Webinar Recap: Floodplain Management Challenges in Arid Rural Idaho

Floodplain management is becoming increasingly vital, particularly in rural and coastal regions where resources can be allocated differently. In our most recent webinar, Floodplain Management Challenges in Arid Rural Idaho, Maureen O’Shea, CFM shared the unique obstacles faced by Idaho’s rural communities and shared strategies that community leaders can adopt to strengthen their floodplain management programs.

Maureen provided an overview of Idaho’s expansive geography and discussed the variety of floodplain management practices across the state's 44 counties. She explained that many counties rely on paper flood maps and shared details about how they are digitizing maps to improve the accuracy and accessibility of flood risk data, which will help support Idaho communities in the future. Maureen also explained how turnover of elected officials can complicate floodplain management practices and compliance efforts, and talked through how they navigated different transitions. Maureen shared that as a floodplain specialist, she strives to provide support and resources for Idaho communities by offering training and comprehensive documentation for floodplain officials, such as this Flood Damage Prevention Damage Prevention Ordinance.

The webinar underscored the importance of supporting rural and riverine communities with floodplain management resources to ensure long-term resilience. Understanding the nuances of floodplain management is key to developing effective strategies for these regions.  

The webinar presentation can be downloaded here and the recording is below.

Our webinars are hosted periodically to foster knowledge-sharing within the floodplain management community. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to be notified about the next one! Please reach out support@withforerunner.com or request a demo to learn more about Forerunner.