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<br /> <br />! " <br /> <br />, . , <br />Department of Housing and Urban Development <br /> <br />several programs are underway. For example, in Prairie <br />du Chien, Wisconsin, the US Army Corps of Engineers is <br />in the process of moving both residential and commercial <br />buildings out of a highly vulnerable floodplain <br />The scope of acquisition can vary widely. Following <br />the devastating flash flood of 1972 in Rapid City, South <br />Dakota, the entire floodway of Rapid Creek was acquired <br />and cleared for open space A local effort in Baltimore <br />County, Maryland, purchased more than 200 dwellings <br />that were located in the floodplain of several suburban <br />streams. In Littleton, Colorado, the Corps of Engineers <br />purchased 750 acres of land downstream from a reservoir <br />to protect it from urban expansion Other such projects <br />are gaining momentum as funding sources are identified. <br /> <br />Floodproof"mg <br />Despite floodplain management and related programs to <br />remove structures from hazardous locatioosl buildings <br />will inevitably continue to be located in such areas. It is <br />necessary that these buildings be protected from flood <br />damage Floodproofing, working in conjunction with <br />floodplain management, provides this kind of protection <br />Floodproofing encompasses any technique intended <br />to protect buildings from flooding, and typically includes <br />elevating buildings above the flood hazard level, provid- <br />ing watertight closures for doors and windows, and using <br />floodwalls around ground level openings or, alternatively, <br />eliminating such openings. Also included are the use of <br />water-resistant materials, structural reinforcement to with- <br />stand water pressures, and placement of mechanical ele- <br />ments in the upper parts of buildings. <br />Floodproofing is applicable to historic buildings, to <br />essential uses that are not suitable for alternative loca- <br />tions, and to areas in which the capital investment in the <br />existing urban infrastructure requires continued occupa- <br />tion of a hazardous location In these situations flood- <br /> <br />Some existing development <br />cannot be effectively pr0- <br />tected from flooding. Re- <br />cently,federal programs <br />have been used to acquire <br />these properties and relo- <br />cate them in safe areas. <br />Above Is a portion of <br />Prairie du OJien, Wiscon- <br />sin (within circle), that was <br />relocated by the Corps of <br />Engineers. <br /> <br />27 <br />