
Residents of the Ashokan Watershed unwrapped a present they probably didn’t want this past Christmas in the form of significant flooding on many of our streams. Most of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream gages reported that most of the flooding would be considered a 10-Year Flood, which has a 10% chance of occurring in any given year. While not as large or destructive as the floods resulting from Tropical Storm Irene in August of 2011, there still was significant damage to local infrastructure and erosion along our stream channels.
Over the past year there are many new residents now living full-time in the Watershed who may not be aware of the flooding issues that periodically occur in our valleys, up our hollows, and along our streams. This post is meant to provide some basic information for residents on how to identify flood risk for their home, what to do if there are damages to property, and who to contact for additional information.
Most of the major streams in the watershed have been mapped for flood risk by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). To view your flood risk and determine if your property is located within the 100-Year Floodplain (which statistically speaking has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year) you can visit the FEMA Map Service Center, input your address and look at the shading. If you see a turquoise color that means you are located in the 100-Year Floodplain. You can also access the same information by visiting the National Flood Hazard Layer, which may be a bit more user friendly. Please keep in mind that floodplain mapping is meant for flood insurance rating purposes only. Just because your property is located outside the 100 or 500-Year Floodplains (the 500-Year Floodplain is represented by orange shading) that does not mean you are guaranteed to not have a flood. Roughly 20% of all flood damages occur outside the 100-Year Flood zone. If you do not already have flood insurance for your structure you should consider getting it. Visit Floodsmart.gov (the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program) or contact your insurance agent and inquire about flood insurance.
A variety of damage can occur to a building following a flood. It is vital that you schedule a visit with your municipality’s building department to document the extent of the damage. If a structure is substantially damaged (meaning that 51% or more of the structure’s fair market value is damaged) then certain procedures need to be put into place and often the structure will need to be elevated (in the case of residential structures) or floodproofed (in the case of non-residential structures). There may be some funding available to mitigate flooding if the property has flood insurance. For more information, please visit the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s website on substantial damage.
Very often during a flood, homes with basements have standing water in them. Sometimes this is a result of overland flooding (flooding from rivers and streams) or infiltration from ground water. Regardless of the source, the basement should have the water pumped out. Sump pumps can be used to do this or for a fee many local fire departments will pump out basements. Do not enter a home with standing water unless you know for certain that the power to the structure has been cut.
If you own streamside property where erosion occurred or where the stream channel shifted or moved, you can contact the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP) at 845–688-3047. Leave a message and a technician from the Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District will get back to you and arrange a site visit to view your stream and to offer you advice on what can be done to help mitigate future erosion. Keep in mind that because of the recent flooding our technicians are very busy and restrictions based on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic may cause a delay.
Flooding and damage that result from flooding can be very stressful and expensive to fix. If you live within the Ashokan Watershed and experience damage to your structure during a flood, we also recommend you contact Aaron Bennett at the Ulster County Department of Environment at 845–688-3047 ext. 109 or email aben@co.ulster.ny.us for further assistance. If you have questions about how to mitigate your home for floods be sure to read the FEMA Homeowners Guide to Retrofitting.
If you have general questions about flooding, how to read a flood map or determine if your property is located in a mapped floodplain or if you may need flood insurance please contact Brent Gotsch of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County at 845–688-3047 ex. 103 or bwg37@cornell.edu.
If you have general questions about streams and erosion you can contact Tim Koch of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County at 845–688-3047 ext. 118 or tk545@cornell.edu.
Please be sure to visit the AWSMP website at www.ashokanstreams.org for additional information about flooding and stream management.
