Reducing Future Flood Losses The Role of Human Actions: Summary of a Workshop, March 2, 2004, Washington, DC: A Summary to the Disasters Roundtable (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Reducing Future Flood Losses: The Role of Human Actions
Reducing Future Flood Losses: The Role of Human Actions
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FLOOD POLICY Historically speaking, floods are part of the American culture and "great floods"— large floods that devastate a region and occur in everv generation~ften become pivotal events that change lives and landscapes. The most devastating flood in recent memorv was the 1993 midwest flood Damages from this flood totaled $15 billion, 50 people died hundreds of levees failed or were overtopped and thousands of people were evacuated some for months (FMRC, 1994)
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Galloway offered the following policy issues and actions for consideration to alleviate flood disasters Coordinate federal policy on flood and reconstitute the Water Resources Council or a similar body. Reduce flood damages and preserve and protect the natural environment, while remaining conscious of the need for sustainable growth and development.
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He also included some challenges for the future, such as; · Improve the National Flood Insurance Program by dealing with the issue of repetitive losses (explained later in this summary)
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However, as Galloway noted, generous government post disaster relief and short sighted floodplain management in many areas have created a sense that building in the floodplain is acceptable because the government will come to the rescue if flood damage occurs. The National Flood Insurance Program's efforts and contributions have been substantial in improving land management and construction practices, but still many individuals, families, and corporations chose to accept significant flood risk.
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Currently, approximately 20,000 communities are part of the NFIP and National Flood Insurance policies total about $4.4 million, according to Clifford Oliver, Chief of the Risk Assessment Branch in FEMA's Mitigation Division, which is responsible for developing and implementing FEMA's Repetitive Loss Reduction Strategy. Approximately 110,000 policyholders have repetitive loss properties, which are defined as properties that have sustained four or more losses in a decade.
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The ASFPM engages in extensive outreach, education, and assists communities as they identify flood hazards, encourages the gc~vernrnent to protect the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains, and strongly advocates government reform of flood policy and modernization of flood hazard maps to ensure the reduction of flood losses and the protection of the natural function of floodplains. Current policy appears to permit intensive development in high risk areas, noted Larry Larson, Executive Director of the ASFPM.
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He added that it is unfair for communities that do not belong to the NFIP to get infrastructure rebuilding aid (public assistance) from the federal government under presidential disaster declarations, but flood victims in these same communities cannot buy National Flood Insurance and cannot get individual assistance program help from the federal government.
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TULSA, OKLAHOMA: CITIZEN RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMUNITY ACTION Tulsa Oklahoma is a good example of a community with effective floodplain management and flood hazard mitigation. Ann Patton of Tulsa Partners explained that public and private sector officials in Tulsa formed partnerships intended to advance the Tulsa area's flood mitigation efforts.
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This information has many tloodrelevant applications reservoir operations, impoundment management, flood forecasting, inundation mapping floodplain mapping and evacuation planning to name a few. Mason said strearnflow information is made available via a website within an hour of original recording By studying variability in flood flow, experts are able to produce, track, and refine new estimates of flood magnitudes for various recurrence intervals or frequencies, such as the 100-year flood and to quantify land use or climatic factors that may be causing flood magnitudes to change.
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role in reducing flood losses includes maintaining a web interface that provides access to real time observations, weather and water forecasts, and severe weather watches and warnings. Utilizing a spectrum of dissemination mechanisms, this information is provided to partners and customers and contributes to mitigating the impact of flood events.
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Having heard these claims, Rogers began researching whether flooding is truly getting worse, and if so, whether there is a correlation between flooding and land development patterns In addition, he wanted to determine whether flood mitigation efforts have been effective. In order to do this, Rogers chose to study the White Oak Bayou of the San Jacinto River northwest of Houston in Harris County.
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Mayor problems related to flooding still exist: $4 billion in annual flood damages continue, urban expansion into floodplains continues at about 2 percent per year, and rapid population growth into coastal areas continues. In many areas, development pressures in flood hazard zones increase seemingly irrespective of known flood risk.
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him: //www.fernagpv/hazards/floods/floodshErn FEMA. 2004a National Flood Insurance Prograrn.
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