Our experience, research, and educational services help you minimize the risk of flood damage.
Phone: (517) 655-1828
Our experience, research, and educational services help you minimize the risk of flood damage.
Phone: (517) 655-1828
Flooding in Summer 2006 caused damage to all parts of the building.
Flooding of a large commercial manufacturing facility in June & July of 2006 produced up to 20 inches of floodwater and debris across the main floor of the company’s buildings that included their manufacturing, assembly, storage and retail facilities and administrative offices. This flooding required major reconstruction and repair to all portions of the building, delaying manufacturing and disrupting administrative functions.
W. A. Wilson Consulting Services was retained to examine all aspects of the flooding to determine the likelihood of future flood events and propose actions that would mitigate the potential for future flood losses. This entailed reviewing the flood history, examining the statistical history and projections for future floods of similar heights and determining the facility’s location within the floodplain/floodway.
A final report was prepared for the company that provided all of the hydrologic perspectives and outlining all of the methods available for floodproofing the facility, including wet floodproofing, dry floodproofing and barriers. Cost estimates were provided for all of the floodproofing approaches along with the requirements for training of staff, set-up time for temporary barriers and the feasibility of successful flood mitigation for each of the approaches.
Early in 2006, a fire destroyed the interior and roof of the convenience store.
This convenience store/gasoline retail building shares its location with a self service laundromat.
The location of the facility is within the FEMA mapped 100-year floodplain. Thus, since a determination was made that substantial damage occurred due to the fire, the community’s local ordinance requires that before the building can be repaired and re-opened it must be either elevated above the 100-year floodplain or, because it is a non-residential use, floodproofed to the 100-year flood elevation or above.
The various requirements for local permits were investigated and applications were obtained for the use of the owner. A complete analysis of the floodplain and floodway characteristics was completed in order that a menu of possible flood mitigation solutions could be made.
These possible options varied from a floodwall barrier around the facility, dry floodproofing the building by reinforcing the existing walls and lastly, elevating from within by raising the existing floor level, and the structural components of the building to an elevation above the 100-year flood level.
Working with the Mitigation Assistance Corporation, W. A. Wilson Consulting Services completed Flood Mitigation Plan for the City of Vassar, Michigan. The plan identified more than 30 activities that the City could undertake to reduce their exposure to flood damages. This was the first flood mitigation plan to be completed in Michigan and is used as model for future similar efforts.
In conjunction with Greenhorne & O'mara, Wilson Consulting Services developed an all-hazard mitigation plan for the city of Elkhart, Indiana.
A large subdivision development in Novi, Michigan needed new floodplain delineations to reflect changes that had occurred in the area over the past several years. The development of very up-scale homes and condominiums needed to move ahead on schedule and within budget.
The new floodplain elevations were calculated and all local and state permits were obtained to facilitate the receipt of Letters of Map Revision from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
To facilitate the timing of development, the more than one square mile subdivision was phased into three parts. All permits and approvals were obtained on time and the development proceeded with no adverse impacts to the adjacent watercourses and wetlands.
This work was completed by W. A. Wilson Consulting Services and an associate, Resource Engineering/Consulting Services.
The City of Sparks, Nevada, contracted with Nimbus Engineers of Reno, to conduct flood assessments of the industries in the City’s industrial park. W. A. Wilson Consulting Services subcontracted with Nimbus Engineers to undertake this study of more than twenty flood damaged businesses, determining how they were flooded, the impact upon their business operations and providing approaches to mitigating future flood losses.
Under contract with the City of Vassar, Michigan, W. A. Wilson Consulting Services represented the City in floodproofing five separate residences that had been classified as repetitive loss structures by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Federal funds were obtained to pay for 75% of the project costs, the remaining 25% coming from either the City or the individual home owners.
Their homes were raised from 4.5 to over 8 feet, bringing their living spaces to an elevation above the 100-year flood levels.
Working jointly W. A. Wilson Consulting Services and French & Associates, Ltd. developed and wrote a Floodproofing Manual for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, detailing how to floodproof various types of structures, how to determine the best approach to floodproofing and how to analyze and compute the benefit/cost ratio of individual projects.
Under contract with the URS Corporation, W. A. Wilson Consulting Services provided technical assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on utilizing the Residential Substantial Damage Estimator tool in the disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Ivan in the greater Pensacola, Florida area.
Wallace A. Wilson was selected by Judge Donald Owens to serve on the Board of Review for the drainage project in Lansing Township, Michigan.
Wallace A. Wilson has testified before two U.S. House of Representatives subcommittees on floodplain management issues.
W. A. Wilson Consulting Services, under contract with the Association of State Floodplain Managers, was one of the principal researchers and authors of the new ASFPM publication “NAI Case Studies”. This publication will highlight eleven communities of varying sizes throughout the country, detailing how each community has committed their growth and management to the tenets of No Adverse Impact development.
Mr. Wilson acted as Conference Director for the first and all subsequent National Floodproofing Conferences, under contract with the Association of State Floodplain Managers. These conferences provided speakers from all levels of government and exhibitors and vendors of floodproofing products and services for a week-long conference and exposition.
Each conference was attended by over 200 persons.
W. A. Wilson Consulting Services subcontracted with Greenhorne & O’Mara to conduct week-long Community Assistance Visits (CAV) in the unincorporated portions of six counties in West Virginia.
The CAV’s are conducted in all communities in the National Flood Insurance Program and offers the opportunity not only to see how the individual community is performing under that program, but to provide suggestions and assistance on how better to meet the intended goals of the NFIP program.
Additionally, W. A. Wilson Consulting Services conducted one-day training sessions for 28 separate counties in West Virginia on all aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program and floodplain management in general.
Quito Historica, a World Heritage Site
Working as part of a 3-part cooperative with the Servicios y Remediacion out of Quito, Ecuador, and a philanthropy from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, W. A. Wilson Consulting Services cooperated in completing a Needs Analysis for the City of Quito to assess their ability to respond to any type of natural or technological disaster to which they may reasonably be exposed.
In addition to technological hazards such as oil spills or aircraft incidents, the Needs Analysis addressed the City’s needs in responding to emergencies developing from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, lahars, flooding, and wildfires.
Following completion of the Needs Analysis, funding is now being sought for the implementation of the various identified needs and to develop a fully integrated Quito Emergency Plan.
