City and consultants launch interactive flood-mapping survey; engineers outline mitigation options and next steps

City and consultant staff told residents they will use an online survey and interactive mapping exercise to collect location-specific reports and photos to ground-truth FEMA flood layers and prioritize flood-response projects.

"This is exactly what we're hoping to get out of this meeting tonight," said David Bergey, a senior resilience planner at Stantec, as he described an online map where residents can drop points, describe problems and attach photos. Bergey said Stantec will combine resident reports with FEMA layers, site-visit hotspots and DPW field knowledge to develop prioritized project concepts and community emergency planning.

Bergey described the data and process in detail: the team has reviewed FEMA flood-risk maps, completed site visits with DPW staff, and will analyze overlaps of resident-reported hotspots to identify trouble areas that merit engineering or policy interventions. He emphasized practical household preparedness (go bags, elevating utilities) and building-level mitigation (wet and dry flood-proofing), while noting that many mitigation choices are site specific.

Ray Rogozinski of the Department of Public Works said some federal programs hinge on FEMA-defined flood elevations and may not cover Bristol’s typical, lower-elevation flooding. "Some of the federal programs...don't necessarily apply to the type of flooding that occurs in Bristol," Rogozinski said, and added that the city is advancing several capital projects, naming Brace Avenue (about $1,000,000), an East Road project by Pleasant View (about $400,000), and a proposed Collins Road project (~$230,000).

Bergey asked residents to share photos (geotagged when possible) and left a contact for submitting materials (Sonia Sternleab at Stantec). He said the survey and mapping tool will remain open through about April 15 and that Stantec will host follow-up sessions for individual action planning and a public meeting in spring or early summer.

The presentation included practical notes on flood insurance: Bergey said approximately one-third of flood insurance claims come from outside FEMA high-risk zones, and that federal disaster aid is not sufficient to fully replace household losses. The consultants reiterated that mapping improvements — FEMA is redoing flood maps for Bristol, with an expected finalization in 2027 per staff — will change how risk is portrayed but that local maintenance and targeted capital projects will remain important.

The consultant team also offered in-person help at the meeting for residents who prefer not to use phones: Antonio DeCamillo and Alanis Allen were available to assist with the mapping exercise.