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<br />
<br />best alternative is to build in ways that minimize damage, When buildings already
<br />are located in floodplains or in environmentally sensitive areas, alternatives may
<br />include acquisition and demolition or relocation of buildings, structural measures,
<br />and non-structural measures that minimize impacts on natural environmental
<br />processes.
<br />
<br />In the follmving mitigation success stories, acquisition and relocation are integral
<br />pans of broader. multi-objective initiatives. Often, these initiatives involve local,
<br />state, and federal governmem agencies; non-profit organizations: business inter,
<br />ests: academia; and citizen activists, In many respects, the relationship'building
<br />process is as important as the projects that emerge, As new relationships are
<br />formed, spin,off projects develop, and agendas are expanded, Such a situation has
<br />occurred in the mountain community of Boone.
<br />
<br />Mitigation Success: Boone's Acquisition Program -
<br />Part of a Multi-Objective Approach to flood Hazard Mitigation
<br />
<br />The Town of Boone, located in the
<br />mountains of northwestern North
<br />Carolina, is the center of a growing, year,
<br />round tourism industry It is the home of
<br />Appalachian State University, a liberal
<br />arts college with approximately 12.000
<br />students,
<br />
<br />
<br />Development pressures compound Boone's
<br />flood problems, As the center of North
<br />Carolina's "High Coumry" and "one of
<br />America's best and most affordable places to
<br />live" (Fortune magazine, 1998), the town
<br />experiences steady gro'vvth. However, as \",'jth
<br />other mountain communities. there is a
<br />diminishing inventory of suitable building
<br />sites located outside the Aoodplain, Conse,
<br />quently, much of the new development,
<br />particularly commercial construction, takes
<br />place in areas mapped as floodplain, Develop'
<br />ment also increases run,off, adding to down,
<br />stream flooding,
<br />
<br />
<br />Boone is vulnerable to flooding, a function in large part of its location, The town is
<br />situated in the headwater valley of the South Fork of the New River. Streams are
<br />generally small, swift-flowing, and fall steeply through the hilly terrain,
<br />
<br />Flooding in the Anne-Marie and Elizabeth Drive Neighborhood, Boone's most
<br />severe flooding problem is in the Anne-Marie and Elizabeth Drive neighborhood, a
<br />cluster of residences and a nursing home, The grouping is located only a few
<br />
<br />
<br />Steep. mountainous terrain coupled with rapid
<br />development has led [Q an increase in localized
<br />flooding in Boone,
<br />
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<br />
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<br />
<br />August 1999
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