FLOOD02514 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Flood damage is more than dollars and cents. It affects thousands of people, causing loss of their homes, personal property, and often lives. Department of HotlSing and Uroon Development Department of Housing and Urban [~vdopment 6 The AlA calls upon its members to exert lEadership by alerting tbeir clients to federal f1(x"i hazard boundary maps and data as to the human and mate- rial hazards and the potential environmental im- pacts of building in riverine floodplains, and by as- sisting clients in seeking alternative locations for building projects. However; when construction in riverine floodplains is undertaken, AlA calls upon its members to incorporate mitigating measures into both site development and building designs. The premise underlying this statement is basic to this manual as well: The best way to reduce hal..ards in tlood- prone areas is to eliminate buildings from them, thus transforming what would be human disa':iters into unex- ceptional natural events. However, such total prohibition is no more likely to be achieved than is complete control of flooding. It is inevitable that some buildings will con- tinue to be located in flood hazard area.s. This being the ca.se, designers of the built environment are compelled to give consideration to flcxxl hazards and ways to reduce them. Purpose of the Manual It is within this context that the present manllal of de- sign guidelines for flood damage reduction has evolved The purpose of this manual is to assist designers in their task-in effec~ to give them the basic information and the tools necessaI)' to reduce the losses that continue to re- sult from flooding. Specificall); the manual tries to meet this need by answering the following questions: . What are flooding's inherent chardcteristics? . How does flooding relate to the built environment? . What steps have been taken to mitigate flood damage?