Northeast Florida Regional Council presents Flagler County vulnerability assessment and compound‑flooding analysis; adaptation plan draft forthcoming

Andrew Prokopiak, senior resiliency planner at the Northeast Florida Regional Council, told the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners at a Sept. 15 workshop that the council completed a countywide vulnerability assessment late last year and a compound flooding analysis this year that together identify infrastructure, buildings and natural resources at risk from multiple flood hazards.

The assessment, Prokopiak said, maps exposure to rainfall‑driven floods (including 100‑year events), storm surge and tidal or “nuisance” flooding and scores the sensitivity of assets — for example, distinguishing a historic downtown structure from a vegetated open space. Prokopiak told the commission the assessment was required under the Resilient Florida grant program and that the county needed the analysis to pursue some state funding: “If you want DEP money, you had to have this done first,” he said.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff were told the analysis is a planning and grant‑application tool that helps prioritize projects where limited resiliency funds will have the most effect. Prokopiak also stressed that the new compound flooding work — which models multiple flood drivers occurring simultaneously — produces materially different results than single‑hazard models and is among the first completed for the region.

Key findings and tools - The vulnerability assessment identifies critical assets that the state expects…