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<br />case, total loss of the structure, In total, the "worst-case" scenario presented here, that <br />"could have happened" without pre-disaster mitigation is an additional 98 lives lost and <br />additional $8,400,000 to $14,550,000 in property damage. <br /> <br />? <br /> <br />The damage loss figures above assume total loss of the structure (contents not included) <br />and are only estimates based on assumed values to make a point. In addition, the <br />estimates only consider structures mapped within the 1 OO-year regulatory floodplain, <br />Since the July 28th flood is estimated to exceed the 500-year event, potential damage <br />estimates may be even higher. Regardless of the actual number oflives or dollars stated <br />in Tabled) the point is that pre-disaster mitigation was a success. The five lives the were <br />lost and millions of dollars in property damage and down business time that did occur is a <br />disaster. <br /> <br />The City of Fort Collins is also involved in many city-wide floodplain mitigation <br />activities that cannot be so readily quantified in terms of potential reduction in loss of life <br />or property damage. It is unclear how many additional lives and/or property may have <br />been positively affected by these additional activities implemented by the City such as <br />public outreach activities, acquisition of floodplain land and open space preservation, <br />enforcement of regulatory standards that exceed minimum NFIP standards, and far- <br />sighted land use planning. <br /> <br />For example, the City's annual "Flood Awareness Week" was held May 12-18, 1997, <br />One of the many outreach projects done during Flood Week included a mass mailing <br />pertaining to local flood hazards to all residents who live in or near the floodplain. Of the <br />2,823 acres of total floodplain area in the City, approximately 958 acres have been <br />preserved as Open Space. The City's master plans and floodplain regulations exceed <br />minimum NFIP criteria for design freeboard, cumulative substantial improvements, <br />protection of critical facilities, future condition hydrology, floodway requirements, and <br />mapping erosion hazards. <br /> <br />The successes and failures of past attempts to deal with floods have brought a fuller <br />understanding of the need to manage floodplain areas. It is clear that society will continue <br />to place demands on floodplain lands, therefore it is necessary to approach floodplain <br />management from a variety of perspectives. In order to reduce the effects of natural <br />disasters, mitigation must be a locally based initiative that considers "wise-use" over the <br />long-term. It requires a cooperative decision making process between Federal, State, and <br />local governments, as well as businesses and residents of the community that balances <br />competing uses and evaluates altematives, <br /> <br />r/ <br /> <br />Damages and Response: Colorado State University <br /> <br />c;:. <br />At Colorado State University, major state university with over 20,000 students, damages <br />were unusually severe, includtng many buildings damaged, about 425,000 library <br />volumes inundated, loss of a semester's textbooks in the bookstore, and many other <br />personal and professional losses, The university responded well, and there was no delay <br />in opening school a month later, but only as a result of tremendous dedication. <br /> <br />12 <br />