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Floodplains present a threat to public safety. Development and transporta- tion corridors in floodplain areas can subject people to hazards. During a flood emergency, police, civil defense. and fire personnel are called in to assist in recovery operations and so are taken away frdm the community's day-to-day public safety needs. Floodplain management serves the goals of public safety by seeking to pro' tect people and their property from the dangers of floods. Residents are educated to the hazards, protected by regulations which lessen the threat to life and property, and protected by structural improvements such as dams and levees which are intended to keep water away from them. It also serves those goals of public safety by reducing the number of times pUblic safety personnel must help those in the floodplain. Fiscal Issues Fiscal issues involve, 1) efficient use of public resources; 2) protection of property values; 3) fhe mutual benefits from sharing services and facilities; and 4) the enhancement of the community's lifestyle. Floods can bankrupt a community's budget for years. There are costs for flood fights, clean-up, and restoration of services, and loss of revenue from sales tax and other sources. Building flood protection structures or adminis- tering non-structural programs can be costly; it can, however, be more cost effective than dealing with an actual flood disaster. One aspect of these fis- cal concerns is that floodplain management costs or disaster recovery costs are generally borne by the whole community, but the benefits of such expen- ditures tend to fall much more on only a portion of the community. The ques- tion of costs and benefits associated with floodplain management naturally raises the questions of costs to whom and benefits to whom. Anticipating Problems The following are some recommendations for avoiding problems with flood- plain management regulations. Regulatory programs at state and local levels have been most successful where public education. a comprehensive and creative approach, a sound data base, and an effort to provide fair treatment to land owners have been included early in the implementation process. Public Education Public education forms the underpinning of regulations since landowners cannot comply with a law about which they do not know and have difficulty complying with one they do not understand. It takes many forms, including marking of floodplain areas to intorm owners of boundaries, mapping and dis- tribution of maps, pUblic hearings and workshops, development and distribu- tion of brochures, and, perhaps most important, personal discussions with landowners to explain the goals of regulations and their operation. A well-educated public can affect the support that is valuable when it is time to implement your management program. Community organizations such as conservation commissions, can assist in developing public support for many local programs through an educating role. Initiative by community leaders such as bankers, lawyers, and industry owners has also been important. A Comprehensive and Creative Approach Floodplain management programs have often been most successful where they have been adopted as part of broader planning and regulatory efforts designed to serve multi-purpose land and water management goals such as economic development and environmental protection. Flood events provide the opportunity for examining past development mistakes and tailoring future floodplain development to the needs of the community through urban renewal, relocation, and open space acquisition. A Sound Data Base 80th State and local programs have often been most successful where detailed maps were prepared. A rational basis for regulation is needed (whether provided through maps or case-by-case data gathering) to provide necessary popular and legal support for regulations. An Effort to Provide Fair Treatment to Landowners Even-handed treatment of landowners can be provided by regulating all affec- ted landowners to the same standard, making a serious attempt to permit financially practical uses for land, and coordinating regulatory, taxing, and public works policles.2