1. Meetings At least 5 meetings will be held across the state to roughly cover the affected communities listed above. Many of these communities are holding/have held similar meetings already, and so it is important to not duplicate past meetings. To that end, the project meetings may take place in different venues/times/formats than have occurred/are occurring. Additional smaller meetings are encouraged in proposals. Developing meeting goals, materials and doing the outreach for the meetings will require considerably more time than the meetings themselves. The RPCs are contracted separately to provide the firm/team with local knowledge and to actually procure meeting space. RPCs can provide a way to reach local officials as well via email, newsletters, etc. Contractors will be expected to engage VTDEC and TRORC in conversations that develop meeting goals and approaches, identify communities and locations, and as they develop materials for the meetings and other formats. Meetings are expected to take place in April and May. At a minimum, meetings must discuss flood risk, flood dynamics, range of workable disaster reduction actions, and assist with implementation of Section 3, 6 and 10 of Act 121 of 2024 that seek to better regulate river corridors and NFIP flood hazard areas. 2. Materials Materials are needed to convey a series of concepts underlying flood risk and regulations. For example, it makes no sense to talk about preserving meander beltwidth without an understanding what that is and why it is important. Base flood elevation is a core concept of NFIP regulations, but it is poorly understood. VTDEC is in the process of preparing some related materials, and FEMA and other entities have created materials online around flood education. Contractors should familiarize themselves with existing materials in order to share best practices and develop new materials. Contractors will be expected to meet with TRORC and VTDEC to review areas/types of materials prior to developing them, and during development. It is envisioned that short videos, Powerpoint slides, graphics, or short phrases to paragraphs will be developed to communicate needed concepts. A FAQ document may also be a good avenue. White papers and lengthy texts are not encouraged. Pieces that connect with those at risk by sharing personal stories are encouraged. 3. Report Contractors will need to summarize the efforts under this project in a project recap. Contractors will also need to create a report on findings and conclusions of the project, including ways to reach those at flood risk; common misperceptions and how to address them; obstacles to community adoption of flood preventative regulations; and suggested ways to regulate development (both under NFIP and in river corridors) that are protective of people and places, respects river dynamics, are feasible, and easily administered.
