Is your home safe from the next flood?

The Challenge: Protecting Communities from Flooding Without Breaking the Bank 

When the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) accredits a levee, it means that the structure “meets the specific criteria and standards to reduce the risk of flooding.” 

“Accreditation is a statewide concern,” says Mejia, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Approximately 65% of levees in Pennsylvania are not accredited.” 

The engineering tests needed to obtain accreditation are labor intensive and expensive with some costing well over six figures. On top of that, the life expectancy for most levees is fifty years. On average, Pennsylvania’s levees are older than that, Mejia explains. 

Penn State’s Cost-Effective Approach to Levee Accreditation 

Using cheaper, non-invasive imaging techniques, Penn State researchers “see” into the levee and the soils beneath it—like an X-ray—to test that it is safe and stable. They then computer model the data to verify that the levee systems would perform as expected during a flood event. Once that’s in place, Everett Borough and other communities can submit that data to FEMA for accreditation.  

A certified levee also means residents can avoid costly flood insurance, helping lower housing costs. Overall, these new techniques can streamline the process and cut the taxpayer burden in half. 

"We are trying to develop an achievable pathway to accreditation for all communities, especially those with limited resources in rural areas of Pennsylvania,” says Yost, the L. Robert and Mary L. Kimball Early Career Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering.  

A certified levee can make all the difference for a town like Everett. 

“Accreditation will make us eligible for more grants to update the levee and better protect our community. Penn State is helping us make that happen,” Bulger says.