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<br />accomplished. funding made available, or unusual <br /> <br /> <br />opportunities presente~. The principal thrusts have been <br /> <br /> <br />toward dealing with more types of losses (i.e., coastal <br /> <br /> <br />flooding, mud slides and flood caused erosion), special <br /> <br /> <br />types of areas (i.e.. alluvial fans, subsidence areas), and <br /> <br /> <br />toward strengthening of mitigation efforts. <br /> <br />Alluvial Fan~ <br />Extension of the National Flood Insurance Program to <br />alluvial fans is important for several reasons including the <br />large number of fans which exist, the rapid growth of <br />development on fans, and the high risk of severe damage to <br />those developments. Throughout much of the Western and <br />Southwestern United States, alluvial fans are favored for <br />development because of the availability of attractive <br />building sites, access to water and other ammenities. <br /> <br />Flood problems on alluvial fans are unusual in severnl <br />respects. flows tend to have a high velocity, undergo <br />unpredictable changes in ~irection. and carry large amounts <br />of debris and sediment. Moreover. the characteristics of <br />flow may change drastically over relatively short distances <br />between the upper and lower portions of a fan. Even soils <br />are different from most other areas, tending to be easily <br />eroded and highly porous. These and other differences have <br />hampered applicaion of the flood insurance program to <br />alluvial fans because they make it difficult to: <br /> <br />. Assess risk in terms of frequency of flooding <br />at any specific location on the fan and, <br />consequently, to determine which areas should <br />fall under various sanctions of the program. <br /> <br />. Identify what flood loss reduction measures are <br />likely to prove appropriate and cost effective <br />in various circumstances such as the existing <br /> <br />7 <br /> <br />