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<br />Flood Warning and Flood Forecasting Systems <br /> <br />important for flood fighting, evacuation, and rescue operations. Too <br /> <br /> <br />often, an uninformed public becomes a detriment to emergency operations, <br /> <br /> <br />It is recommended that public information and education program on <br /> <br /> <br />"Flood Hazards" be disseminated through the news media and be a part of <br /> <br /> <br />the total community effort towards lessening the losses caused by <br />flood i ng. <br /> <br />The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through its <br /> <br />National Weather Service (NWS) , maintains year-around surveillance of <br /> <br />weather and flood conditions. Daily weather forecasts are issued <br /> <br />through the NWS and disseminated by radio and television stations. A <br /> <br />general alert to the danger of flash flooding is one of the services <br /> <br />provided by the National Weather Service. <br /> <br />Structural Measures <br /> <br />including precipitation, water content. in the mountain snowpack, and <br /> <br />Portions of the flood hazard areas could be protected by confining flood <br /> <br />flows within the boundaries of a predetermined floodway. Typical <br />structural measures could include: stream channel enlargement, stream <br />bank renovation, and road crossing improvements. Of special concern <br />would be the assurance of maintaining aesthetic values and the natural <br />stream integrity. Implementing structural protection requires detailed <br />engineering studies, funding arrangements, and agreed upon actions by <br />governing bodies. <br /> <br />General forecasts of snowmelt runoff for the Arkansas River are made <br /> <br />cooperatively but published separately by the NWS and the Soil Conser- <br /> <br />vat ion Service. Streamflow forecasting is based On several factors <br /> <br />soil moisture conditions on the watershed. The forecasts are made <br /> <br />primarily for estimating water supply for irrigation, industrial, <br /> <br />municipal and other uses; however, the data is also used to indicate <br /> <br />potential flooding from snowmelt runoff. <br /> <br />I' <br /> <br />Flood Fighting and Emergency Evaluation <br /> <br />An "Emergency Evacuation and Operation Plan" should be developed by <br /> <br /> <br />Buena Vista and Chaffee County. Implementation of this plan would <br /> <br />provide for alerting the public of potential flooding and coordinating <br /> <br />community and county services during an emergency. <br /> <br />Plan implementation during the time of an emergency requires cooperation <br /> <br />of the general public as well as local officials. <br /> <br />This is especially <br /> <br />21 <br /> <br />22 <br />