Presentation: Flood Risk Management in Los Angeles County by Pat Wood

Patricia Wood is a Senior Civil Engineer with Los Angeles County Public Works.  Pat is a native of the Los Angeles area and a graduate of Santa Clara University. Pat joined Public Works in 1985 with the desire to help and be of service to the residents of her home region.  Her work has been in the field of flood protection.  During the course of her career, she has managed sediment removal projects at Public Works’ reservoirs, acquired state and federal regulatory permits under the Los Angeles region’s challenging regulatory climate, and has overseen post-fire debris mitigation outreach and projects in the aftermath of the region’s numerous wildfires.  Pat is currently the floodplain manager for Los Angeles County’s unincorporated areas, home to over one million residents, a role that includes educating members of the public about flood risk and resiliency measures to help residents prepare for, handle and recover from flood events.  She is also engaged in analyzing current and proposed federal flood resiliency regulations, especially those of the National Flood Insurance Program.  Pat also works with the flood management committee of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and is a member of the Floodplain Management Association.  As part of her passion for protecting communities from floods and making them more flood resilient, Pat has had a keen interest in acquiring institutional knowledge about the history of how, and especially why, Los Angeles County’s extensive and complex system of stormwater management facilities came to be, and how that system is still needed today to serve the well-being of Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents.