Fall Regional Spotlight: In Deep Water - Leveraging a FEMA Grant to Navigate Flood Mitigation

Please join presenters Monique Hassman, Samer Karbush and Amy Oliver, all of Vernon County, to learn
about Vernon County's experience with FEMA Grants.

While Vernon County has a long history of extensive flooding along the Mississippi, and other smaller rivers that traverse low-lying areas of the driftless terrain, the region continues to endure extreme weather events. Since 1990, Vernon County has received thirteen Presidential Disaster Declarations due to significant flood events amounting to millions of dollars of damage and immeasurable hardship.

As impacts of climate change unfold across the country, taking advantage of opportunities that support hazard risk reduction becomes an increasing priority for states, local governments, tribes and territories.  In this presentation, we will share some of the highs and lows experienced in the journey as a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant recipient – a FEMA initiative aimed to assist with growing capacity, encourage innovation, and foster flexibility in hazard planning and projects.  We will also discuss how this funding applies geospatial solutions (damage assessment database + Agriculture Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) modeling) and supports collaborative efforts to cultivate a more sustainable and resilient future.

Monique Hassman holds the Land Information Officer/GIS Coordinator position in Vernon County’s Land Information Office.  Prior to this role, she taught GIS and cartography at Youth Initiative High School and Milwaukee School of Engineering.  Monique has a technical degree in Automotive Repair from MATC and a Bachelors/Masters/Doctorate Degrees in Anthropology, Africology, and GIS from UW-Milwaukee. She is passionate about all things living (plants, people, places) and her unique background in socio-spatial science, community-engaged scholarship, and collaborative partnerships inform and guide her personal to professional efforts.  In her spare time, she can be found volunteering with local watershed councils, working on digital design projects for Amish neighbors, and homesteading.

Samer Kharbush is the Watershed Planner in the Vernon County Land & Water Conservation Department.  He performs watershed modeling and analysis using his background in GIS.  Samer works with the Producer-Led Watershed groups and assists them with various projects and technical aspects.  As a licensed drone pilot, he pilots drones for the purpose of mapping, multispectral imaging, and before and after photos of the department’s conservation projects.  Samer has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, a certificate in Sustainability, and a Masters in GIS from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to working at Vernon County he was a full-time woodworker, running his own business.  Samer enjoys camping, fishing, motorcycle trips, gardening, and his pets.

Amy Oliver is the Community Development Director at Vernon County. She writes and manages grants that involve multiple county government departments or municipalities. She also oversees county-wide broadband, housing, and childcare initiatives. Amy has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a Middle School Science specialty from Winona State University. Prior to working at Vernon County, she was employed with the La Crosse Area Family YMCA for twenty-five years in various roles including Director of Development and the Branch Director of the Dahl YMCA in La Crosse, WI. Outside of work, she helps a local watershed council, enjoys spending time with her husband and children on the family farm, and raises her pet birds (turkey, duck, and chickens).

Make sure to register for the Fall Regional Meeting and get your hotel room now! Additional details, including the full preliminary agenda, can be found on the event page.