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<br />CHAPTER Two <br />SHOULD FLOOD PROOFING BE USED? THINGS TO CONSIDER <br /> <br />This chapter discusses the factors that should be considered in deciding whether or not to flood proof. <br />Different factors will be more important to individual property owners depending on their financial situ- <br />ation, lifestyle, use of property such as home or business. and severity of their flooding problem. <br /> <br />~ FLOOD PROOFING ASSISTAl'<CE <br /> <br />Technical and financial assistance may be available from Federal, State, or local govern- <br />ments and community agencies to help property owners regarding the practicality of flood <br />proofing buildings. Property owners should investigate the availability of free technical <br />and/or financial assistance in their initial flood proofing efforts and utilize such assistance as appropriate. <br />The property owner will normally need to obtain paid technical assistance from a local architectural or <br />engineering firm that has flood proofing experience prior to actually implementing a flood proofing <br />measure. <br /> <br />Assistance is available from Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Federal <br />Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), <br />Soil Conservation Service (SCS), Tennessee Valley Authority (TV A), and Small Business Administra- <br />tion (SBA), and from state and local agencies. More information on flood proofing assistance programs <br />administered by various agencies and organizations, the points of contact for various agencies, and many <br />other flood proofing reference documents is included in the COE National Flood Proofing Committee's <br />document entitled Flood Proofing Techniques, Programs, and References. Federal agency documents <br />are generally available from the specific agency's nearest field office. Other documents may be obtained <br />from the Floodplain Management Resource Center at the Natural Hazards Center, IBS No.6, Campus <br />Box 482, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0482 (Telephone No. 303/492-6818). <br /> <br />E1] BUILDING CODES <br /> <br />YES Before property owners commit a significant investment of time and money in flood <br />NO proofing, they should check local building codes to be sure that the flood proofing meas- <br />ure will be in compliance with these codes. Some communities require that all structural <br />changes to buildings in the flood plain be approved by the local building authority; others will not issue <br />building permits for structures within Ihe flood plain in order to minimize future flood damages and to <br />encourage the owners to move away from flood hazards. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) <br />administered by FEMA requires that if a building is substantially damaged by flooding (repair costs to <br />restore the building to pre-damaged condition are 50% or more of the pre-damaged value), it must be re- <br />built so that the lowest floor is above the JOO-year flood protection level or removed from the flood plain <br />altogether. The property owner should contact the local building inspector or city engineer for building <br />code requirements and information on obtaining necessary permits. <br /> <br />[$] <br /> <br />COST ESTIMATES <br /> <br />The cost of flood proofing a building will depend on a variety of factors such as the char- <br />acteristics of the building, the physical characteristics of the site, the flooding characteris- <br />tics, and the flood proofing measure employed. <br /> <br />3 <br />