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<br />PREFACE <br /> <br />One will only have to read a few pages of the following text to realize that a <br />professional historian did not prepare it. Encouraged by Gilbert F. White and with . <br />support from the Compton Foundation, this report was prepared by a water resources <br />engineer with a long interest in our nation's responses to flood disasters. It expands on <br />my previous reports about floodplain management history in the United States that I <br />wrote to understand what happened before I became involved in the field during the late <br />1960s. <br /> <br />The goal of this undertaking was to produce a balanced and accurate account of <br />the forces and events that have changed floodplain management in the United States <br />during the past 150 years. While I view it as a reasonably accurate portrayal of what <br />happened, it is not balanced. It does not give adequate credit to non-federal <br />contributions. It does not adequately document the overall impacts of the National Flood <br />Insurance Program. My contacts and sources revealed that usable or readily available <br />information about these subjects has not been compiled. A number of other subjects may <br />also not be adequately treated. <br /> <br />Each chapter represents a specific time period that reflects certain broad policy <br />and management trends. The quotes highlighting each chapter are passages from the text <br />that I felt captured the essence and overall direction of the eras covered. <br /> <br />No historical description could ever be considered complete. Further inquiry and <br />research will always reveal additional information that should be included. In this <br />instance, the project was completed during a short time with limited resources. <br /> <br />The following report is not an exhaustive account of what has happened, but <br />rather a starting point. I hope that others, particularly professional historians, will take it, <br />correct historical inaccuracies, and build on this work. All responsibility for the facts, <br />interpretations, and conclusions in this document rests with the author. <br /> <br />I have immensely enjoyed being part of the floodplain management community <br />for more than 30 years and hope to continue to be actively involved well into the 21 st <br />century. <br /> <br />James M. Wright <br />Knoxville, Tennessee <br />April 2000 <br />