AFMA Flood Zone, July 2012

Inside This Edition	July 2012

2012 AFMA Fall Conference Announced	CFM Exam Registration
2012 AFMA Awards Nominations	Board Elections

2012 AFMA Fall Conference
Embassy Suites Hotel
Hot Springs, Arkansas

September 23 - 26, 2012

AFMA This multi-day event provides a comprehensive review of sound floodplain management best practices, complete with expert presentations from federal agencies, other state floodplain management associations, and peers from among the AFMA membership.

Topics this year include:

NFIP Reform and Compliance
Floodplain Management Legal Workshops
Levees, SRP and Discovery
Low Impact Development and Drainage

View the 2012 AFMA fall conference agenda.

Click here to register for this event and for additional information about directions and hotel accommodations.

Important Dates

Register before September 7, 2012 and take advantage of the early-bird discount rate!
Hotel reservation deadline: August 24, 2012
Conference registration deadline: Registrations must be postmarked by September 14, 2012


	Sunday, September 23 Oaklawn Room Embassy Suites Hotel 1:30 – 4:30 pm The Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) program was created by AFMA to raise and maintain the professional standards of those individuals that manage floodplains, wetlands and watersheds within the state of Arkansas. The program is designed to certify competency with the basic principles of sound floodplain management as mandated and encouraged by the NFIP. To register for this exam, please contact CFM Program Manager Mike Borengasser. Download applications and forms. Review the certification exam study guide. View a complete list of CFMs in Arkansas. CFM^© is a registered trademark of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).

2012 AFMA Awards Luncheon
Tuesday, September 25
Grand Salon
Embassy Suites Hotel
12:00 – 1:45 pm

Honoring communities, individuals, corporations and agencies that excel in the field of floodplain management, AFMA solicits nominations from among its membership for recognition at the annual awards luncheon. The program is a great way to promote flood safe communities and the professionals that make it happen.

Click here to make your nominations now!

Wednesday, September 26
Grand Salon
Embassy Suites Hotel
8:00 to 8:30 a.m.

Elections During the 2012 business meeting, positions on the AFMA Board of Directors will become vacant and immediately available through election. Any full member in good standing of the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association is eligible to run for office. Available positions include:

Vice Chairman	Northwest Region Representative
Secretary	Southwest Region Representative
Treasurer	Northeast Region Representative
Central Region Representative	Southeast Region Representative

In accordance with the AFMA Constitution, the current vice chairman automatically becomes the chairman for the next biennial period. The current chairman becomes the past chairman for the next biennial period as well. Board members serve for a period of two years. The next election will be held at the 2014 Fall Conference.

Buddy, can you spare a drop of water? How strange a game Mother Nature plays sending us too much water at one time and not enough at another? It certainly keeps us as floodplain managers on our toes as we make the most of this dry season to ensure open ditches and creeks are cleared of debris.

It’s good construction weather, too. Many of you are in the process of finishing structures that will help mitigate hazards in your community. From simple storm sewers to major retention ponds, there is no better time than now to get these projects completed before the rain returns. And rest assured it will.

Speaking of returning, I am pleased to announce that we will return to Hot Springs this year for the annual AFMA fall conference, and for those of you new to the organization, Hot Springs is one of our top two destinations for hosting the event! Registration is now open, so click here and make plans to join us!

Again this year we are offering a complete lineup of speakers from FEMA Region VI. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to visit with these representatives about floodplain management issues in your community. Additionally, our conference program will bring you up to speed on the latest floodplain management news and information.

Also returning this year is the ever popular legal workshop for floodplain management. Many of you have heard Ed Thomas, Esq. speak to our organization previously and have asked that he return for an update. Ed is a highly sought speaker and I am pleased to announce that after two years of negotiations and scheduling, Ed Thomas will once again make THE MOST important presentation you will hear at a floodplain conference. It’s a presentation of national quality at the local level. And it’s brought to you by AFMA.

Among the highlights of the annual fall conference, the AFMA awards luncheon honors communities, individuals, corporations and agencies that excel in the field of floodplain management. AFMA is now soliciting nominations from among its membership. You may nominate anyone involved in floodplain management. Including yourself. Click here to do just that.

If you have been studying to become a certified floodplain manager, AFMA will offer an exam session before the conference starts on Sunday, September 23. You MUST make prior arrangements with the CFM Program Manager Mike Borengasser to sit for this exam. A complete list of details about the AFMA CFM program can be found here. Study guides are here.

The AFMA conference committee has developed a great program and we look forward to gathering among peers with a common interest in hazard mitigation. Be sure you check the forecast before heading to Hot Springs. As we began our conference last year, the weather suddenly became very chilly for late September. I’m not guaranteeing that will be the case in 2012, but any relief from this heat will be welcomed by all.

Richard Penn, PE, CFM
Email Richard