Flood Response

By John Reed

Flooding has historically been a problem in Fairfax. Here's what I've done, and what I will do:

In the flood of 2005, I organized a group of volunteers to respond to the damage, centered downtown at Bookbeat. It was visible and accessible in the heart of downtown, and people poured in, offering to help dig their neighbors and the merchants from the mud. Over the next several days, I sent frequent email updates telling where help was then needed. This sort of immediate, visible response opportunity is what people want, to channel their desire to help, and to take care of problems immediately, without waiting for a bureaucracy to act.

Flood Preparation

A group of creek watchers including myself formed a phone tree to alert each other and the town, if flooding appears imminent. I want to expand that network to cover all our streams. We can't stop the rains, but we can be prepared.

Another, long term way to be prepared is to think ahead on how we design our landscape. Slowing water down and increasing permeable surfaces not only helps local vegetation stay green (and less fire-prone), it helps keep our creeks from flooding. When water goes into the land for storage, creeks don't become overloaded. Permeable driveways and parking areas are one example, as are swales (ditches formed to catch rain as it slides downhill) and rain catchment systems. Fairfax Lumber sells covered rain barrels with hose spigots, and the hardware to connect them to rain gutters at the top. We need to slow the water down; retaining and using it for irrigation later makes sense.

We have to think now about the flood danger this winter, while there is still some time to prepare. Plans exist for effective flood-gates that will fit on (or, be adapted to) most doorways. I want to make these plans available to any Fairfax resident, and to encourage carpenters to solicit work installing these flood-gates. They are cheap and effective.