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<br />" <br />, <br />'f <br /> <br />FLOOD HAZ~~D XDENTXFXCATXON FOR PUBLXC SCHOOLS <br /> <br />Rebecca C. Quinn <br /> <br />Abstract <br /> <br />Hazard managers know that the first step in achieving effective <br />response as well as mitigation is identification of the hazards. <br />Surprisingly, the flood susceptibility of most public schools built <br />before the adoption of floodplain management standards is unknown. <br /> <br />Identification of flood-prone pUblic schools is important for <br />several reasons: <br /> <br />t <br /> <br />I. <br />, <br />1 <br />! <br />, <br />, <br />, <br />~ <br />t <br />!~ <br />f <br />f <br />\ <br /> <br />1) Those facilities should have emergency response plans <br />prepared for their specific situation; <br />2) Students s;hould be carefully exposed to the possibility <br />of a flood-related evacuation; <br />3) Current :Law imposes a limit on federal disaster <br />assistanCE! for damaged public buildings that are not <br />covered by flood insurance; and <br />4) Severely t:hreatened facilities may be good candidates <br />for floodproofing. <br /> <br />This paper will provide a brief history of the State of Maryland's <br />project to survey all public schools to determine their flood <br />susceptibility. A federal disaster in 1984, the only one ever <br />declared for a single building, lead to the effort. A summary of <br />activities prompted by the survey, including changes in the <br />identification of future school sites and floodproofing of one <br />building, will be included. <br /> <br />, <br />~' <br />, <br />J', <br /> <br />The theme for 1993 of the International Decade for Natural Disaster <br />Reduction is "stop Disaster in our Schools and Hospitals". <br />Maryland will be worlcing with the Board of Natural Disasters of the <br />National Academy of Science, which represents the United States in <br />Decade activities, to promote this project as an example of <br />effective and low cost hazard management and mitigation. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />