The Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) uses a variety of tools to inform property owners about flood hazards.  Because of RFCD’s excellent flood plain management activities, the National Flood Insurance Program determined that Pima County continues its high rating as a Class 5 community under FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS). This places Pima County in the top six percent of flood control districts in the United States.

The Class 5 rating means that property owners in unincorporated Pima County receive a 25% discount in the premium costs for flood insurance policies issued or renewed in Special Flood Hazard Areas. Insurance must be purchased from a private insurance company 30 days before a flood event in order for the property owner to make a claim.

The rating system is based on four categories: Public Information Activities, Mapping and Regulatory Activities, Flood Damage Reduction Activities, and Flood Preparedness Activities. The rating is based on how a community exceeds FEMA’s minimum requirements. RFCD scored the maximum amount of points for its map information service which includes online maps, printed maps, and in-person help at the RFCD public service counter.  RFCD’s successful public outreach campaign was also recognized. Outreach includes direct mail to property owners, water bill inserts, articles in Tucson Realtor Magazine, meetings with the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, and numerous seminars for realtors and surveyors when FEMA switched to digital maps in 2010.

In addition, RFCD received high rating for its Drainage System Maintenance, and Director Suzanne Shields provided a recent example. “This month, RFCD removed sediment from the Rillito River between Swan Road and Craycroft Road to mitigate the flood hazard in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season,” she said. “In addition, our inspectors monitor County-maintained rivers, washes and culverts, then alert our maintenance staff where they see problems.”

The County is reviewed every three years and RFCD is working toward a rating of Class 4 next time. A new CRS requirement is what FEMA calls the “Program for Public Information,” or a strategic plan for public outreach including public input and evaluation. “We need to document what we are already doing well,” said Greg Saxe Environmental Planning Manager. He described successful outreach via local television news in preparation for monsoon season, public service announcements, bus stop placards, billboards, school visits, and outreach at public events like Earth Day.

“The National Weather Service gave us their ‘Storm Ready’ distinction,” said Shields. “Our rain gauges are directly linked to the National Weather Service, and when the gauges reach a certain point, NWS sends out an alert through the Emergency Broadcast System.”

Today the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center (SABCC) hosted a bus tour of Tucson International Airport property where buffelgrass will be removed using a $2.5 million federal grant awarded to Pima County and the airport.  Pima County contributed $145,500 in matching funds, with TIA contributing a $706,000 match. The grant is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s pre-disaster mitigation program.

The Pima County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department will be coordinating efforts for Pima County. Pima County will use a portion of the grant to remove buffelgrass from the Mission Road Complex.

Buffelgrass poses an extreme fire hazard. A buffelgrass fire at the airport could shut down runways and cost thousands of dollars for local fire departments, the airport, and business partners located at the airport. The project covers approximately 600 acres at the airport.

The bus toured the perimeter of the airport along runways, Raytheon, and Bombardier properties; every seat was filled with representatives from local jurisdictions, fire departments, and the private sector. “We are happy to partner with the Tucson International Airport on this grant,” Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll said. “The airport is a critical economic asset to our region, and FEMA recognized that we must protect it from super-charged fire.”

Buffelgrass, an invasive species, is highly flammable, moves rapidly and burns hot enough to melt aluminum at 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Buffelgrass fires spread at a rate of three feet per second, enough to burn football field in three minutes.

“We recognize the need to protect the critical infrastructure in and around the airport and other parts of the community, and protect institutions in the area that have a tremendous economic impact in the region,” said Mike Hein, Director of Pima County Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The funds will allow TIA and Pima to hit buffelgrass hard in 2013, killing plants and seeds, and then continue to control growth control through regular maintenance.

“Pima County has always been a great partner,” says Sarah Smallhouse, SABCC Board Chair. “In addition to removing and treating buffelgrass, we’ll be using this grant to build capacity in terms of training for landscape contractors and public outreach.

“It not just esoteric; removing buffelgrass is about public safety and economic development.”

In the Sunnyside neighborhood adjacent to the airport, residents look forward to continued good relations with the airport. “We have a lot of schools in the neighborhood, and we want to protect those kids and our houses from fires,” said Becky Quintera, the Neighborhood Association President. She looks forward to public outreach in Spanish and English, including flyers, television public service announcements, and neighborhood meetings.

For more information about buffelgrass, visit the SABCC website: www.buffelgrass.org.

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Pima County, Ariz. (Sept. 15, 2011) – Lessons learned from the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson will be shared with faith-based groups at a Homeland Security conference Sept. 20-22 at the Holiday Inn Hotel, 4550 S. Palo Verde Road, Tucson.

The conference will bring Tucson, tribal, county, state and federal government representatives together with individuals from faith-based groups to help prepare the community to respond to future disasters and mass casualty incidents.

Mayor Bob Walkup, Ramon Valadez, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors,  and Tucson City Councilmember Richard Fimbres will speak to the group.

Conference attendees also will hear speakers from throughout the nation on counterterrorism, immigration enforcement, shelter management, humanitarian aid to immigrants, cooperation between first-responders and faith-based groups, and learn how to create a “whole community” response to a disaster.

Speakers include a disability integration specialist from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a program coordinator for the city of Tempe’s holistic urgent response teams.

On Tuesday, conference participants will learn how the Pima County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is set up to function during a disaster under guidelines established by the federal government’s National Incident Command System.

John Wisner, a program manager in Pima County’s OEM, will talk about how the Emergency Management Incident Command System works, at an introductory training session for attendees from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

One of the speakers at the three-day conference will be Pam Simon, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ community and faith liaison. Simon was shot in the attack by a lone gunman at a Gifford’s constituent event in Tucson Jan. 8. Six people were killed in the incident.

Simon will be the keynote speaker. Her talk, “A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare,” is set for 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Her remarks will be followed by Pima County Sheriff’s Capt. Frank Duarte, who will present a case study of the Jan. 8 mass casualty event.

Duarte will talk about the importance of multi-disciplinary cooperation during an emergency response to an incident that involved multiple public safety and medical entities.

The role of clergy in a disaster and how they can be trained to be “agents of safety” is the topic of a workshop on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 10:45 a.m.

The conference will also provide information on how to make sure the needs of disabled children and adults and the elderly are met during a crisis, and faith leaders will talk about the principles involved in faith-based crises management, to help individuals be prepared and recover more effectively from a disaster or crisis.

Among the organizations taking part in the conference are the American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter, Grace Temple Missionary Baptist Church, Tucson Indian Center, Tucson NAACP, Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Tucson, Arizona Chapter of League of United Latino American Citizens, Community Alliance Addressing Disparities, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Arizona Division of Emergency Management/Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region IX.