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Among disaster risks, damage from flooding is
relatively common. Between
1994 and 2000, in FEMA's Region 10 jurisdiction
(The Pacific Northwest), at least
three disasters
have been declared for flood
events.
During this period,
Region
10's
Public
Assistance
program
provided
$397.5
million to
municipalities,
counties,
and other
eligible
applicants
for the
repair and
restoration
of flood
damaged
public
facilities. Flood
damages
are most
commonly
caused by
excessively
heavy
rains,
successive
rainstorm
events, or
rapid
melting of
heavy snow
accumulations.
With these
events,
in the Norwest, peak flood
levels are
reached
and recede
relatively
rapidly. In the Mississippi and Missouri River
Basins in the Midwest, the flood stage has been
known to last for lengthy periods. The
Great Midwest flood of 1993, for example,
resulted in sustained flooding in some areas for
as long as two months. Assessing
the Cause
of Damage
Mitigation
measures
are
designed
to reduce
or
eliminate
future
damage to
facilities.
Determination
of the
appropriate
mitigation
measure
depends,
in part,
on an
assessment
of the
cause of
damage. A
proper
assessment
is
critical,
as
mitigation
applied
inappropriately
could
actually
increase
risk to
the
facility
or other
structures
in the
floodplain.
Assessments
should:
- be
made
as
soon
as
possible
after
the
flood
event;
- be
based
on
technically
sound
field
observations;
- include
discussions
with
maintenance
personnel,
local
citizens,
and
other
persons
who
observed
when
and
how
damage
occurred;
and
- be
verified,
when
possible,
by
records
of
past
damages
such
as
photographs.
Details
on
assessing
the causes
of damage
are
discussed
at the
"Introductions"
for each
facility
where
appropriate.
The
Chapters
of this
Handbook
identify
the types
of flood
damage
most
typically
sustained
by public
facilities.
Various
mitigation
measures
are then
provided
which
respond to
the
specific
damage
types of
that
facility.
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