding occurs.
The Flood Authority is putting $31,000 toward the creation of a PPI. Completing the program will increase the Community Rating System (CRS) score of the area that is used in part to set flood insurance rates.
The county is heading the development of a PPI and hopes to have it completed ahead of its five-year review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency scheduled for mid-November.
French Wetmore, a consultant based out of Steilacoom, has worked with Flood Authority members on a number of initiatives and is the point person for this particular project, which falls under the purview of the National Flood Insurance Program,
“They want to provide credit for public information activities related to flood protection and have found over the years that neighboring communities wind up doing a hodgepodge of different things,” Wetmore said. “One town may have a different message than the other. The objective is for participating communities to develop a coordinated public information program of news releases, brochures, websites, all the different ways people can get messages.”
Designing and implementing a PPI usually takes five to six months, according to Wetmore. The Flood Authority is going to accelerate the process in order to complete it in time for its FEMA review. Chehalis and Centralia both completed their five-year reviews in recent years, but can reapply for the CRS credits as they certify their compliance with FEMA regulations on an annual basis.
Centralia was initially hesitant to participate due to lack of available staff time and resources on its end. Community Development Director Emil Pierson decided it was worth finding time in his own schedule to attend the meetings on the city’s behalf.
“Our goal isn’t just to lower our rates for residents, but to take care of our residents and remove those flood areas going through town,” Pierson said. “We’re going to do everything we can to decrease flood insurance rates, but also take care of our residents.”
Celeste Wilder, a building inspector and plans examiner for the city of Chehalis, will represent the city on the PPI committee. Both cities will appoint citizen representatives as well.
Wilder said Chehalis has already implemented some aspects of what will be included in the PPI, such as including flood information on the city website, but that it’s important to make sure everyone who either lives in or near a floodplain receives information that best addresses their concerns.
“It’s a program for public information,” Wilder said. “We want to look at what we can do to provide better information and inform more citizens that work or live in the floodplain. Part of that is creating messages that are appropriate for different audiences for flood-related issues such as real estate agents or potential buyers.”
Once a PPI is finalized, it will be presented to the two city councils as well as the board of county commissioners for approval. The county will be able to approve it before the cities do in order to have it in place before its FEMA review, if necessary.
Meetings of the PPI committee will be open to the public, though the schedule has yet to be finalized. Wetmore recommends contacting city staff to find out more details early next week.
