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<br />In 1976, 27 of the Nation's 30 declared "disasters" involved flooding. Tornados
<br />and windstorms accounted for the other three. The total disaster aid provided by
<br />various federal agencies in 1976 was $420 million, of which $124 million went to
<br />help flood victims in Idaho after the Teton Dam failure. Of the eight declared
<br />"emergencies" in 1976, seven involved a drought, and one was a flood. In 1977,
<br />approximately $667 million in disaster aid went to flood victims. It appears that
<br />the annual flood damage losses are continuing to increase as urbanization proceeds,
<br />and as economic inflation grows worse. In a federally-sponsored study of "Appala-
<br />chia", it was found that 127 floods equaled or exceeded the 100-year flood stages
<br />during the period 1970-1976. In Metropolitan Tulsa (Oklahoma), three major floods
<br />occurred along creeks and streams in 1974 from local rainstorms. At least one of
<br />these rainstorms was considered a 100-year event. Economic losses were large.
<br />
<br />Although national annual flood damag~ has soared from an estimated $500 million
<br />in the early 1960's to about $3 billion' ) in 1978, there are no stringent prohi-
<br />bitions against erecting permanent structures in highly vulnerable, flood-prone
<br />areas. Individuals who engage in such unwise construction can often qualify for
<br />federal flood insurance by taking prescribed precautions. If their structures are
<br />ultimately washed away, they can almost always collect federal disaster relief funds
<br />to rebuild on the exact same spot where history is likely to be repeated again and
<br />again.
<br />
<br />The year 1978 was not without its share of flood disasters and related economic
<br />losses. In a single incident in New Orleans, following a 10-inch rainfall on May
<br />3rd, the flood damages were estimated by local officials at $150 million. In Ari-
<br />zona, two months earlier (March 1978), flooding of the Salt River from intense rains
<br />caused an estimated $4 million damage at the Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix. The east
<br />end of the main runway was left a shamble of shattered concrete chunks. In many
<br />parts of Los Angeles County and Orange County, California, about 28 inches of rain-
<br />fall saturated the area during the first two months of 1978, producing deaths and
<br />property losses from flooding and mudslides. This rainfall is equivalent to, or
<br />more than, twice the average annual rainfall for much of the two-county area. Dam-
<br />ages were thought to exceed $100 million. A large area of California was declared
<br />a "disaster area" and, thereby, was eligible for federal and State aid. One house
<br />which was washed onto a nearby street in Tarzana, after being gouged off its hill-
<br />side location, was valued at $250,000. Further north, in Ventura County, 250 houses
<br />were damaged or destroyed as a result of heavy rains in March.
<br />
<br />Examples of Major Floods, and Impacts Thereof
<br />
<br />Floods and the associated problems of erosion, sedimentation and pollution im-
<br />pact urban and suburban areas in practically all parts of the United States, includ-
<br />ing the arid Southwest where average annual rainfall may be only a few inches. The
<br />following examples of floods and their impacts are presented here to illustrate how
<br />urban and metropolitan areas of various sizes, topography, climate and land uses--
<br />scattered across the Country--have been impacted by uncontrolled runoff. Hopefully,
<br />some lessons can be learned from these examples to aid in developing and enhancing
<br />prudent philosophies and programs for future urban development and management.
<br />
<br />Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Since 1889, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town now
<br />numbering 42,000 residents, has been known as "Flood City". In that year, flood-
<br />waters ruptured a dam north of the City killing 2,209 people. Another flood, in
<br />1936, killed 22 and caused $41 million property damage. A flood control project
<br />constructed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers in the late 1930's, after the City had
<br />sustained these two major floods, provided local people a sense of relief. The
<br />town survived Hurricane Agnes in 1972--unscathed, high and dry, with no damage. The
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