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property damages, These procedures, which consist of a planned set of responses to the threat, are known as a community response system, This system is the mechanism community emergency response officials can use to respond to any type of warning, whether generated from a local warning system or another source, Timely warning of citizens is especially important in communities like Buffalo Creek where flash-flooding is expected to occur. Local community responsibilities and actions required to warn residents effectively of immediate or possible flood hazards include: . Establishment of an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) that describes actions necessary to mitigate flood damages and provides for the dissemination of information on immediate and potential flood hazards; . Maintenance of the warning system and the EAP; . Maintenance of public awareness of and interest in the system and the plan; . Anticipation of problems associated with establishing and maintaining public awareness and interest. The roles of the various community infrastructure services must be clearly defined, and key personnel such as the Sheriff's Deputy, fire chief, the director of emergency services, and staff must be trained and knowledgeable about how to react to various flood events, Warning Local Residents A community response system presumes the existence of a flood recognition system such as a local flood warning system, Using related information such as flood watches, flood warnings, and other information received from government agencies, local emergency services personnel must make decisions on the actions necessary to save life and property, A physical location should be established to receive all flood-related information, prepare local forecasts, and issue warnings, This control center should be located outside the floodplain and supplied with an emergency power source, The center may be located at the community center, fire station, or other facility, Operating procedures at the control center should be thoroughly planned and spelled out within the emergency action plan. The flood operations section of the EAP should cover the elements of warning, evacuation and rescue, damage mitigation, recovery, other emergency operations, public information, plan implementation, and plan maintenance, Once local emergency services personnel have made a judgment as to the severity of flooding expected, a public warning should be disseminated. A community should have established procedures for issuing a warning to the public, These procedures will provide warnings to residents directly threatened by the flood and to the general public, Warnings should be coordinated with the NWS and other agencies responsible for warning and response actions, This action is important since misinformation and false rumors could develop during severe flood events, 13