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<br />were sent to all the major drainage basins in town and used flagging and spray paint to <br />mark the high water lines. For each high water mark, the volunteers filled out a field <br />form to describe the mark and also took a photo of each mark. The field marks and <br />photos have been organized and can be used to reconstruct the marks for future reference. <br />In addition, the City is placing signs along the Spring Creek bicycle path to identify the <br />high water mark at several key locations. These will hopefully help educate the public <br />about the 1997 flood and remind them that floods do happen in Fort Collins and that we <br />must all learn from the past. <br /> <br />The discharge measurements discussed earlier were the result of work by several local <br />consulting firms, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the US Geological <br />Survey. Each organization made their measurements independently, The amazing thing <br />about this effort was the close agreement between the different measurements despite <br />uncertainty inherent in these type of measurements. This fact has resulted in all of the <br />agencies being confident in the discharge data for the flood. <br /> <br />Figure 13 <br /> <br />Predisaster Mitigation and Floodplain Management <br /> <br />The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had formally recognized Fort <br />Collins in December 1996 for developing a comprehensive Floodplain Management <br />Program and its Class 6 rating in the Community Rating System (CRS), AB part of the <br />local program, the City has collected and evaluated a large amount of hazard information <br />and implemented a broad range of mitigation activities. In light of the recent floods and <br />the wealth of useful mitigation information, the recent flood disaster provides an <br />opportunity to use actual hazar<i and risk data as the basis for demonstrating that loss of <br />lives and property can be reduced through cost-effective mitigation measures, <br /> <br />The effectiveness oflocal floodplain management and mitigation efforts in reducing <br />flood damages and loss oflife can be demonstrated from the cumulative loss of buildings <br />and lives in the July 28th flood and buildings (and lives) that were positively affected by <br />pre-disaster mitigation projects, The latter represent potential losses if mitigation had not <br />been implemented. This section summarizes the mitigation efforts implemented and <br />funded by the City and attempts to quantify the relative reduction of loss of life and <br />property that pre-disaster mitigation accomplished. <br /> <br />Natural hazard mitigation is defined as a sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the <br />long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. Mitigation <br />against the effects of natural disasters is a locally-based initiative that considers the long- <br />term view. It requires the cooperation of Federal, state, and local governments, as well as <br />businesses and residents of the community, Mitigation relies on recognition of the risks <br />of natural disasters and the development and implementation of methods to reduce these <br />risks, The use of a case study such as Fort Collins provides an example of a successful <br />mitigation effort being implemented that clearly demonstrates that loss oflives and <br />property can be reduced through cost-effective mitigation measures. <br /> <br />10 <br />