FLOOD03024

• County: Statewide
• Community: State
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Addressing Your Community's Flood Problems - A Guide for Elected Officials
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Prepared For: Assn. Of State Floodplain Managers
• Prepared By: Floodplain Management Group
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

Assistance (RTCA) Program of the National Park Service
is helping to bring quality nature-based recreation
opportunities to people where they live and work. RTCA
becomes involved when formally asked by landowners,
local officials, and citizens who share the desire to con-
serve and enhance close-ta-home rivers, trails, and open
spaces in their communities. All projects are founded on
cost-sharing, cooperation, and community initiative.
Technical assistance is offered to help plan greenways;
tum abandoned rail lines into trails; establish organiza-
tions to protect rivers or other special places; mitigate the
effects of hydroelectric dams through the federal dam
licensing process; revitalize urban waterfronts; protect
and promote local heritage; plan bikeways; promote
"water trails" for canoes and other small boats; and
reduce flood losses without damaging the natural func-
tions of floodplains.
ASSISTANCE: Technical assistance for planning, pub-
lic participation, and identifying funding.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE: State and local agencies and non-
profit organizations.
PROVISIONS: All projects must involve cost-sharing,
cooperation, community initiative, and conservation
objectives. No grants or direct funding is provided
through this program.
WHO TO CONTACT: Rivers, Trails and Conservation
Assistance Program, National Park Service, P.O. Box
37127, Washington, D.C. 20013, [phone].

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS The Corps of
Engineers has several programs that help communities
deal with floods and flood-related problems before, dur-
ing, and after a flood. The assistance is in the form of flood
damage reduction and ecosystem restoration projects and

technical assistance before the flood and emergency
support during and after the flood.
PROJECTS include structural measures such as darns,
channel modifications, and levees, as well as nonstruc-
tural measures such as flood proofing, flood warning/
preparedness, permanent evacuation, and preservation
of open space. They must be justified, i.e., the benefits
exceed the costs, and cost shared by a local sponsor
(state and/ or community). Cost sharing for all projects
(structural, nonstructural, and hurricane/storm damage
reduction) is 35% from local sponsors, including 5% cash.
As a part of their share of the costs, the local sponsors
must provide lands, easements, rights-of-way, relocation
and disposal sites, and maintain the project after it is
completed. Larger projects require Congressional approval
while smaller projects are often implemented under the
Corps' Continuing Authorities Program.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE is provided through the
Flood Plain Management Services (FPMS) Program and
the Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Program to help
communities develop their own plans and initiate their
own actions. Upon request and free of charge, the FPMS
Program provides the full range of technical services and
planning guidance needed for floodplain management.
This can vary from site-specific data that can be furnished
in one day or less to larger, community-wide comprehen-
sive floodplain management plans that can take up to a
year to complete. The PAS Program also, upon request,
can provide similar assistance but it is cost-shared with
the local sponsor paying 50% and limited to $500,000 in
a single state in anyone year.
EMERGENCY SUPPORT is provided to augment state
and community lifesaving or life protecting efforts during
and after a major or catastrophic flood disaster. This sup-

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