The FEMA grant is in response to the June 2016 Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and is part of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), established to reduce the risk to citizens’ lives and property should future disasters occur.
“Marshall University has provided excellent computer-based flood simulations for us since 2004,” said Wayne Brown of the Western Greenbrier Business Development Corporation (WGBD), who assisted in a grant application to HMGP for a proposed flood relief channel. “Essentially, they performed a flood simulation in 2004 that unfortunately came true in 2016. We used the results of their flood simulations in the grant application that we made to FEMA. We are very appreciative of the engineering expertise that Marshall University has provided and continues to provide.
“The historic flood in 2016 wreaked havoc in this small community, resulting in the loss of five lives and over 100 homes,” Brown said. “The city has also been prone to flooding with significant flooding events in 2003 and 2011, and is still in FEMA-designated recovery from the 2016 event.”
The computer modeling was directed by Professor of Engineering Dr. Richard Begley.
“First, we want to remember those who lost their lives, their family members as well as those who suffered other losses during the 2016 flood,” Begley said. “Second, we recognize that the citizens of Rainelle are very concerned that flooding may be more prevalent because of climate change in the future. And we are ready to bring the best tools available for helping to design long-term solutions for preventing flooding in this beautiful, culturally rich and economically vital part of West Virginia.”
The Marshall study began because of a smaller flooding event in 2003, when a team of graduate students collected precise elevations of the city streets in addition to the two streams that traverse through the city and their respective bridges. This data was then used to perform flood simulations, which suggested that the clearance of one of the bridges was too low and had the potential to increase the extent of flooding in the city from larger precipitation events, Begley said.
Shortly after the flood of 2016, in which Rainelle received over 7.6 inches of rain in a 36-hour time period, another graduate student secured a video captured by a drone on the day of the flood. He then compared the flood simulations performed in 2004 with the extent of the 2016 flood. The perimeter of the flood predicted by the simulation performed in 2004 was nearly identical with the perimeter of the 2016 flood.
“We are appreciative of the vital role that the planning and development experts in this region of West Virginia played in coordinating with all the governmental entities to make these funds a reality,” Begley said. “The timing is very fortunate, as just (recently), a team of our senior civil engineering students presented their capstone project, which focused on studying options for installing a new storm water management system for a portion of the city. They were very excited to know that the project they chose to use for their capstone project could have potential benefits for one of our communities. And we look forward to working with the council, WGBD, the City of Rainelle and the engineering firm that will be performing the final designs for the two projects.”
“Several communities in West Virginia are very concerned that flooding may have more occurrence in the future. Dr. Begley has clearly demonstrated a much-appreciated flood prediction effort that goes back to 2004,” said Dr. Wael Zatar, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences. “I have personally witnessed his remarkable interest to do the best he can to support the citizens of Rainelle.
“Dr. Begley has performed computer modeling to assist designing a long-term solution for preventing flooding in that region and has led a wonderful team of our senior civil engineering students who studied the subject and presented their capstone project detailing a few options for installing a storm water management system for a portion of the city,” Zatar added.