Activity 3.1 | West Virginia Climate Link

The goal of the activity is to study the impacts of the 2016 floods in West Virginia to think about the impacts of future flooding in the state, and how governments and individuals can better prepare for them.

Students begin by exploring two Story Maps related to the 2016 floods and answering questions related to the causes and impacts of the floods. They then use the West Virginia flood tool to help students understand the risks of flooding for communities in WV, and to consider potential solutions. Using the tool, students will explore flood risk in Greenbrier County, WV, where large-scale flooding occurred in June of 2016. Next, they will explore flood risk in their own communities. Finally, they will use all information in the activity to consider potential solutions to mitigate the human impacts of future flooding. By the end of this activity, students will also be able to utilize online mapping software to research flood risk.

Part 1: Story Map on Flooded Towns

1. Access the story map

2. Read through the material under the header ‘Stationary Storm.’

Question: What caused the flash floods on June 23rd and 24th, 2016? What were some of the impacts of this flood?

3. Read through the material for the town of Clendenin.

Photograph of flooding at Herbert Hoover High School during June of 2016.

Question: How were the students who attended Herbert Hoover High School affected?

4. Read through the material for the town of White Sulfur Springs and the Greenbrier Resort.

Photograph of flooded golf courses at the Greenbrier Resort.

Question: How did the Greenbrier Resort help the community of White Sulfur Springs following the floods? What are some ways that Greenbrier Resort helped displaced victims?

5. Read through the material presented under ‘Resilience.’

Question: Though the floods caused widespread damage and some lives were lost, what were some outcomes of the floods in regards to FEMA flood maps?

Part 2: The 2016 Greenbrier Flood

Lesson 1- Lessons Learned

1. Access and review the story map

Screenshot from the 'Flood Risk In West Virginia' story map showing the state of West Virginia. The map shows the ammount of rainfall in Greenbrier county was significantly greater than other areas of the state between June 23-24.

2. Read through the material under the heading ‘Lessons Learned’

Question: Why is having flood insurance important? Why does FEMA encourage homeowners and renters to purchase flood insurance?

Lesson 2: Flooding and Rainfall are Different

Screenshot from the 'Flood Risk In West Virginia' story map showing a white pickup truck under water on a flooded roadway. The copy reads: "Lesson 2: Flooding and Rainfall are Different".

Question: What are some characteristics of rainfall events that have the potential to cause flooding events? Name 3 discussed in this section.

Lesson 3: High Intensity Storms May Become More Common

Question: Why might high-intensity storms become more common in the future? How might climate change affect this phenomenon?

1. Read through the material under the heading ‘Mitigating Risk.’

Question: What is the goal of mitigation? How is mitigation achieved?

Question: What can local governments do to address risk? Name 2 actions.

Question: What can individuals do to address risk? Name 2 actions.

Part 3: Assessing Flood Risk

1. Open the West Virginia Flood Tool

2. Click ‘Launch Map’

Screenshot of the 'West Virginia Flood Tool' showing a map of West Virginia, the default view when the application is opened.

3. Use the bar on the left hand side of the screen to zoom into Greenbrier County, located in the southeastern corner of West Virginia.

Screenshot of the 'West Virginia Flood Tool' showing the map zoomed into Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

4. Locate the town of White Sulfur Springs on the map of Greenbrier County. You can either zoom into the map to where White Sulfur Springs is located, or you may type in ‘White Sulfur Springs’ at the top of the screen where it says ‘Search: Address’. Click enter.

Screenshot of the 'West Virginia Flood Tool' showing the map zoomed into the town of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

5. If you zoom in further, you can see that most of the town is located within a floodplain. The mapping tool shows the 100-year floodplain of all rivers, streams, creeks and other bodies of moving water in a particular area. According to FEMA, the 100-year floodplain is described as an area with a 1% annual chance of flooding.

Question: Is 1% annual chance of flooding high-risk or low-risk to the community? Why or why not?

Screenshot of the 'West Virginia Flood Tool' showing the map zoomed further into the town of White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia. Red areas show that most of the town is within the 100-year floodplain according to FEMA.

6. Type in the address: 296 Mountain Avenue, White Sulphur Springs, WV, 24986 into the search bar. According to the mapping tool, this address is located within the FEMA 100-year floodplain.

Screenshot of the 'West Virginia Flood Tool' showing 296 Mountain Avenue, White Sulphur Springs, WV, 24986. This address is shown within the 100-year floodplain according to FEMA.

7. On the map above, you’ll also notice that the address is within a High Risk Advisory Zone, and in near proximity to a floodway. A floodway is described as an area of the floodplain where a large discharge of water occurs during floods. If this particular area were to become blocked or even partially blocked with debris or other material, the floodway is able to redistribute flood flow, or a significant increase in flood level.

8. Under the heading ‘Flood Risk Information’ on the right hand side of the screen, click ‘Flood Risk Assessment.

Screenshot of the 'West Virginia Flood Tool' showing the "Flood Risk Assessment" for 296 Mountain Avenue. This assessment shows that he building is a low risk for flooding as it is 3.0 ft. above ground and has no record of previous flood damage.

9. Under the heading ‘Flood Risk Information’ on the right hand side of the screen, click ‘Flood Risk Assessment.

Question: Has this structure been damaged in previous flooding events? Does the structure have a high risk to be damaged in the future?

Question: Does being near a floodway put you at more risk to flooding impacts?

10. Utilizing the search tool, locate your own address.

Question: Is your address located within a 100-year floodplain?

Question: Do you think your home is more at risk to flooding as precipitation changes over time as a result of climate change? Why or why not?

Question: How might researching risk help protect you against flooding impacts in the future?

Future Solutions:

Question: What do you think your local government could do to help prepare for future flooding? Think of your town and areas of risk.

Question: What do you think individuals in your community can do to prevent negative impacts of future flooding?