Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Funds from this grant were used to purchase the publication First Steps to Flood Recovery (2009) created by the Extension Disaster Education Network and Purdue University for the purpose of distribution to the public before, during and after a flood event. Funds were also used to purchase the publication, Plan Today for Tomorrow's Flood-A Flood Response Plan for Agricultural Retailers from Purdue University. In addition a laptop computer was purchased forthe purpose of running HazUS software to demonstrate critical infrastructure elements which may be threatened by flooding. Mold treatment CDs and publications were purchased from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and otherwise acquired from the Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of distribution to the public before, during and after a flooding event. GPs units were purchased for use by Extension educators travelling to unfamiliar areas during flooding. A tablet computer was purchased for the purpose of displaying visual material associated with best practices in flood preparation and cleanup. Moisture meters were purchased for use in loan pools offered through local Extension offices. The purpose of the meters is to make certain that flooded home and building owners do not close in wall cavities while the studs and other material are still wet. Doing so often results in a serious post-flood mold issue. Travel funds were used by the PI to share activities under this grant with the EDEN Flood Summit in Baton Rouge, March 9 and 10, 2010. Additional travel funds were used to support PI's participation in an EDEN panel at the Association for Communications Excellence (Extension Communicators) conference in St. Louis June 15 and 16, 2010. PARTICIPANTS: The sole PI on the project was Richard L. (Rick) Atterberry of University of Illinois Extension who is also chair-elect of the Extension Disaster Education Network. Significant participation was also provided by Jody Johnson and Carrie McKillip, both of University of Illinois Extension. Atterberry and McKillip participated in the EDEN Flood Summit in 2010 and are part of the new Flood Issue Leadership group established by the Extension Disaster Education Network. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for the project were the general public and business owners affected by continuing flooding in Illinois, Extension personnel, and local emergency managers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The major change in the project was redirection of funds from an initial plan to provide a loan pool of dvd players so that best practice videos could be shown to flood victims, to a greater emphasis on purchase and distribution of printed material. Extension leaders in flooded areas suggested the change based on the desire to have information in a more permanent (printed) form and the difficulty of managing such loan pools.
Impacts
The purpose of this project was twofold. First to prepare members of the general public to deal with flooding events from 2008 and in subsequent years, specifically in preparation and cleanup/recovery aspects. Second, the project was designed to equip Extension personnel to better assist residents and business owners in recovery from flooding and to position local Extension offices to be an active part of local recovery efforts. Funding was received too far after the triggering flood events in 2008 for us to have much impact on those. However, in each of 2009, 2010 and 2011, the resources have been used to respond to flooding in all parts of the state. There has been significant urban flooding in the greater Chicago area in each of 2010 and 2011. Extension responded through the distribution of the publication "First Steps to Flood Recovery" purchased through the grant and by way of the grant PI providing response advice to local Extension personnel. There was flooding along the Mississippi River in each of 2009, 2010 and 2011. Again, the "First Steps to Flood Recovery" publications were distributed. In addition the moisture meter loan pools were activated for those events. Mold treatment material was also distributed. Several Extension employees were and continue to be active in flood mitigation activities along the Mississippi River. And there was major flooding along the Wabash and Ohio Rivers and their tributaries in 2010 and 2011. The 2011 event in particular affected a wide area of Southern Illinois adjacent to those waterways. Extension responded by taking an active role in staffing the local resource centers and distributing "First Steps to Flood Recovery" and "Plan Today for Tomorrow's Flood-A Flood Response Plan for Agricultural Retailers." The second plublication is new and was not available for the earlier events, but has proven valuable in educating ag retailers about mitigating flood hazards. Over 3,500 publications were distributed during the 2011 Southern Illinois Flooding and local Extension personnel worked closely with county emergency managers in the distribution. The local EMA officials were extremely grateful to have the information that is aggregated in these two publications which previously was distributed via separate fact sheets, the handling and distribution of which could become unwieldy during an event. It is difficult to determine in great detail how behaviors may have been changed via our efforts because individual follow-up is extremely difficult during and immediately after a disaster. However, anecdotally we know that adoption of the best practices outlined in the material distributed has helped victims more speedily and safely recover from flood damage and avoid being taken advantage of by unscrupulous "contractors" who often descend on an area after a major event. In addition we know that local county emergency managers and Extension personnel are now working more closely together. As a result of these efforts, the PI was invited to make flood-related presentations at an All Hazards Conference in Paducah, Kentucky in 2010 and at a Sustainability Exposition in Dixon Springs, Illinois in October of 2011.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The Special Needs--Flooding project was proposed to facilitate an appropriate local response to extreme flooding utilizing the presence of University of Illinois Extension offices in the affected communities. To that end, designated grant funds have been used to acquire moisture meters which have been lent through Extension offices to homeowners and small business operators to determine when it was safe to reinstall drywall, paneling or other construction material. These were received in time to be of assistance during the recovery from the 2008 flooding. They are being held in a central area for redeployment in response to future flood events. The remainder of the materials compiled and purchased for future response is also being held centrally. As outlined in the grant, 10,000 copies of First Steps to Flood Recovery produced by Purdue University and the Extension Disaster Education Network have been purchased. To date 25 copies have been distributed in response to a localized flash flooding event in 2009. In addition, 200 copies have been distributed as a result of flooding in 2010. Six portable hybrid GPS units have been purchased. These function both in vehicle and on foot. The purpose is to enable Extension Educators whose normal territory does not include flooded areas to quickly find the often remote locations of the flooding as they are released from normal duties to assist in flood recovery activities. 250 copies of a mold remediation DVD created by University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been purchased. 5,000 copies of a U.S. EPA mold guide have been stockpiled. The original grant application included $7,500 for well testing assistance for homeowners on private wells which are inundated by flooding. The Illinois department of Public Health has amended its procedures and now will offer that well testing at no charge. As a result, we sought and received formal permission to redirect some portion of that $7,500 to other flood recovery educational efforts. Additional moisture meters have been purchased as has a dedicated, hardened laptop used to display FEMA's HAZUS software. Additional copies of the "First Steps To Flood recovery" may also be purchased. PARTICIPANTS: No individual other than the PI worked more than one person month on this project during the reporting period nor was such activity anticipated in the grant application. The PI did work approximately one person month researching and acquiring resources, meeting with county extension directors to determine their needs and participating in the listening sessions noted in the Outcomes section. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Corps of Engineers, representatives of local response agencies including the Red Cross and other COADS, county board members, municipal officials, levee district representatives, local Farm Bureau members, the media and others participated in those listening sessions. Written training on the use of the moisture meters was provided to county Extension directors. Additional training on the use of the complete suite of resources will be offered. Funding also permitted the PI to participate in the special Flood Summit conducted by the Extension Disaster Education Network at Louisiana State University in February of 2010 and at the Multi-State All Hazards Disaster Conference in Paducah, KY in September of 2010. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for this project include homeowners, agricultural producers and small business operators who are affected by flooding. A secondary audience group includes Extension county directors and educators who will be delivering assistance during and after the crisis. A third audience group is other response agencies who are being educated on the resources available through this grant and by Extension in general. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Due to the lag in time between the most serious 2008 flooding, the grant process and the date of the distribution of the funds, the entire suite of resources has not yet been deployed during a flood event. However, a designated storage area for the recently acquired and future flood resources has been established in a central Extension distribution facility on the University of Illinois campus. The PI on the grant has his principle office at that facility and so is available to monitor the resources and facilitate their distribution. The only resources which arrived in time to assist in recovery from the 2008 flood events were the moisture meters. These relatively inexpensive probes were distributed via loan pools in the 9 most flood affected counties. Even though the distribution was several months after the flood event, homeowners still were able to effectively use them to make certain that remaining moisture content in wooden construction material was sufficient dry to safely allow enclosure by drywall, panelling and other material. This is an extremely important outcome in that past experience has shown that mold growth in spaces which were not sufficiently dry created a serious health issue which, in some cases, constituted a second disaster for affected homeowners. As a result of Spring 2010 flooding along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and July-August flooding in the Chicago area, moisture meters were again deployed and an additional 200 copies of the "First Steps to Flood Recovery" publication were distributed. County Extension directors in flood-prone counties have been engaged in evaluating the acquisition of materials under the grant. Their input has been valuable in preparing materials for future flood recovery activities. In addition, University of Illinois Extension was instrumental in conducting four regional listening sessions around the state in which federal, state and local officials along with agricultural producers, business operators, homeowners and others assessed the 2008 flood response and discussed long-term recovery needs and activities. While not directly a part of this grant, the PI did participate in this effort and will be able to use the information to tailor the recovery activities which are funded through the grant. There has also been outreach to COAD and VOAD organizations in the state of Illinois. Funding was also used to assist attendance by the PI at the special EDEN Flood Summit at Louisiana State University in February, 2010.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The Special Needs--Flooding project was proposed to facilitate an appropriate local response to extreme flooding utilizing the presence of University of Illinois Extension offices in the affected communities. To that end, designated grant funds have been used to acquire moisture meters which have been lent through Extension offices to homeowners and small business operators to determine when it was safe to reinstall drywall, panelling or other construction material. These were received in time to be of assistance during the recovery from the 2008 flooding. They are being held in a central area for redeployment in response to future flood events. The remainder of the materials compiled and purchased for future response is also being held centrally. As outlined in the grant, 10,000 copies of First Steps to Flood Recovery produced by Purdue University and the Extension Disaster Education Network have been purchased. To date 25 copies have been distributed in response to a localized flash flooding event in 2009. (Serious generalized flooding has, thankfully, not been an issue in 2009 but the Spring season of 2010 may be a challenge as the state enters Winter in a very wet condition.) Six portable hybrid GPS units have been purchased. These function both in vehicle and on foot. The purpose is to enable Extension Educators whose normal territory does not include flooded areas to quickly find the often remote locations of the flooding as they are released from normal duties to assist in flood recovery activities. The next step will be to purchase at least 250 copies of a mold remediation DVD created by University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In the meantime, 5,000 copies of a U.S. EPA mold guide have been stockpiled. The original grant application included $7,500 for well testing assistance for homeowners on private wells which are inundated by flooding. We have had some difficulty locating a lab which has a billing system in place to accomodate pre-payment. However, it looks as though we may be able to work with the Illinois Department of Public Health to assist them in reaching out to communities with well testing which they may provide. As a result, we may be seeking formal permission to redirect some portion of that $7,500 to other flood recovery educational efforts. PARTICIPANTS: No individual other than the PI worked more than one person month on this project during the reporting period nor was such activity anticpated in the grant application. The PI did work approximately one person month researching and acquiring resources, meeting with county extension directors to determine their needs and participating in the listening sessions noted in the Outcomes section. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Corps of Engineers, representatives of local response agencies inclding the Red Cross and other COADS, county board members, municipal officials, levee district representatives, local Farm Bureau members, the media and others participated in those listening sessions. Written training on the use of the moisture meters was provided to county Extension directors. Additional training on the use of the complete suite of resources will be offered early in 2010. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for this project include homeowners, agricultural producers and small business operators who are affected by flooding. A secondary audience group includes Extension county directors and educators who will be delivering assistance during and after the crisis. A third audience group is other response agencies who are being educated on the resources available through this grant and by Extension in general. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Due to the lag in time between the most serious 2008 flooding, the grant process and the date of the distribution of the funds, the entire suite of resources has not yet been deployed during a flood event. However, a designated storage area for the recently acquired and future flood resources has been established in a central Extension distribution facility on the University of Illinois campus. The PI on the grant has his principle office at that facility and so is available to monitor the resources and facilitate their distribution. The only resources which arrived in time to assist in recovery from the 2008 flood events were the moisture meters. These relatively inexpensive probes were distributed via loan pools in the 9 most flood affected counties. Even though the distribution was several months after the flood event, homeowners still were able to effectively use them to make certain that remaining moisture content in wooden construction material was sufficient dry to safely allow enclosure by drywall, panelling and other material. This is an extremely important outcome in that past experience has shown that mold growth in spaces which were not sufficiently dry created a serious health issue which, in some cases, constituted a second disaster for affected homeowners. County Extension directors in flood-prone counties have been engaged in evaluating the acquisition of materials under the grant. Their input has been valuable in preparing materials for future flood recovery activities. In addition, University of Illinois Extension was instrumental in conducting four regional listening sessions around the state in which federal, state and local officials along with agricultural producers, business operators, homeowners and others assessed the 2008 flood response and discussed long term recovery needs and activities. While not directly a part of this grant, the PI did participate in this effort and will be able to use the information to tailor the recovery activities which are funded through the grant. It is anticipated that all response-recovery resources requested in the grant application will be on hand at the beginning of the 2010 flood season. There is a high potential for serious flooding in Illinois because a very wet Summer and Fall has left rivers, streams and reservoirs with very little storage capacity for spring rains. Even normal precipitation patterns over the Winter will contribute to the flood potential.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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