On January 25, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) honored two Sierra Club employees for their efforts to save the nation’s wetlands and protect communities from floods. The award marks the first time in recent years FEMA has recognized the disaster prevention work of an environmental organization. FEMA recognized the Sierra Club’s Kathryn Hohmann and Brett Hulsey with the FEMA Award for Outstanding Public Service for their leadership in protecting wetlands in the wake of the 1993 Mississippi River floods and in the years since. David Conrad with the National Wildlife Federation was also honored.
“The Sierra Club is delighted that FEMA and other government agencies are working with the environmental community to meet common goals,” said Hohmann, Director of the Sierra Club’s Environmental Quality Program in Washington, DC. “Working together is just good common sense. By combining efforts, we can protect more wetlands and save more families from flood disasters.”
“Environmentalists and FEMA are linking arms to fight sprawl and protect families from floods,” stated Hulsey, Senior Regional Representative with the Club’s Midwest office in Madison, Wisconsin. “With leadership from FEMA, we’re making strides in stopping developers from building in our nation’s wetlands.”
The Sierra Club is currently working with FEMA to revise the national wetlands permit program. This rubber–stamp program, which has approved more than 85% of all development proposals, will now have safeguards to protect the nation’s floodplains.
“By working together with FEMA to reform the permit rules, we can protect our precious wetlands and keep people out of harm’s way,” added Hohmann. “Plus, the reforms will mean taxpayers don’t have to financially bail out homeowners who bought properties in places along the floodplains — dangerous places to call home.”
Wetlands are the first line of defense against flooding. Wetlands soak up rain and store excess floodwater runoff, then slowly release the water back into streams, lakes, and groundwater. With more than 115,000 acres of wetlands disappearing each year, the Sierra Club is working to protect these fragile ecosystems while saving families from floods, protecting water quality, and restoring wildlife habitats.
“The goal of the Sierra Club wetland protection program is three–fold,” said Hulsey. “We want to protect families from flooding, protect habitats that store flood water, and educate citizens on the hazards of building in floodplains.”
The efforts of the Sierra Club have proven to dramatically decrease flood damage. In the 1995 flooding of St. Charles County, Missouri, the Sierra Club helped reduce flood damage 95% by working with homeowners to relocate their homes away from the floodplain. The Sierra Club has also helped save over 100,000 acres of wetlands along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers using the wetlands reserve program and fish and wildlife refuges.
The Outstanding Public Service Award is given to employees of Federal agencies, state and local governments, private citizens, and organizations in recognition of significant contributions to the field of emergency management or service. More information on the award can be found at www.fema.gov. More information on the Sierra Club campaign to protect wetlands can be found at www.sierraclub.org/wetlands.