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6) alarrr stations for the warning areas, 7) a local forecaster. $ = $25000 to $75,000 The success of any of the three systems will be affected by: . the technical problems relating to timely and accurate assessment and prediction of a flood condition; . the bHhavior of the public when faced with a flood condition: . the factors influencing public officiats charged with responsibility for pre' parinn plans, disseminating warnings, and evacuating and caring for dls' placed persons; . the number of rivers and streams in a particular monitoring area; . the number of de/ineat"d floodplains within the alert area. Means of Dissemination- The dissE~mination of the warnin9 message is an important task. T'J be suc- cessful in mitigating losses, the warning must reach the entire portion of the communi!'1 that would be affected by flooding, RADIO Probably the best mass media system since almost everyone has a transistor or car radio which may be used during power failure. Special radio networks, such as law enforcement radio systems, citizens band, or ham radios, and tone-activated radios or paging units could aid in the dissemina- tion process. TELEVISION May reach a large number of people, but is subject w power failure, SIRENS May reach large rnass"s but may be difficult to distinguish be- tween oth'3r warnings, such as warnings for tornados. TELEPHONE Can be effective but highly subject to communication failure during sO\lere storms. DOOR TO DOOR Most eff"ctiv" warning system and necessary in many flood conclitions to assure that everyone receives notice of the flood threat, if there is aclequate time. A PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM May be effective in diss"minating warnings quickly to groups of p"ople in buildings or in remote areas. FLARES Evacuation The evacuation of potential flood victims is not an easy task, The content of the warning message is very important in motivating the 1'I00dplain inhabitants. The warning message should contain the time that is available for evacuation whether it be minutes, hours, or days; the relationship of the predicted Noad crest to familiar landmarks; specific instructions 'for action, such as where to go and how 10 get there. People will respond to the warn- ings in different ways; therelore, the warning should be given by a recognized authority, such as the mayor, law enforcement officers, a person well-known in the community, or a relative of the person(s) being warned. Civil defense officials, law enforcement officials, (ire officials, and others who would be involved in direGtinu an actual flood evacuation should have rehearsed their roles in the field with the local floodplain administrator. This will improve implementation during the tIme before and when a flood occurs. In communities where there are dam failure flood zones, evacuation of those zones will generally be a major part of the community response when such a flood appears imminent. Reservoir owners with high hazard dams have been requested by the State Engineer to prepare an Emer~lency Preparedness Plan (EPP). These plans provide action plans to combat dam incidents/failures including evacuation plans, and they list local emergency coordinators working for communities downstream of their dams, In addition, DODES is requesting local emergency coordinators to note the potential for the failure of these dams in tlleir emergencv evacuation plans. This project will be expanded to moderate hazard dams if it is successful. A model EPP has been prepared for clam owner's use by staff members of the Dam Safety Branch at the State Engineer's office. Because warning time for a dam failure flood may be short, and because the magnitude of such floods may be substantially greater than the 1 aD-year flows, an EPP, including evacuation plans, c:an greatly increase the comm'Jnity's ability to respond to thEI threat of a dam failure flOOd.@ Flood warning systems can also be used to plan sandbagging or other emergencV operations by provicling sufficient notice about where and when such oper~tions are needecl. Having the time to conduct such operations requires adequate warning, storage of necessary materials at suitable locations, rehearsal in the field by key p<lrsonnel, and competent supervision during an actual flood emergency.