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A Levee Policy for the National Flood Insurance Program (1982) / Chapter Skim
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'REQUIREMENTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES'
Pages 28-32

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From page 28...
... FLOODPLAIN REGULATIONS Levee construction supports urban development in the floodplain by reducing average annual damages to highways, airports, shopping centers, industrial plants, and single- and multifamily housing. However, it is short-sighted and foolish to regard even the most reliable levee system as fail-safe.
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From page 29...
... Such a new requirement may pose a financial burden to individuals and communities, would in many cases cause communities to withdraw from the NFIP and could thus be counterproductive to flood loss reduction goals. Implementation of initiatives by FEMA to effect insurance rates that reflect actuarial risk to all properties, including those in levee-protected areas, would reduce the financial burden to the general taxpayer, and required contingency planning should provide occupant safety.
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From page 30...
... Less economic burden is imposed in requiring insurance purchase than in requiring elevating residences and flood proofing other buildings. Additionally, floodplain restrictions can be imposed by state and local governments, whereas insurance purchase requirements cannot.
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From page 31...
... CRITICAL FACILITIES Executive Order 11988 limits approval of critical facilities in 500-year floodplains to situations in which certain steps have been followed to assure that there is no practical alternative. A "critical facility" is defined as any facility, from a hospital to a natural gas terminal, whose flooding and discontinuity of service would create untoward hardship and/or danger for the community as a whole.
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From page 32...
... The warning and evacuation plan to satisfy this recommended FEMA requirement must alert a community's populace that conditions which could cause levee failure are developing, provide warning to people in the area behind the levee should failure become imminent, identify evacuation routes and police procedures for expediting evacuation, arrange temporary shelter and food for evacuees, and assure the maintenance of law and order in the flooded area. The plan should reflect local conditions and needs; it is particularly important that the right audience be identified and that information be communicated in a clear and credible fashion.
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Key Terms

  • flood level
  • insurance purchase
  • levee failure
  • critical facilities
  • evacuation routes

  • natural floodplain
  • floodplain regulations
  • practical alternative
  • floodplain management
  • mandatory purchase

  • local officials
  • predisaster warning
  • evacuation plan
  • human error
  • flood disaster

  • flood levee
  • insurance contrasts
  • levee base
  • actual implementation
  • maintenance criteria

  • poor maintenance
  • construction supports
  • financial burden
  • undetected deterioration
  • designated zone

  • community protected
  • flood proofing
  • regulations commensurate
  • nfip maps
  • responsible local


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