Texas Officials visit to the Iowa Flood Center January 6-9, 2020 C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory | Iowa City, Iowa Agenda

For questions, contact Communications Specialist Breanna Shea at 319-384-1729 or breanna- [email protected].

Flight Recommendations: The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids is the closest and most convenient for travelers to use. Transportation from the airport to Iowa City can be arranged; please contact Breanna Shea for more details.

Hotel Accommodations:

Hilton Garden Inn—Iowa City (Downtown University) 328 S. Clinton St., Iowa City, IA 52240

The Hilton Garden Inn is within convenient walking distance to our facility and the Iowa City downtown area.

For room reservations, visit the following link: https://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/I/IOWDOGI-IFC- 20200106/index.jhtml

Or call 319-248-6100 and dial “0” to reach the front desk. Indicate that you are with the “Iowa Flood Center” group block and they will accept the state rate of $94/night. Room reservations will only be available until December 16, 2019.

Additional hotel options in the Iowa City and surrounding area can be easily accessed, here: https://www.thinkiowacity.com/places-to-stay/.

Monday, January 6

Group will travel to Iowa City and check-in to their hotel.

6:00 pm Group dinner in Iowa City with Iowa Flood Center representatives at Orchard Green Restaurant & Lounge (521 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City, IA).

Tuesday, January 7

8:30 am Arrive at C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory (300 S. Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA) for morning coffee and pastries.

9:00 Welcome and introductions

9:30 Overview of IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering (IIHR Director Gabriele Villarini)

IIHR is a world-renowned center for education, research, and public service focusing on hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics. The center is a unit of the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. In 2020, it will celebrate 100 years of research excellence as a leader in fluids-related fundamental and applied research. Following the 2008 floods that devastated 85 of Iowa’s 99 counties, IIHR was the natural fit for establishing the Iowa Flood Center. This presentation will describe IIHR’s background and history, which laid the foundation for the IFC.

10:00 Texas Representatives

Please use this time to tell us more about your flood challenges, what you hope to gain from your visit to Iowa, and any other relevant information that will help us provide your group with valuable information.

11:00 Break

11:15 Texas Representatives

Please use this time to tell us more about your flood challenges, what you hope to gain for your visit to Iowa, and any other relevant information that will help us provide your group with valuable information.

12:00 Lunch (Presentation by Research Engineer Antonio Arenas on Extreme Weather in Iowa)

Between June 2018 and May 2019, extreme weather took a heavy toll on Iowa and the Midwest. Events included: significantly above normal rainfall, reservoirs close to uncontrolled releases, flash flooding and tornados, an extremely cold (e.g., the Polar Vortex) and snowy

winter, powerful and rare events known as bomb cyclones, rivers spilling out of their banks and flooding communities due to “ice dams”, levees crumbling or being overtopped reminding us of our limited ability to control mother nature, massive flooding along the Missouri River and its tributaries, and extended periods of major flood conditions as well as flood stage records along the Mississippi River among others. This presentation will explain these events and their impacts.

1:00 History of the Iowa Flood Center and flood challenges in Iowa (IFC Director Witold Krajewski)

The Iowa Flood Center(IFC) was established in 2009 following the historic 2008 floods that caused an estimated $10.9 billion (in 2018 dollars) in estimated damages. The IFC puts science- based information and technology in the hands of Iowa’s decision-makers, emergency managers, home-and business-owners, and the general public. Our work is accessible to everyone through the online Iowa Flood Information System web platform. IFC researchers, staff, and students strive to develop the most advanced tools and projects to improve Iowa’s flood preparedness and resiliency, and to reduce future flooding. This presentation will introduce the history of IFC, past and current projects over the last 10 years, and discuss future work.

2:00 Iowa Flood Information System demonstration (IFC Associate Director Nate Young)

The Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS) is an easy-to-use, Google Maps-based web platform developed by the Iowa Flood Center. The system provides real-time information on watersheds, precipitation, and stream levels for more than 1,000 Iowa communities. This presentation will provide an overview of the tools and resources available on IFIS and how the application is used to inform real-world decision making.

2:45 pm Break

3:00 Iowa Watershed Approach (IFC Co-Founder and IWA Principal Investigator Larry Weber)

The Iowa Flood Center (IFC) led the successful proposal development for the Iowa Watershed Approach for Urban and Rural Resilience (IWA) that brought $96,887,177 to the state of Iowa from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The IWA is working in nine

watersheds across the state to help reduce flood impacts, improve water quality, and increase community flood resilience. The program represents a vision for Iowa’s future that voluntarily engages urban and rural stakeholders throughout the watershed to work together to achieve common goals.

4:00 Q&A

5:00 End

6:30 Dinner in Iowa City with IIHR/IFC team (restaurant TBD)

Wednesday, January 8

8:30 Open house at Hydraulics Wind Tunnel Annex facility (130 W. Harrison St., Iowa City, IA).

The open house will feature demonstrations of monitoring equipment including stream sensors, hydrologic weather stations, rain gauge platforms, and hydroinformatics products.

9:30 Press/media invited to attend

10:30 UI Cambus shuttle group to Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City at 125 N. Madison St., Iowa City, IA.

The rest of the meeting will be held in the Iowa Memorial Union Divine Nine Room (room #335).

10:45 – noon Partner presentations:

Federal, state, and local partnerships have been vital to the success of the Iowa Flood Center. Partner presentations will consist of brief (5-10 minute) updates related to each organizations area of expertise and responsibilities related to flooding. This will be an opportunity for Texas visitors to hear from their counterparts in Iowa and ask questions.

• Legislative panel (Senator , Senator Joe Bolkcom, Senator , Senator ) • Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management (Director Joyce Flinn or rep.)

• Iowa Economic Development Authority (Director Debi Durham or rep.) • Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR Watershed Improvement Program Supervisor Allen Bonini, DNR State National Flood Insurance Program Coordinator Bill Cappuccio)

Noon – 1 pm Lunch and networking at IMU Union Station Food Court

1:00 Continue partner presentations:

• U.S. Geological Survey (Deputy Director for Operations Jon Nania) • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Hydrologist Shirley Johnson) • National Weather Service (Hydrologist Jeff Zogg) • Community Flood Resilience (UI Professor Craig Just, UI Professor Eric Tate, Astig Planning Founder & CEO Vanessa Fixmer-Oraiz) • Local partners panel (Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development former Director Lora Friest, Bremer County Emergency Management Coordinator Kip Ladage, Turkey River Watershed Management Authority Board Chair Rod Marlatt, Coralville Mayor John Lundell)

Others TBD

3:00 Break

3:15 Q&A and wrap-up

5:00 End

6:30 Dinner for Texas officials (no IIHR/IFC participation)

Thursday, January 9

Depart Iowa City

Partners to Invite:

Allen Bonini (IDNR)

Bill Cappuccio (IDNR)

Jon Nania (USGS)

Jessica Brooks (NWS)

Jeff Zogg (NWS)

Joyce Flinn (HSEMD)

Dennis Harper (HSEMD)

Dave Claman (IDOT)

Watershed partners: Adam Rodenberg, Rod Marlatt, Lora Friest,

Sandi Fowler (City of Cedar Rapids)

Legislators: Rob Hogg, Joe Bolkcom, Tim Kraayenbrink, Bob Dvorsky, Liz Mathis

EMAs: Rick Wulfekuhle, Kip Ladage, Dave Wilson

Shirley Johnson (USACE)

Debi Durham (IEDA)

UI Provost Montse Fuentes

UI VPR J. Martin Scholtz