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more attractive to restore to an at-risk condition than to mitigate the danger. A concerted effort must be made to improve the manner in which disasters are managed and disaster assistance provided. Government efforts must be efficient without fostering moral hazard. The bulk of federal disaster assistance is provided for the repair and rehabilitation of public infrastructure (roads, bridges, stormwater systems, utilities, etc,) after a disaster. This assistance comes in the form of funding for repairs through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, levee repairs by the Corps of Engineers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and activities like channel clearing. A smaller portion goes to individuals and families for emergency needs and for repairs to residences, . Disaster aid awarded to localities for public infrastructure should be contingent upon the community's participation in and compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program, Such economic sanctions applied to local governments should result in wiser decisions being made at the local level about investment in the floodplain, siting critical facilities, and insuring public structures, IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS In most disasters numerous federal agencies direct funding and programs toward the stricken area. It is frustrating to witness that a coordinated strategy does not evolve, but rather each agency pursues its own priorities, implements its own application procedures, and follows its own rules, A recent Office of Management and Budget compilation of federal disaster programs lists 34 separate programs in 24 agencies for nonstructural disaster recovery assistance alone. Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency in general has done a remarkable coordination job in the last several years, considerable energy can be lost trying to coordinate specific procedures and policy among agencies or levels of government-for example, whether a house is to be valued by its pre-disaster market value or its damaged market value, · The Federal Emergency Management Agency should continue to work with all federal agencies to ensure that all policies and programs are supportive of the floodplain management standards embodied in the National Flood Insurance Program, Upgraded Executive Orders or other measures may be needed; they should tie disaster relief and other federal funds to National Flood Insurance Program participation, compliance, and the maintenance of flood insurance, · A revised federal response plan should be developed that not only details standard response but also directs the use of disaster funds that are viewed as discretionary. · A uniform set of application forms covering many or all programs would facilitate implementation. · The availability of post-disaster Public Assistance and Individual Assistance ought to be reviewed to ensure consistency with the spirit of Executive Order I 1988' s directive to curtail federal support to any activity that creates, continues, or otherwise supports activities that may result in future flood damage, . A set of emergency rules should be adopted that covers programs in all agencies so that issues of funding, cost sharing, priorities, and the like are handled consistently. Association of State Floodplain Managers -37- National Flood Programs in Review 2000