The Coming Flood: Reflections from the SWRPC Fall Meeting
- October 23, 2025
- Planning
In an unintended confluence of events, the SWRPC Fall Meeting coincided almost to the day with the 20th anniversary of the devastating floods of 2005, which impacted a number of Monadnock Region communities, most notably Alstead. The meeting focused on flooding and what towns can do to prepare and mitigate risk.
We were lucky to be joined by Sarah Thunberg and Stephanie Frechette. Both are Principal Planners at the NH Office of Planning and Development, working with municipalities on floodplain management and implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) They walked us through different types of flooding, ways to monitor risk, vulnerabilities that communities should be aware of, and steps that towns and cities can take in preparation for the flooding events to come.
Reflecting on their remarks as well as our experience here at SWRPC working with our member municipalities on similar issues, a few takeaways rise to the surface:
- Anywhere it rains, it can flood. In the Monadnock Region, with its hilly topography, many areas are prone to flash floods, including places outside the mapped floodplain. Flash floods are unpredictable and difficult to plan for. However, there are proactive steps that towns can take, like mapping stormwater infrastructure (e.g., catch basins, culverts), staying on top of preventative maintenance, and budgeting for necessary upgrades. (SWRPC can help with mapping and prioritizing.)
- The Community Rating System (CRS) offers towns an opportunity to reduce flood insurance premiums. The CRS is a program administered by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency that encourages towns to adopt policies and practices that reduce flood risk. CRS publishes a list of specific actions that towns can take to qualify for discounts on NFIP premiums, up to 45% for property owners located in the floodplain. NH OPD maintains a web page with CRS-related resources.
- Towns should coordinate with flood-prone property owners to ensure good communication when dangerous weather is expected. Campgrounds are especially vulnerable due to the temporary nature of many camp structures, limited oversight through local land use approval and permitting processes, proximity to rivers and water bodies, and campers’ lack of familiarity with the surrounding area. There are several steps towns can take to promote good communication with camp operators. They can require that any campground seeking site plan approval addresses flood risk and emergency response in their application. When developing a local hazard mitigation plan, they can map campgrounds and involve operators in discussions about flood risk. When developing local emergency operations plans, towns can confirm that they have a reliable line of communication with camp operators should an emergency occur.
- Towns should be prepared to take care of their own in the event of a disaster. Federal aid has never been quick to arrive, and local communities are seeing longer and longer turnaround times between when a disaster strikes and the deployment of federal resources (when they are deployed at all). Towns should ensure that municipal staff and volunteers are poised to spring into action with well-defined roles and responsibilities. They should also evaluate whether they have the financial resources to respond effectively to an emergency, whether through a reserve fund, unobligated general funds, or a line of credit. They should also understand what types of damage may be covered under current insurance policies.
- Document, document, document. While federal aid may be slow to arrive, communities should begin documenting damage and costs associated with a disaster as soon as possible. This documentation helps support making a strong case to FEMA that federal assistance is needed. The NH Flood Hazards Handbooks has more information about Preliminary Damage Assessments and the types of information they include.
With severe precipitation events increasing in frequency and intensity, it will be more and more important for communities to prepare for future flood events. Luckily, as the points above help illustrate, there are valuable steps that towns can take at the local level to protect residents, homes, commercial property, and public infrastructure. Developing a local hazard mitigation plan is a good place to start understanding specific risks and the actions that can be taken in response.
NH OPD’s presentation slides are available below. If you have any questions about how to prepare for flooding in your community, please contact Henry Underwood ([email protected]) or Sarah Bollinger ([email protected]), both Senior Planners at SWRPC.
