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Report - Mail Packet - 05/13/2025 - Report re Floodplain Management Program for Public Information Committee – 2025 Update
Floodplain Management Program for Public Information Committee 2025 Update Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 1 Executive Summary The City of Fort Collins (City) is a community of approximately 170,000 people located in Northern Colorado along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The City is subject to both urban flash flooding, in areas with undersized stormwater infrastructure, as well as river flooding driven by snowmelt or rainfall high in the basin. To address these risks, the City has developed a comprehensive floodplain management program that includes public information and preparedness outreach. The City participates in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Community Rating System (CRS), a voluntary incentive program that provides flood insurance discounts to communities that exceed the minimum standards for floodplain management. One of the activities credited under the CRS is public outreach. In 2014, the City initiated a review of its flood-related outreach efforts. As part of this review, the City formed a Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee. This committee, composed of internal and external local stakeholders, was tasked with developing a PPI to guide the City’s efforts in the coming years. Since its creation, the committee has conducted an annual review of the PPI. In addition to annual reviews, the City conducts five-year updates to the PPI, ensuring that the program continues to reflect current needs and best practices. This report summarizes the five- year PPI update for 2025. These periodic reviews demonstrate Fort Collins' commitment to maintaining an effective, community-focused, and forward-looking floodplain management strategy. The 2025 committee met three times in January and February. The committee’s tasks were to review public information efforts that currently exist within the community, assess the community’s needs, develop consistent messages, and identify projects to convey those messages. By gathering this group of internal and external stakeholders, partnerships were developed to create consistent messaging for the public related to flood awareness and safety. As part of the community needs assessment, the committee re-evaluated the current target areas and audiences. The committee then developed nine topics and 23 messages. The City and stakeholders on the committee are already implementing numerous public information and education projects. These existing successful projects will be continued and updated, when appropriate, to reflect the new messaging developed by the committee. Stakeholders have agreed to help support and sponsor these existing projects in various ways. Several new projects were also discussed and will begin development in 2025. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 2 The work of the stakeholders since 2014 has been substantial and resulted in close coordination on projects that promote flood awareness in the community. The efforts of the City’s PPI Committee will have a long-term impact on the flood resilience of the Fort Collins community. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 3 Introduction The City of Fort Collins is committed to reducing flood risk, enhancing public safety, and improving flood awareness through proactive community outreach. As part of the City’s participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Community Rating System (CRS) Program, the City has updated the Program for Public Information (PPI) to guide efforts in informing residents, businesses, and stakeholders about flood hazards and awareness, flood preparedness, and flood response. The PPI is a structured, community-driven approach that enhances outreach initiatives and contributes to the City's CRS credit, ultimately helping residents receive discounted flood insurance premiums. The City implemented its original PPI in 2014 to enhance public awareness of flood risks, promote flood insurance coverage, and encourage mitigation actions that reduce flood damage. The first five-year update was conducted in 2020. This report outlines the results from the three PPI Committee meetings held in 2025. It includes public information goals, target audiences, key messages, and outreach strategies designed to increase flood awareness. A key goal of this program is to foster internal and external collaboration to develop partnerships, share expertise, and create consistent messaging for the public. By leveraging partnerships, the PPI aims to provide clear, actionable information that empowers the community to prepare for and mitigate flood risks. 2025 PPI Update Objectives Update target areas and audiences Review required message topics Determine additional topics (if any) Determine messages for each topic Complete project inventory Develop new projects Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 4 Community Overview Community Profile With a population of approximately 170,000 residents, Fort Collins is a hub for education, housing Colorado State University (CSU), and has a thriving local economy driven by technology, various local industry, and outdoor recreation. The City spans an area of approximately 59 square miles and is divided by several major waterways, including the Cache la Poudre River, Spring Creek, Fossil Creek, and others, all of which contribute to its flood risk. Floodplain Mapping Fort Collins is divided into 12 drainage basins, as shown in Appendix A. Floodplains have been mapped in most of the drainage basins. Four basins have FEMA-designated floodplains and seven basins have City-designated floodplains (Table 1). One of those basins, Fox Meadows, does not have any mapped floodplains. Each of the City-designated floodplains was developed as part of the City’s Stormwater Master Planning program. Table 1 – Regulated floodplains within City limits FEMA-designated Floodplains City-designated Floodplains Cache la Poudre River (Poudre River) Spring Creek Dry Creek Boxelder Creek and Cooper Slough Old Town West Vine Canal Importation Fossil Creek Foothills Channel Mail Creek McClellands Creek There are approximately 3,280 acres in the mapped 100-year floodplain. However, over 2,200 of those acres are preserved as parks or natural areas. The effective FEMA Flood Insurance Study (FIS) is dated January 15, 2021 with the most recent effective FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map dated May 2, 2012. Various Letters of Map Revisions (LOMRs) have revised portions of the FIS, as well. Additionally, FEMA is in the process of remapping the Cache la Poudre River as part of RiskMAP. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 5 In addition to mapping floodplains, the City has also mapped Erosion Buffer Zones on Fossil Creek, Boxelder Creek, Mail Creek, and McClellands Channel. These Erosion Buffer Zones designate areas of channel instability and potential future lateral migration of the channel. The City’s floodplain maps are updated based on new topography, land use, and hydrologic and hydraulic modeling. Recent updates include the 2024 Spring Creek Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), the 2024 Mail Creek LOMR, and West Vine Master Planning Updates, adopted in January of 2025, providing the community with an updated representation of flood risks. The floodplain maps can be viewed at fcgov.com/floodplain-maps. CRS Classification The City of Fort Collins has been a participating member of the CRS program since 1991. Currently, the City holds a Class 2 rating, providing residents with a 40% discount on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums. Summary of Flood Hazards Fort Collins faces a variety of flood hazards. The Cache la Poudre River poses a significant flood risk, with its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains contributing to rapid snowmelt and flash flooding potential. Additionally, urbanized watersheds like Spring Creek and Fossil Creek are susceptible to localized flooding caused by intense rainfall events. A key flood event in the City’s history is the Spring Creek Flood of 1997, which caused substantial damage and highlighted the need for robust flood risk mitigation strategies. Since then, the City has made substantial investments in stormwater management systems, flood proofing, acquisitions such as vacant land and private property, community education and outreach, and an emergency notification system. Partially because of these floodplain management efforts, the 2013 flood on the Poudre River was less destructive to Fort Collins than to surrounding communities. Risk To People Because of the nature of flash flooding, there is relatively little warning time, so the risk to people can be high. Outreach efforts need to focus on public safety, including what actions to take and not take when a flood occurs. This is especially true in the case of informing the public not to drive through floodwaters, since the majority of flood fatalities are a result of driving. In many cases, it is better to not evacuate, but rather to shelter-in-place and move to a higher floor if possible. This is where preparedness planning is critical. In addition, because of the high percentage of basement apartments in Fort Collins, life-safety issues while sleeping are of high concern. Risk To Structures Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 6 Fort Collins has approximately 950 insurable structures, mostly residential, located in the mapped 100-year floodplain. Capital improvement projects have reduced the number of structures mapped in the floodplain and these efforts will continue. More than half of the total at- risk structures are in the Old Town Floodplain, which is subject to street flooding since there are no remaining natural drainageways to convey the water. Old Town has been the location of several large capital improvement projects to install large storm sewers that capture storm runoff and convey it to the Poudre River, including the Oak Street Stormwater Project, which began construction in 2024. However, there are many structures, both residential and non- residential, currently at risk. The Downtown Stormwater Improvement Plan (DSIP) will remove most of the floodplain in Old Town but will take years to complete. Other basins with high numbers of structures at risk include the Poudre River, Spring Creek, Canal Importation, and West Vine. Flood Insurance Information Fort Collins currently has a total of 219 flood insurance policies with $110,641 in total premiums (February 2025 data). The majority are in areas mapped outside of the FEMA 100-year floodplain, although many could be in City-designated floodplains, such as Old Town. Only 31 flood policies are in the FEMA 100-year floodplain, which is approximately 20 percent of the structures mapped in the FEMA floodplain. There are two structures that are designated by FEMA as a Repetitive Loss Property because they have had two or more flood insurance claims of more than $1,000 during a rolling 10-year period. Changes in Development or Floodplain Conditions Since the initial adoption of the PPI, Fort Collins has experienced moderate population growth and development. Efforts have been made to ensure that new development is resilient to flood risks by adhering to City and FEMA floodplain regulations and no-adverse-impact principles. The City’s Land Use Code and Stormwater Criteria Manual have been periodically updated to reflect best practices in floodplain management. Through the years, the City has completed several flood control projects that reduced the floodplain or restored natural floodplain functions, such as the Oak Street Stormwater Improvements Project and the Two Creeks Stream Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 7 Previous Public Outreach Efforts The 2020 PPI and subsequent annual updates implemented a variety of outreach projects to deliver its messages. Some of the most notable projects include: Direct mailings to property owners and residents in the 100- and 500- year floodplain Videos on local cable channels including the City, CSU, and Poudre School District Displays during flood season, especially Flood Awareness Week Signs along biking/walking trails throughout the city and high-water markers illustrating flood history An informational brochure specifically for realtors, lenders, insurance agents, and property managers Flood awareness campaigns through social media and web communications Articles in City News and a utility bill insert Advertisements on bus benches or bus shelters Participation in local community events with information booths Partnerships with local schools, businesses, and organizations to distribute materials and host educational workshops Community events and activities to engage residents, such as Flood Awareness Week These projects utilized multiple communication channels and collaborations with stakeholders. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 8 PPI Committee Process Steps & Outcomes To organize meetings and keep the committee on track with the requirements outlined in the CRS manual, the following checklist was utilized for the 2025 update: 1. Establish a PPI committee – coordinate resources that can deliver information and create messaging. 2. Assess the community’s public information needs – identify flood prone areas, who needs to be informed, and what outreach projects are already underway. 3. Formulate messages – based on the audiences determined in Step 2, create targeted messages. There are six required priority topics. The PPI committee can vote on up to four additional topics. 4. Identify outreach projects to convey the messages – consider the appropriate media to disseminate message(s) to the target audience(s). Review Flood Response Preparation projects. 5. Examine other public information initiatives – determine activities a community could pursue to inform people and motivate them to protect life and property, buy insurance, and protect natural floodplain functions. 6. Prepare the PPI document – create a formal written document to be recorded and adopted by the community’s governing authority. 7. Implement, monitor, and evaluate the program – as needed. Evaluation The PPI committee must evaluate the PPI document and associated projects on an annual basis. Note that the community may use any 12-month period for its “public information year.” For the annual evaluation report, there is no required format, but the report must include: 1. Target audiences, messages, and desired outcomes 2. Projects in the PPI to convey messages 3. Which projects were implemented 4. Why some projects were not implemented (if any) 5. What progress was made toward the desired outcomes 6. What should be changed (including what messages, outcomes and projects should be revised or dropped, and what new ones should be initiated) Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 9 Documentation The Power Point presentations used in the committee meetings are in Appendix B. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 10 2025 Committee Members The CRS requires that participants on the committee have associations within the community, reaching out to a wide range of audiences that are linked to flooding in some capacity. The 2025 committee is comprised of internal and external stakeholders following the rules set out in the CRS manual. If committee members or their alternates did not attend a meeting, follow-up occurred to provide the opportunity for input for inclusion. Committee members and their organizations are listed in Table 2. Note that only one stakeholder was at the previous five- year update in 2020. The City held three PPI meetings in 2025, all at 700 Wood St.: January 16, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. January 22, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. February 6, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Figure 1 – 2025 committee members at the Utilities Service Center Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 11 Table 2 - 2025 committee stakeholders Internal Stakeholders Floodplain Manager Taryn Tigges Public Information Office (PIO) Eric Kossoris Natural Areas Rachel Balduzzi Social Sustainability Dianne Tjalkens Emergency Preparedness and Security (EPS) Dennis Day Environmental Services Micah Warners Safety and Risk Management (SRM) Nick Jones External Stakeholders Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Rylyn Todd Poudre Fire Authority Annie Bierbower Colorado State University Gene Ellis Nik Olsen Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) Megan Maiolo-Heath Larimer County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Camille Millard J-U-B Engineers Brian Smith Urban Forest Realty John Runkles Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 12 Purpose & Goals The 2025 committee decided to keep the same purpose and goals as the 2020 PPI committee, which are listed here. Purpose: Develop and monitor a public information program that will guide Fort Collins Utilities Stormwater into the future. Goal: Internal and external collaboration to develop partnerships, share expertise and create consistent messaging for the public. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 13 Areas & Audiences The 2020-2024 PPI identified target areas based on flood risk, including the 100-year and 500- year floodplains, repetitive loss areas, and urban zones such as Old Town. Target audiences from 2020-2024 included: CSU and Poudre School District Drivers Realtors, lenders, insurance agents, and property management agencies Trail and Poudre River recreation users Non-English-speaking populations Vulnerable populations, such low-income households Committee members were shown the areas and audiences from 2024 and then asked to break into small groups and examine a printed floodplain map of the City. Figure 2 shows groups of committee members identifying target areas and audiences for developing flood awareness messaging and outreach projects. Results from this brainstorming session were compiled. The committee voted on areas and audiences to target from this list in the second meeting. Figure 2 – 2025 committee members discussing areas and audiences Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 14 The committee decided to include both broad and specific audiences, which grants flexibility for both highly targeted and widely applicable messages. Here are the committee’s 2025 areas and audiences: All residents and businesses in the 100- or 500-year floodplain: These properties have a known flood risk based on regulatory floodplain mapping. Repetitive loss properties: This is required by the CRS program. Repetitive loss properties have had more than two flood insurance claims greater than $1,000 during a 10-year period. The message to this audience is specialized because of its unique needs, with a special emphasis on how owners may reduce flood risk on their property. Urban area: Over 50% of the structures that exist in the 100-year floodplain are in the Old Town basin. Many citizens do not consider themselves to be at risk because there are no obvious stream channels. However, the streets convey floodwaters, resulting in urban street flooding. Many of the homes and businesses in this area have basements, many of which serve as rental properties. Redevelopment is actively taking place in these areas. CSU community: The Fort Collins campus had a total student headcount of over 34,000 for 2024-2025. o Specific audience: Campus o Specific audience: Off-campus students School districts within city limits (Poudre School District, Thompson School District): o Specific audience: Parents Drivers and pedestrians: Most flood fatalities are the result of driving. o Specific audience: Urban corridor users o Specific audience: Commuters Adjacent communities: Fort Collins residents and visitors often travel through and recreate outside of City limits. o Specific audience: Unincorporated County Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 15 Property management: This audience received the most votes. Engaging property buyers and renters requires additional efforts and coordination with realtors, lenders, insurance agents, and property managers. o Specific audience: Owners of newly purchased homes o Specific audience: Renters of newly rented apartments or homes o Specific audience: Independent property management (landlords) o Specific audience: Insurance agents o Specific audience: Mobile home parks Trail and Poudre River recreation users Vulnerable Populations: The committee felt it was important to reach out to service providers in the community that assist the elderly, disabled, homeless, children, and others that may require more assistance during a flood. By providing these groups more information, they will be able to provide protections for the most vulnerable in our community. o Specific audience: Community partners serving vulnerable populations The PPI committee emphasized tailoring outreach to the characteristics and needs of these diverse groups to increase engagement and effectiveness. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 16 Topics & Messages Messages were crafted to educate audiences about their flood risks and the actions they could take to reduce flood damage and improve safety. These messages were designed to align with CRS goals while addressing community-specific concerns. To begin the exercise for topic and message development, the committee was debriefed on human-centered design and then discussed messaging challenges that committee members have faced in their organizations. Human Centered Design Pete Iengo of Fort Collins Utilities presented to the group on the EAST (Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely) Framework, developed by the Behavioral Insights Team in the UK. The EAST framework provides a simple yet effective approach to designing behavior-impact strategies. EAST in Flood Awareness Efforts Easy – Ensure messages are clear, accessible, and easy to act on. Attractive – Use compelling visuals and incentives to engage the community. Social – Leverage the power of social influence. Timely – Deliver information at the right moment, such as before flood season or during high-risk events. By integrating the EAST framework into flood awareness efforts, we can create more effective outreach strategies that drive meaningful community engagement and preparedness. Figure 3 – EAST method Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 17 Challenges When discussing the challenges of effective flood messaging, the committee considered various factors, including previous and existing outreach projects and personal experiences with messaging. Some barriers to effective messaging faced by committee members include: Misinformation – Spread of inaccurate or misleading information. Message Fatigue – Oversaturation leading to disengagement. Complexity – Technical or difficult-to-understand information. Multiple Organizations Messaging – Lack of consistency across agencies. Perceived Irrelevance – Some groups, such as college students, may not see flooding as a personal concern. Conflicting Interests – Balancing safety with economic priorities. Uncertainty Due to Climate Change – Increased flooding risks due to shifting weather patterns. Timeliness – Ensuring messages reach people at the right moment. Siloed Planning Efforts – Lack of coordination between different plans or groups. Topic Development The six required topics were presented to the group, followed by a discussion on the proposed additional topics from 2024. During the large-group discussion, the committee also reviewed four additional topics in detail but did not reach a conclusive decision on any changes other than simplifying the 2024 topic “play it safe in recreation areas” to “safe recreation.” Throughout the discussion, there was a strong emphasis on ensuring topics align effectively with specific areas and target audiences. After reviewing message brainstorming, the committee decided that the two topics "know your flood hazard" and "situation/location awareness” are too similar and combined messages from the two topics. Message Development The committee reviewed the existing flood awareness messages and provided feedback. Following this discussion, committee members were divided into small groups to brainstorm new message ideas, writing them on sticky notes. Facilitators then collected and categorized these messages by topic. This exercise generated 85 new creative messages. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 18 Before the third meeting, Taryn Tigges and Eric Kossoris of Fort Collins Utilities refined the submissions, selecting 30 messages for voting, including 11 recommended messages. The selection process focused on: Formatting messages into an actionable format that meets FEMA requirements. Simplifying language for clarity and impact. Ensuring a balance of messages for both broad and specific audiences. Assessing usability, practicality, and uniqueness. Evaluating variety in content and style. Prioritizing concise, engaging, and memorable messaging. To finalize the list, committee members voted via Slido during the third meeting. The final messages, along with their corresponding topics and target audiences, are detailed in Table 3. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 19 Table 3 – 2025 PPI messages Topic Message Broad Audience Specific Audience 1. Know your flood hazard Know the flood risk where you live, work, and play. Burn scars and urban areas increase the risk of flash flooding. All Unincorporated Larimer County, trail users, partners who work with vulnerable populations Fort Collins floods: it's not if, but when All - Be Flood Ready All Urban corridor users Don't be fooled by our dry climate. Heavy storms cause flooding. All - 2. Insure your property for flood hazard Only flood insurance covers floods. Property Management; Residents and businesses in the 100-yr or 500- yr floodplain Owners of newly purchased homes, renters of newly rented apartments, landlords Fort Collis residents get up to a 40% discount on flood insurance. Call your insurance broker and get flood insurance. Property Management; Residents and businesses in the 100-yr or 500- yr floodplain Owners of newly purchased homes, landlords, insurance agents and realtors 3. Protect people from the hazard Get a kit, make a plan, be informed. (Red Cross message) School districts; All residents and businesses in the 100-yr or 500-yr floodplain Parents in school districts Climb to safety when it floods Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users Trail users Don’t sleep near waterways—flash floods can kill. Vulnerable Populations; adjacent communities Unincorporated Larimer County, trail users, partners who work with vulnerable populations 4. Protect property from the hazard Responsible realtors talk to their buyers about flood risks. Property Management Realtors Learn how to protect your property from flood Property Management; Residents Landlords, owners of newly Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 20 Table 3 – 2025 PPI messages damage and businesses in the 100-yr or 500- yr floodplain purchased homes 5. Build responsibly Build responsibly: Know the floodplain regulations Property Management; Residents and businesses in the 100-yr or 500- yr floodplain Realtors 6. Protect natural floodplain functions Only rain down the storm drain All CSU on- and off- campus, parents in school districts Protect wetlands and waterways. They protect you. All CSU on- and off- campus, parents in school districts 7. Flood warning We can't warn you if we can't reach you. Sign up for NOCO Alert. Drivers and Pedestrians Urban corridor users Water you waiting for? Sign up for flood alerts All - 8. Safe recreation Play it safe on the Poudre River Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users - Fast and cold water is dangerous water. Stay dry when the river is high. Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users - Know your route and when to get out! Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users - 9. Travel safe Turn around, don't drown Drivers and Pedestrians Urban corridor users, commuters Just six inches of rushing water can knock an adult off their feet. Twelve inches of fast- moving water can carry away a small car. Drivers and Pedestrians Urban corridor users, commuters It's a car not a boat. Don't drive through the flood. Drivers and Pedestrians Urban corridor users, commuters Don't enter, drive, walk, or bike through floodwaters Drivers and Pedestrians; Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users Urban corridor users, commuters, trail users Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 21 Outreach Projects Message Implementation & Outreach Planning Once the necessary messages and desired outcomes were finalized, the PPI Committee determined the most effective communication methods for reaching priority audiences. The Public Information Program document outlines each message, the related outreach projects, responsible parties, and implementation timelines. This is summarized in Appendix C. Proposed projects include: Continuing existing efforts – PPI projects from previous years were evaluated to determine which should continue into 2025. Capturing existing stakeholder projects – With the inclusion of new stakeholders, the committee captured any existing outreach projects stakeholders may already be doing that haven’t previously been part of the Fort Collins PPI program. New outreach projects – The committee brainstormed new project ideas. Descriptions, methods, and target audiences are included in Appendix C. Project Prioritization Process Committee members contributed new and existing project ideas by writing them on sticky notes, which were categorized by project name, organization, and implementation timeline. These were then placed on an Impact/Effort Matrix to assess feasibility. This matrix may guide the PPI Committee’s outreach efforts. Additional CRS Activities CRS is a program that provides credit to communities for implementing a variety of stormwater and floodplain management activities, many of which have a public outreach component. These additional outreach requirements have been integrated into some of the proposed projects, including: Map information services (Activity 320) – e.g., map in floodplain brochure, realtor flyer, social media Website (Activity 350) – covers all topics Property protection site visits (Activity 360) – e.g., May City News article Natural function open space (Activity 420) – e.g., signage in Natural Areas Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 22 Stream dumping regulations (Activity 540) – e.g., May City News article and floodplain brochure Repetitive loss properties (Activity 510) – mailer to repetitive loss properties Flood warning (Activity 610) – e.g., July City News article, floodplain brochure, and social media Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 23 Flood Response Public Information Fort Collins Utilities has an extensive preparation plan for flooding events. Stormwater staff have identified threshold levels for varying incidents with different communication actions for each level. Public outreach is an integral part of all levels of a flooding or potential flooding situation, including before and after the event. Communications staff at Utilities have prepared tools and materials to initiate communication quickly depending on the need identified by the nature of the event. Communication efforts include pre-warning outreach to the community, providing safety reminders, general flood awareness, and education. Specific messaging is defined for each threshold of a flooding situation. Steps have been further detailed to outline necessary actions, communication efforts, tasks, and roles based on the emergency level. Incident Threshold Levels Pre-incident communications are part of the on-call process. This allows for continuous communication on general flood awareness, education, preparedness and appropriate behavior with the hope that the public will be more aware and “prepped” when an incident occurs. Once a flooding incident has been identified, there are three levels for on-call response. Pre-Incident Communication The on-call stormwater staff member assesses weather and potential risk for the week The on-call stormwater staff member communicates directly with communications staff to share anticipated concerns for the week on Monday morning Stormwater staff and communications staff discuss general messaging to focus on during pre-communication efforts. Example questions to discuss include the following: o Are there certain areas of town where focus is needed? o What potential events are anticipated? o What behaviors need to be encouraged/discouraged? o Should messaging include general safety/awareness reminders? Low Threshold Stormwater staff monitor weather development and the potential for flooding. Topics Focus on safety and awareness. Define watch vs warning. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 24 Don’t drive through floodwaters Charge up portable electronic devices Keep updated on weather forecasts: a watch means conditions are in place for severe weather; a warning means severe weather, flooding, tornados, etc. are occurring or imminent Monitor real-time rainfall and streamflow data from the City website: fcgov.com/floodwarning Medium Threshold Stormwater staff monitor and prepare for a flooding situation, possibly activating the incident command structure. Topics Focus on NOCO Alert sign-up, not driving in floodwaters, where to monitor conditions and where to go for updates. United Way 211 can provide resource information (insert details specific to the incident) Do not call 911 for non-emergency questions Flood updates available at (specific website for event) Engage on Facebook and Instagram for updates and current information Do not drive through floodwaters – even if it is your only route home Do not play or recreate in floodwaters Twelve inches of fast-moving water can carry away a small car. Six inches of fast- moving water can knock over and carry away an adult. Stay away from detention ponds, irrigation ditches and drainage pipes Monitor real-time rainfall and streamflow data from the City website: fcgov.com/floodwarning High Threshold The incident command structure has been implemented. Stormwater staff, communications staff, and EPS may utilize NOCO Alert and communicate with critical facilities, residents and businesses. Topics Flooding is occurring here: _______ Evacuation centers Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 25 Community resources United Way 211 can provide resource information (insert details specific to the incident) Flood-specific website Social media updates Road and bridge closure information Other closures – City offices, bus service, etc. Evacuation options for pets Do not drive through floodwaters Do not play or recreate in floodwaters Twelve inches of fast-moving water can carry away a small car. Six inches of fast- moving water can knock over and carry away an adult. Stay away from detention ponds, irrigation ditches and drainage pipes Monitor real-time rainfall and streamflow data from the City website: fcgov.com/floodwarning Non-emergency contact information for Fort Collins Police Services and Poudre Fire Authority Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 26 Flood Response Projects During and after a flood, Utilities will implement specific flood response projects, as indicated in Table 4. Table 4 – 2025 Flood response projects Projects Message Topics Audience Stakeholder Support Ac on Website Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect your property Insure your property Build responsibly Flood warning Safe recrea on Travel Safe All Residents and owners in 100-year floodplain Flooded homes and businesses FC U li es FEMA Red Cross During and a er a flood: Post informa on on City website and provide links to addi onal FEMA and Red Cross resources. Social Media Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect your property Insure your property Build responsibly Flood warning Safe recrea on Travel Safe General Residents and owners in 100-year floodplain Flooded homes and businesses FC U li es Other stakeholders During and a er a flood: Send social media messages via Facebook/Instagram. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 27 Web pages Utilities has created webpage templates that can be activated in the event of a flooding emergency. These pages include resources, links and materials that will be of assistance to the public during and after a flooding event. Figure 4 – Flood response webpage templates Social Media Social media is utilized to provide information during and after a flood. Posts on Instagram and Facebook direct readers to the City’s website for more detailed information. Figure 23 - Utilities' Flood safety and recovery web pages Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 28 Outcomes Outcomes are extremely difficult to quantify for flood awareness outreach. The committee discussed the desire for better insight into the effectiveness of the outreach efforts. Metrics that could potentially help measure our success reaching and engaging the community include: QR Codes on Brochures – Track engagement by monitoring scan totals Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) Data – Utilize annual statistics on water rescues as an indirect measure of public awareness and behavior Monitoring number of hits to online floodplain map Monitoring number of hits on flood warning website Monitoring increases or decreases in flood insurance policies Surveying families to see if they have a disaster supply kit Monitoring the number of floodplain enforcement actions Monitoring the number of site visit requests from the Utilities’ Stormwater Department Water quality sampling in waterways Many variables influence these metrics, weather and changes to floodplain mapping being chief among them. For example, if there is more spring snowmelt on the Poudre River, there is usually an increase in website hits. If there is more rainfall, there are a greater number of site visit requests to look at wet basements and drainage issues. Also, the number of flood policies is tied to changes in floodplain mapping. Through the years, the City has completed several large flood control projects that reduced the floodplain. This resulted in a decrease in flood policies. Furthermore, some outcomes are difficult to quantify such as fewer rescues or fewer enforcement actions when there are only usually one or two per year. Water quality also depends on flow rate and other factors. Therefore, the committee did not spend substantial time discussing outcome goals other than to continue to reach as many people as possible with consistent and timely messages. Although the committee will continue to look for opportunities to measure effectiveness, our outreach can leave a large impact regardless of variables or measurement difficulty. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 29 Other Recommendations The Fort Collins 2020 PPI and subsequent annual updates were comprehensive and effective, advancing public awareness of flood risks and promoting flood insurance and mitigation actions. However, this and future updates could implement further improvements by focusing on the following: Balancing Priorities: Limited resources and competing priorities sometimes constrained the ability to execute all planned projects fully. Projects could be prioritized by predicted effort vs. impact. Continued Long-Term Relationships: Partnerships with stakeholders have amplified the impact of outreach efforts. Organizational turnover or infrequent communication has been a barrier at times to building long-term relationships between organizations. The PPI and associated projects are a community collaboration, and the more that both internal and external stakeholders can be involved with the City’s floodplain staff, the better for reaching more people with the PPI messaging. The PPI committee meets annually but a new goal of this 2025 committee is for members to stay in touch on a regular basis throughout the year. These adjustments will help Fort Collins further reduce flood-related risks in the community. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 30 Program Adoption and Evaluation Approval of Report The Community Rating System requires approval of this document so that it has formal, official status within the community. For this submission, this approval is granted by the Deputy City Manager and does not require City Council approval. Fort Collins Utilities is comprised of four utilities enterprise funds: Stormwater, Water, Wastewater, and Light & Power/Connexion. Each individual utility has a dedicated funding source and does not rely on the City of Fort Collins General Fund. The Fort Collins Stormwater Utility has been in place since 1980, with the main funding source coming from Stormwater Utility fees. Funding for public education related to flooding is an ongoing program and already included in the Stormwater Utility budget. The PPI report is an enhancement of existing education efforts and would not be considered a policy change requiring City Council approval. A copy of the PPI report will be sent to City Council as an informational awareness item. Formal approval of the report can be found in Appendix D. Documentation of Projects Stakeholders will send documentation of their annual activities to Fort Collins Utilities for submission to the CRS for the City’s annual recertification. This documentation will include copies of advertisements, flyers, newsletters, mailers, event photos, etc. This information will also be included as part of the annual review by the committee. Annual Review and Evaluation The committee will meet in the first quarter of each year to review and evaluate the projects and messaging from the past year and to plan projects for the upcoming flood season. The committee will discuss if the desired outcomes were achieved. If any significant flooding occurred during the year, the Flood Response Public Information plan will also be reviewed. An annual report based on the committee’s review and recommendations will be prepared and forwarded to the Utilities Executive Director, Deputy City Manager, or City Manager. This annual report will then be submitted as part of the CRS annual recertification process. The annual report will include: The target audiences, messages and desired outcomes The projects used to convey the messages Which projects were implemented Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 31 Why some projects were not implemented (if any) What progress was made toward the desired outcomes What should be changed (including what messages, outcomes and projects should be revised or dropped, and what new ones should be initiated) Floodplain Management PPI Committee │ 2025 Update 32 Appendices Appendix A: City of Fort Collins Flood Risk Map Appendix B: Presentations from 2025 PPI Committee Meetings Appendix C: Existing and Proposed Outreach Projects Appendix D: Report Approval APPENDIX A City of Fort Collins Flood Risk Map Printed: March 11, 2025 City Limits High Flood Risk Floodway - Area of 100-year floodplain with greatest depths and fastest velocities. Flood Fringe - May Include: Areas of FEMA 100-year floodplain (FEMA Zones A, AE, AO, and AH) Areas of City 100-year floodplain including ponding areas and sheet flow areas with average depths of 1-3 feet. !! !! 1% note for legend There is at least a 1% annual chance these areas will be flooded. Moderate Flood Risk May include: Areas of FEMA 500-year floodplain (FEMA Zone X-shaded). Areas of FEMA or City 100-year floodplains (sheet flow) with average depths of less than 1 foot. Areas protected by levees from the 100-year flood. Low Flood Risk Areas outside of FEMA and City mapped 100-year and 500-year floodplains. Local drainage problems may still exist. 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 Miles © USHighway287 R eser voir Rid ge Na tu r a l A rea L a p o r t e Horsetooth Reservoir P i ne r id ge Natur al A rea Hor s etooth Re s er v o i r Ar ea Pr air i e Rid ge N atural Ar ea H o r s e t o o t h H e i g h t s No.8Outlet LakeCanal Terry Lake Rd E Mulberry S t N C o l l e ge A v e N US H ighway287 R edwing M ars h N atur al A r e aNorthShields P ond s N atural A r e a Futur e No r theas t C om m unity P ar k F o r t C o l l i n s Sherwood Lateral Warren Lake 287 E H or s e t o o t h R d S T a f t H i l l R d S S h i e l d s S t S S h ie l d s S t W H o r set o o t h R d E P r o s p e c t R d S T i m b e r line R d E H a r m ony R d S C o ll e g e A v e Red Fox M ead ow s Natural Ar ea K ingfis he r Poin t Na tu r al A r ea C atta i l Cho r u s Natur al A r e a Co l orad o S ta te Un i v er s ity 11 S S h ie l d s S t S T af t H ill R d S C ol l e g e A v e L ong V iew Farm Ope n S pac e Foss i l Cr eek Wetl ands Natur al A r ea P e l i c an M a r s h Natural Ar ea Pr air i e Do g M e adow N atur al A rea C athy Fr om me P r air ie N atur al Ar ea Coy ote R i dge N atur al A r e a R e d m o n d No. 8 Outlet 14 25 E M u lbe r r y S t G i d d i n g s FossilCreekReservoirInlet 87 25 25 E P rospec t R d E H a r m o n y R d Run ning Deer Natur al A r e a R i v er bend P o nds N atur al A r ea T i m n a t h 25 25 P tarm ig an C ountry Club Fossil Cr eek R eser voir Natur al A rea FOSSIL CREEK BASIN DRY CREEK BASIN SPRING CREEK BASIN COOPER SLOUGH/BOXELDER BASIN FOOTHILLS BASIN WEST VINE BASIN McCLELLANDS BASIN OLD TOWN BASIN CANAL IMPORTATION BASIN MAIL CREEK BASIN FOX MEADOWS BASIN CACHE LA POUDRE BASIN City of Fort Collins, Esri, TomTom, Garmin, SafeGraph, GeoTechnologies, Inc, METI/NASA, USGS, EPA, NPS, USDA, USFWS APPENDIX B 3/11/2025 1 Community Rating System (CRS) Program for Public Information (PPI) 5-Year Review Day 1 Jan. 16 – Feb. 6, 2025 Fort Collins Floodplain Management Committee Taryn Tigges | Floodplain Manager | City of Fort Collins 1 Purpose: Develop and monitor a public information program that will guide Fort Collins Utilities Stormwater into the future. Goal: Internal and external collaboration to develop partnerships, share expertise and create consistent messaging for the public. CRS PPI Committee 2 Requirements: Review 2020-2024 plan and implementation Update target areas and audiences Review required message topics Determine additional topics (if any) Determine messages for each topic Complete project inventory Develop new projects Old Town Flooding, 2017 Our Primary Objective: complete the 5-Year Review process Our 5-Year Review Process Overview Team alignment Grounding in the project Target area & audience review and development Day 2 Day 3Day 1 Finalize target areas and audiences Review community message topics Determine “extra” message topics Message review and development Finalize messages Review existing projects Develop new projects Discuss message dissemination Wrap up and next steps Note: If we do not get through all required 5-year review items by the end of day 3, as a group we will determine best approach to finishing our task work Committee pre-work: Referencing last years report, build a list of public information projects your organization has planned or completed, related to floodplain mgmt. Committee post-work: Review and suggest changes to report 4 Let’s pair and share! Partner with someone you don’t know well and share: 1. Name 2. Organization you represent 3. Something interesting about yourself 4. Why you are invested in this work Then you will introduce them to the committee! 5 What are some good guidelines for us as we get to know each other and conduct the 5-year review? 6 Creating a Learning Environment 1 2 3 4 5 6 3/11/2025 2 Why Floodplain Management? Health and safety of residents, businesses, and visitors Reduced property damages due to flooding Excellent emergency response AND minimal emergency response need Stormwater infrastructure and systems that bounce back quickly Healthy river and streams ready for flood events City, businesses, residents planning and working together 8Why is this work important? Flood resilient communities focus on: The program for public information is a critical piece to the flood resilience puzzle! Aligning Community Interest with Floodplain Management Committee Members: • City Staff • Floodplain, PIO, Natural Resources, Social Sustainability, Safety & Emergency Management, Environmental Services • Larimer County • Poudre Fire Authority • Colorado State University • Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed • Poudre Heritage Foundation • Real Estate Professionals • Engineers • And more! 2016 Fort Collins Floodplain Management Committee 9 PPI Committee’s Work in Action 10 11PPI Committee’s Work in Action How community input fits with CRS PPI 7 8 9 10 11 12 3/11/2025 3 The Spectrum of Public Participation inform consult involve collaborate empowerlevel promise Keep you informed + listen to and show how input is considered + include input directly in alternatives + add your advice & rec’s in solutions + we will implement what you decide Solutions are in our Community Increased impact on decision, action, or change. Target Areas and Audiences Past review and future development Target Areas and Audiences 2020-2024: • 100- and 500-year floodplain • Repetitive loss area • CSU community • 3 CSU campuses • Students living off-campus • Poudre School District community • Drivers & pedestrians • Real Estate Licensees, lenders, insurance agents, builders, and property management agencies • Trail & Poudre River recreation users • Non-English-speaking populations • Vulnerable population • Urban area (special emphasis on Old Town) September 2013 Poudre River Flood College Ave. and Vine Dr. 15 Potential Target Areas and Audiences 2025: • Properties near detention ponds and irrigation ditches • Offset from high flood prone area – “buffer” • Poudre River Corridor based on proposed RiskMAP • Erosion buffer zones • Dam hazards • Properties behind levees • Contractors May 31, 2020, Flooding on College Ave. south of Drake Rd. Surfacing Our Challenges What challenges do we have messaging flood awareness? • Makes it hard to do well? • Keeps it from being effective? 17 18Area and Audience Breakout Exercise Break into groups to review map and consider: 1. Are existing areas and audiences still relevant? 2. Which areas and audiences… -Don’t have good access to messaging? -Are vulnerable to or stand to be disproportionately impacted by floods? 3. Should any areas and audiences be added or subtracted? Why? In large group, each breakout will share what they discussed. 13 14 15 16 17 18 3/11/2025 4 WORKING DRAFT 2025 Target Areas and Audiences 2020-2024 • 100- and 500-year floodplain • Repetitive loss area • CSU community • 3 CSU campuses • Students living off-campus • Poudre School District community • Drivers & pedestrians • Real Estate Licensees, lenders, insurance agents, builders, and property management agencies • Trail & Poudre River recreation users • Non-English-speaking populations • Vulnerable population • Urban area (special emphasis on Old Town) 19 2025 CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS 20Nice Work Today! Next Steps: • Staff synthesize record, draft areas and audiences for your approval • Think about and talk to coworkers about your projects, we will capture them February 6th • Survey Community Rating System (CRS) Program for Public Information (PPI) 5-Year Review Day 2 Jan. 16 – Feb. 6, 2025 Fort Collins Floodplain Management Committee Taryn Tigges | Floodplain Manager | City of Fort Collins 21 Requirements: Review 2020-2024 plan and implementation Update target areas and audiences Review required message topics Determine additional topics (if any) Determine messages for each topic Complete project inventory Develop new projects Old Town Flooding, 2017 Our Primary Objective: complete the 5-Year Review process Our 5-Year Review Process Overview Team alignment Grounding in the project Target area & audience review and development Day 2 Day 3Day 1 Finalize target areas and audiences Review community message topics Determine “extra” message topics Message review and development Finalize messages Review existing projects Develop new projects Discuss message dissemination Wrap up and next steps Note: If we do not get through all required 5-year review items by the end of day 3, as a group we will determine best approach to finishing our task work Committee pre-work: Referencing last years report, build a list of public information projects your organization has planned or completed, related to floodplain mgmt. Committee post-work: Review and suggest changes to report 23 24Gearing up for Day 2 Our Learning Environment: • Respectful • Take space, make space • Open Minded • Curious • Be creative • Have fun! • BAKED GOODS!! 19 20 21 22 23 24 3/11/2025 5 25Let’s get to know each other better! • Everyone gets a card • Find someone you don’t know well • • Answer your question • Partner answers their question • Switch cards then raise your hand to find a new partner • Keep going until time runs out! 26Day 1 Review- Finalize 2025 Areas and Audiences Areas 1. 100 and 500-year flood plain 2. Repetitive loss 3. Urban (especially Old Town) Audiences (PLUS lots of sub-audiences!) 1. CSU Community 2. Poudre School District 3. Drivers and Pedestrians 4. Property Management 5. Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users 6. Adjacent Communities 7. Vulnerable Populations Target Areas and Audiences 2020-2024: • 100- and 500-year floodplain • Repetitive loss area • CSU community • 3 CSU campuses • Students living off-campus • Poudre School District community • Drivers & pedestrians • Real Estate Licensees, lenders, insurance agents, builders, and property management agencies • Trail & Poudre River recreation users • Non-English-speaking populations • Vulnerable population • Urban area (special emphasis on Old Town) September 2013 Poudre River Flood College Ave. and Vine Dr. 27 Human-Centered Designing Preparing to generate creative messages for our topics 29The EAST Framework 1. Define the Outcome • Accessible, meaningful flood awareness messages 2. Understand the Context • Topics, audiences, FoCo flood conditions 3. Build your intervention • Messages and projects 4. Test, learn, adapt • Implement projects, PPI committee work www.bi.team/publications/east-four-simple-ways-to-apply-behavioural-insights Make it Easy Principles • People gravitate towards what takes the least time and resources • By making it easier, we increase likelihood of completion • Reduce “hassle factor” and “friction costs” In Action • Display key message early • Simple, clear language • Simple, achievable messages • Simple, specific steps to take • Help someone sign up 25 26 27 28 29 30 3/11/2025 6 Make it Attractive Principles • People are drawn to tangible reward • Be eye-catching and memorable • Make it appealing, novel, simple, accessible • Make it easy to imagine how they fit with the behavior we want to see In Action • Bold colors, fonts and images • Meaningful messages • Highlights benefits or detriments of the behavior, that matter to them • Story telling • Highlight what they get out of it • Gamification Make it Social Principles • Make it personal • People are deeply influenced by what others do and say • Influence often goes unnoticed • Use the power of community and networks to pass messages along In Action • “Most people …” • Use of commitment devices like pledges to “lock” people in • Make comparisons Make it Timely Principles • Behavior is easier to change during major life events than everyday living • Identify barriers first, then how timing matters • Immediate cost and benefit are more influential than those delivered later • Help people make a specific plan In Action • Give attention to transition moments, like move in/out, point of sign, starting new school year, entering new season, in a flood • Display long term benefits up front to impact “present bias” • Incentivize upfront, creating an instant reward 34 The messages must either: • Clearly state what the audience should do • (e.g., Turn around, don’t drown) • Note on where to get more information • (e.g., Information on ways to protect your property can be found at…) FEMA Guidance 35Creativity Exercise How to generate LOTS of ideas: • Defer judgement - no bad ideas (yet) • Quantity over quality • SEEK wild or unusual ideas • Combine or build on other ideas Create a flood awareness message for this audience … jot down 20 messages in 5 minutes … go! Six Priority CRS Topics (required) 1. Know your flood hazard 2. Insure your property for flood hazard 3. Protect people from the hazard 4. Protect property from the hazard 5. Build responsibly 6. Protect natural floodplain functions 1904 Flood on the Poudre River – Buckingham Neighborhood looking east Required Topics 36 31 32 33 34 35 36 3/11/2025 7 37“Extra” Topic Development • Large Group discussion • What should we add, subtract, or maintain? • Vote (if needed) “Extra” Topics (up to four) 1. Flood Warning 2. Safe recreation 3. Situational/Location Awareness 4. Travel Safe Note: Consider the audiences and sub- audiences we just determined! 38Existing Message Examples Consider our new audiences and topics. What messages could reach them well? • Individual thinking: start to generate ideas • Stick ‘em up, shout ‘em out • Clearly state what to do • Note where to go to learn more • Think EAST! • easy, attractive, social, timely 39Message Development 40Which messages are highest quality? • Which stand out to you as meaningful, accessible, EAST? • Which should stay? • Should go? • Why? 41Nice Work Today! Next Steps: • Staff synthesize record, draft topics and messages for your approval • Think about and talk to coworkers about your projects, we will capture them February 6th • Survey Community Rating System (CRS) Program for Public Information (PPI) 5-Year Review Day 3 Jan. 16 – Feb. 6, 2025 Fort Collins Floodplain Management Committee Taryn Tigges | Floodplain Manager | City of Fort Collins 42 37 38 39 40 41 42 3/11/2025 8 Our 5-Year Review Process Overview Team alignment Grounding in the project Target area & audience review and development Day 2 Day 3Day 1 Finalize target areas and audiences Review community message topics Determine “extra” message topics Message review and development Finalize messages Review existing projects Develop new projects Discuss message dissemination Wrap up and next steps Note: If we do not get through all required 5-year review items by the end of day 3, as a group we will determine best approach to finishing our task work Committee pre-work: Referencing last years report, build a list of public information projects your organization has planned or completed, related to floodplain mgmt. Committee post-work: Review and suggest changes to report 43 44Gearing up for Day 2 Our Learning Environment: • Respectful • Take space, make space • Open Minded • Curious • Be creative • Have fun! • BAKED GOODS!?! Group Photo Time Let’s do it now, or we will probably forget. • Areas & Audiences • Topics • Messages Big Picture Review 46 Progress Review 2025 Areas and Audiences Exercise 2025 Recommended Areas and Audiences 48 •Property Management •Owners of newly purchased homes •Renters of newly rented apartments or homes •Independent property management (landlords) •Insurance Agencies •Mobile Home Parks •Trail and Poudre River Recreation Users •Vulnerable Populations •Community Partners serving vulnerable populations •100 and 500-year flood plain (required) •Repetitive loss (required) •CSU Community •On Campus •Off Campus Students •Poudre School District •Parents •Drivers and Pedestrians •Urban Corridor Users •Commuters •Adjacent Communities •Unincorporated County 43 44 45 46 47 48 3/11/2025 9 2025 Recommended Topics 49 2025 Topic Recommendations FEMAKnow your flood hazard1 FEMA Insure your property for flood hazard2 FEMAProtect people from the hazard3 FEMAProtect property from the hazard4 FEMABuild responsibly5 FEMA Protect natural floodplain functions6 CityFlood warning7 CitySafe recreation8 CityTravel Safe9 Eliminated10 The committee had a detailed discussion on 4 additional topics without conclusive changes. There was much thought on making sure we align topics well with areas and audiences. It was decided that messages 1 and 9 were too similar. We considered “be prepared,” but instead reduced total #. 2024 Messages: 17 2025 Brainstorm: 85 more creative messages! Total pool: 102 Refinement Process: • Floodplain Manager (FPM) review: 30 chosen • Will it be usable? Is it practical? Is it redundant? Does it hit a variety of areas and audiences? • PIO and FPM preferences: 11 chosen, 6 from 2024, 5 from 2025 brainstorm • Is there variety in content and style? • Is it important? Concise? “Sticky”? • Is it actionable? Broadly applicable? • Does it meet FEMA requirements? 2025 Recommended Messages 50 Choosing Great Messages Staff observations • Heavy on recreation: 29 ideas! • 1 & 9: very similar 51Ranking and Voting for Messages • 11 PIO and FPM recommendations selected • Ranking process for the remaining messages • One by one ranking, by topic • Which 0-3 to choose for each topic? • Zoom out review • Glaringly missing? • How many total overall?2024 and 2025 Projects Project Sharing Compile 2024 Projects • Laptop and email • Worksheet and hand in Stakeholder Collaboration Existing Measures of Effectiveness FrequencyCommunication Method Topics & Messages Target Audience Project Name 54 Share top three project ideas you can impact, stick them in the impact/effort matrix. Discuss • What new projects do we want for 2025? • What do we want to continue into 2025? • What are the major collaboration projects/opportunities? Choosing 2025 Projects Project name Organization name Quarter to implemented NEW or CONTINUE 49 50 51 52 53 54 3/11/2025 10 Annual Meeting • Jan/Feb Staying in touch • Capturing Projects • Collaboration • Being effective 55Next Steps Wrapping up our time Next Steps • Share final draft messages for review • Project follow ups (as needed) • Share final draft report for review • Share final report once submitted • To committee and “inform” stakeholders • Stay in touch through the year For Questions or Comments, Please Contact: THANK YOU! Taryn Tigges Floodplain Manager | City of Fort Collins Join at slido.com #1080 452 55 56 APPENDIX C Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Floodplain Owner/Renter Brochure Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel Safe Owners/residents in the 100-year and 500-year floodplains FC Utilities FC Natural Areas PFA Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area FEMA Red Cross Prepare brochure with new PPI messaging. Mail annually before flood awareness week. Distribute to stakeholders. Property Management Brochure Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Property Management FC Utilities Board of Realtors & similar organizations Prepare brochure, with new PPI messaging Distribute Vulnerable Populations Brochure (New) Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Vulnerable Populations FC Utilities FC Social Sustainability FC EPS Prepare brochure and distribute Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Flood Videos Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All CSU Community PSD Community FC Utilities CSU PSD Cable Channel 14 CSU plays videos on Channel 11 PSD plays videos on their Cable Channel Videos played May- September including FAW. Each video played more than 5 times each. YouTube Ad (New) Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All FC Utilities Opportunity for other stakeholders to sponsor Work with FCTV to create new (shorter) video Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Bus Benches or Shelters Know your flood hazard Travel safe Protect natural floodplain functions Drivers & Pedestrians one bench/shelter sign in Spanish, if possible FC Utilities 5-6 benches or shelters per message Installed annually, usually kept for several months High Water Markers Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect your property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Safe recreation Flood warning 100-year and 500- year floodplain Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users CSU CSU FC Utilities FEMA 3 High Water Marks on Campus 6 High Water Mark Signs on Spring Creek 2 High Water Mark Signs on the Poudre Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Trail Signs Know your flood hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Or Know your flood hazard Safe recreation 100-year and 500- year floodplain Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users FC Utilities FEMA FC Natural Areas WRV Poudre Heritage, PFA Multiple Signs 2013 Flood Signs along Poudre River Multiple Trail Signs on Natural Areas Property 1 sign location (Dragonfly Lair) Play It Safe kiosk with brochures, safety signage along Poudre River Social Media/Website Know your food hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All Urban Areas FC Utilities CPRW Other Stakeholders Several social media announcements through Utilities. Comprehensive website includes mapping and flood warning. Social media messages posted & repeated May-September and especially during FAW. Repost and customize. Utilities can make media kit for easier distribution. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Realtor Communication (New) Insure your property 100-year floodplain Property Management Urban Forest Realty Work with The Group, RE/MAX, or CE3 to promote flood safety and the 40% discount on flood insurance. Repetitive Loss Letter Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe Repetitive Loss Property FC Utilities Sent 1 time per year Community Booths/Events (Non-Target Audience) Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel Safe All FC Utilities FC Natural Areas Larimer County FC Safety & Risk Management Various events such as Safety Fair, Earth Day, Poudre RiverFest, Hero Fest etc. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action CSU Housing Fair Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Flood warning Travel safe CSU FC Utilities CSU Annual event, usually held in February. Booth with brochures and handouts. Community Presentations (Non-Target Audience) Various events Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel Safe All FC Utilities FC Natural Areas Guided walks, restoration projects, clean-up days Realtor, Lender, Insurance Agent Presentations or Trainings Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Property Management FC Utilities Board of Realtors & similar orgs FEMA Coordinate with Realtors, Lenders, Home Builders Assoc., Property Managers and advertising Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Dump No Waste Inlet Markers and/or Murals Protect property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Urban Area Drivers & Pedestrians FC Utilities Prepare map of locations, mark inlets. Flood Protection Assistance and Site Visits Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly All FC Utilities Provide free site visits to residents and businesses. Advertise service in City News. Utility Bill – May Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Travel safe All FC Utilities Prepare text and images Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action City News – May & July Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Travel safe All FC Utilities Prepare newsletter article Flood Awareness Week Displays (FAW) – Poster and Brochures Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel Safe All FC Utilities FEMA Red Cross Set-up displays. Obtain brochures from FEMA and Red Cross. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action FAW Bill Insert Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All FC Utilities Prepare annually FAW Banner Know your flood hazard Drivers & Pedestrians FC Utilities Organize to put up banners in town for FAW, annually Utilize the Customer Information System (CIS) (New) Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All FC Utilities Utilize the Customer Information System (CIS) for flood awareness messaging. Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Advertising Before Events – Gardens Concerts, Lagoon Concerts, Football Games, Downtown Concerts, Museum of Discovery, Movie Theaters, etc. (New) Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Build responsibly Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All CSU FC Utilities CSU Contact organizations to determine options. Prepare Graphics and messaging Education in Schools – Earth Force RISE Program Know your flood hazard Protect people from hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe School Districts Earth Force Annual activity during the school year Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Brochure/Outreach to Unhoused Residents/Community Members Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Travel Safe Vulnerable Populations FC Social Sustainability Prepare handout, slides, staff education. Usually in April contact agencies such as Catholic Charities, Murphy Center, Salvation Army, Rescue Mission, Family Housing Network, Service Providers Slide in lobby at Murphy Center Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Travel Safe Vulnerable Populations FC Social Sustainability Prepare slide Newsletter for Local Non-Profits (New) Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Vulnerable Populations FC Social Sustainability Prepare and distribute newsletter Bring Your Child to Work Day Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Safe recreation Travel safe Parents of school children FC Utilities Prepare 100-year storm shower, water table Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Safety.colostate.edu awareness (sign up for safety alerts) Flood warning CSU CSU Prepare esigns, table tents, cards See Something. Say Something. Do Something. (New) Flood warning CSU CSU Integrate PPI messaging into this existing project. Prepare website CoCoRaHS (New) Know your flood hazard Flood warning All CSU CSU Engage the community in the existing CoCoRaHS rainfall measurement efforts Flood Ready Larimer County Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Unincorporated Larimer County Larimer County Prepare website, PDF, Email Cameron Peak Fire After Flood Collaboration w/ FEMA Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Unincorporated Larimer County (burn scar area) Larimer County Prepare email, print, handouts, events Alexander & Pearl Mountain FAF Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Unincorporated Larimer County (burn scar area) Larimer County Prepare email, print, handouts, events Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Community Mitigation Grant Program Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Flood warning Unincorporated Larimer County Larimer County Year long process Use AI to gauge flood depths, integrating with an interactive map (New) Know your flood hazard Flood warning All FC Utilities Larimer County Work with the software developer to use in Fort Collins Play it Safe Brochures Safe recreation Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area FC Natural Areas Print brochures handed out in May Play it Safe Social Media Safe recreation Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area FC Natural Areas 6 social media posts throughout May-July Play it Safe Blog Safe recreation Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Prepare website and June newsletter Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Poudre Riverfest Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe All Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users FC Utilities CPRW Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area FC Natural Areas Prepare for August event. FC Utilities displays and table. Poudre Riverfest Fun Zone Know your flood hazard Protect people from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe Kids (and parents in school districts) FC Utilities CPRW Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Prepare interactive kids activities Oak Street Storm Sewer Outreach (New) Know your flood hazard Urban Areas Drivers & Pedestrians FC Utilities JUB Engineers Prepare outreach messaging to include with existing storm sewer project Climate Resilience Project (New) Know your flood hazard All FC Environmental Services Integrate PPI messaging into this existing project Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Move-In, Move-Out Campaign (New) Know your flood hazard Insure your property Protect people from the hazard Protect property from the hazard Flood warning All FC Environmental Services Integrate PPI messaging into this existing project Toolkit for Teachers (New) Know Your Flood Hazard Protect People from Hazard Protect property from the hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe School districts FC Utilities CPRW Prepare methods of distributing PPI messaging. River Health Assessment Framework (New) Protect natural floodplain functions All FC Utilities CPRW Integrate PPI messaging into this existing project Floodplain Management PPI Committee │2025 Update Project Message Topics Audience Stakeholders Action Coffee Talk (New) Know Your Flood Hazard Protect People from Hazard Protect natural floodplain functions Flood warning Safe recreation Travel safe Trail & Poudre River Recreation Users FC Utilities FC Natural Areas Prepare presentation APPENDIX D