Howard County Gives Update on Flood Mitigation Plan

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball provided an update on the County’s flood mitigation plan Monday.

According to an article from WTOP:

When Ball took office, the county’s plan, which he inherited, called for 10 historic buildings to be razed in the wake of devastating floods in 2016 and 2018. Ball’s plan reduced the number of buildings that had to be demolished to four.

”To date, we have now acquired nine of those buildings, and under our plan, six will now have a portion at least preserved,” Ball said.

Ball said two projects — retention ponds located high in the watershed, which are intended to capture waters to prevent them flowing toward Main Street — are slated to start construction within the next year, with two other projects to start in FY2021.

In addition to the long-term construction projects, Howard County has instituted an emergency alert system to warn people nearby when a flash flood warning has been issued. Recently, the county purchased another speaker array to increase the range of the alerts.

Interested in flood mitigation planning? Attend MACo’s Winter Conference and make sure you stop by the panel, “2 for 1: Flood Prevention (And Cleaner Water, Too!).”

Details Follow:

  • Title: 2 for 1: Flood Prevention (And Cleaner Water, Too!)
  • Description: Is flooding an increasing concern in your community? Are you wondering how to pay for your clean water goals? Disaster mitigation funds can be used to prevent flooding and address local water quality issues. Learn how local governments are taking advantage of mitigation funding resources to address multiple water priorities.
  • Speakers:
    • Jim Bass, Coastal Resilience Program Manager, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
    • Patty Bubar, Deputy Director, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and Member, Local Government Advisory Committee to the Chesapeake Bay Executive Commission
    • Victoria Jackson- Stanley, Mayor, City of Cambridge
    • Russ Strickland, Executive Director, Maryland Emergency Management Agency
  • Date/Time: Thursday, December 5, 2019; 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

The 2019 MACo Winter Conference, “Building for the Future,” will be held on December 4-6, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, Maryland.
Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference:

See what it’s like!