Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), created in 1979, is an
agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The mission of the
agency is to support citizens and first responders in preparing, protecting,
responding, recovering, and mitigating man‐made and natural hazards.
FEMA is responsible for coordinating government‐wide relief efforts,
including, intergovernmental coordination during disasters, encouraging
insurance, and providing federal assistance programs for disaster related
losses.
Through the National Flood Insurance Program, FEMA makes flood insurance
available to communities that adopt and enforce a floodplain management
ordinance. Flood risk areas are depicted on the Flood Insurance Rate Map
(FIRM), which can influence where and how structure may be built. The
intent of this program is to reduce flood damages throughout a community
through floodplain management.
Noise Control Act of 1972
The Noise Control Act of 1972 determined that noise that is not adequately
controlled has the potential of endangering the health and welfare of people.
It states that all Americans are entitled to an environment free from noise
that can jeopardize their general health and quality of life. Along with state,
local, and territorial governments, actions from the federal government were
needed to ensure that the objectives of the Act were met.
Concurrently, military installations were experiencing impacts related to
encroaching urban development located adjacent to their boundaries and
the resulting complaints from military flight operation noise. The DoD
responded by establishing the AICUZ program which was subsequently
adopted by the Air Force as AFI 32‐7063.
important that the military installation, developers, and the affected
communities work together to mitigate the issue of noise and develop
strategies to coexist.
Partners in Flight Program
The DoD has implemented a program entitled Partners in Flight that sustains
and enhances the military testing, training, and safety mission through
habitat‐based management strategies. The program assists natural resource
managers in monitoring, inventory, research, and management of birds and
their habitats. As part of the Partners in Flight program, a strategic plan is
created that can be incorporated into a BASH plan. This program reaches
beyond the boundaries of the installation to facilitate community
partnerships and determine the current status of bird populations to prevent
the further endangerment of birds.
United States Avian Hazard Advisory System (USAHAS)
The U.S. Avian Hazard Advisory System (USAHAS) is a geographic information
system‐based bird avoidance model developed by the U.S. Air Force used for
“analysis and correlation of bird habitat, migration, and breeding
characteristics, combined with key environmental and man‐made geospatial
data.” The model provides up‐to‐date information – “near real‐time” – about
bird activity and movements to assist pilots and flight planners in the
scheduling and use of flight routes. The model can also be used as a
forecasting tool to estimate bird strike risk. Information from the North
American Breeding Bird Survey, Audubon Christmas Bird Count, bird refuge
databases, and the U.S. Air Force Bird‐Aircraft Strike database as well as
public domain information regarding landfill locations is used to formulate
the bird activity and movement data. The model is available for use by
agencies and the public, accessible from the USAHAS website at
http://www.usahas.com/.
The Noise Control Act, as well as the AICUZ program, are important because
encroaching development and increased population near military
installations often create compatibility concerns. As communities grow, it is
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