FLOOD01659

• County: Statewide
• Title: Floodplain Management Handbook
• Date: 9/1/1981
• Prepared By: Flood Loss Reduction Associates
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

Other local and regional water
related needs and problems are usually
known and this information can be
collected locally. These include, but
are not limited to, matters concerning
community development, water supply and
quality, recreation and other community
land use and facility needs.

An understanding of a community's
social environment requires information
on the number of people and their
property which are loca ted within the
floodplain. Also important are the
characteristics of the population
(e.g., employment and income), and
information on recreational facilities.
This information is sometimes available
locally but often must be obtained from
state and federal sources.

Information collected from
readily available sources should
usually be supplemented by inviting
government agencies, special interest
groups and the public to hearings to
furnish any other relevant information
concerning the existence and severity
of problems and needs. Participants in
such hearings are also usually offered
an opportunity to suggest the objec-
tives which should be addressed by the
program and the measure s which should
be considered.

The descriptions of floodplain
management measures ln Chapter 4 noted
tha t some measures are either required
or strongly encouraged by state or
federal government. The exact nature of
what is required and the manner in
which the program is operated varies
from state to state. Many states, for
example, require local control of land
use in flood hazard areas. In the case
of flood insurance, participation is
not mandatory but failure to join the
program makes the community ineligible
to receive various types of federal
financial assistance and its residents
ineligible to purchase flood insurance
policies. Other requirements relating
to management and use of floodplains
may stem from presidential and guber-
natorial executive orders, interstate
compacts, and statutes dealing with
floodplain-related matters such as

water quality. Flood warning and
preparedness programs, for example, are
being encouraged in many localities as
a companion item to other measures.

J
i

Local needs and objectives and
state and federal requirements make up
the basic elements of a community
floodplain management plan. However, no
standard listing of required measures
lS applicable to all areas. Each case
must be separately researched Slnce
every community's situation and needs
are unique. Necessary information can
usually be collected easiest by contact-
ing each of the state and federal
agencies with responsibilities related
to floodplain management.

I

l

Some state and federal agencies
offer technical and/or financial assis-
tance to help communities develop a
floodplain management program. Tech-
nical assistance varies from sta':e to
state and among federal ager,cies,
ranging from distribution of written
guides to availability of experts for
guidance in preparing a community 's
program. Financial assistance is more
often provided by federal agencies and
ranges from donating minor items of
equipment to funding construction of
major public works.

State and federal agencies B.re
usually not obligated to provide assis-
tance in floodplain management. Their
assistance is dependent on the ava'Ll-
abili ty of personnel, funds and,
sometimes, upon the establishment of
priori ties among communi ties competing
for assistance. Communities should,
therefore, be prepared to assume all
responsibili ties for floodplain manage-
ment in the event assistance from
others is not available.

Appendix C, Sources of Assistance
includes a brief description of the
types of assistance usually availa.ble
from federal agencies and appropriate
points of contact. Additional i nforma-
tion can be obtained by consulting the
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance,
available from the U. S. Superintendent
of Documents, or by contacting the