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<br />SITUATIONS You WILL FACE <br />AFrERA FLOOD <br /> <br />"The wake of a flood is a traumatic time and the easy thing to do is to rush in <br />and fix what's been destroyed. We've learned that this is the time to ask if rushing to <br />rebuild is just reinvesting in a future disaster and causing other long-term <br />problems." - Terry Young, former Mayor, Tulsa, Oklahoma <br /> <br />Your job after a flood will be far easier if your community has pay-off will be lives saved and property preserved. <br />undertaken both emergency preparedness and mitigation <br /> <br />planning before the flood. Without such planning, very little <br />gets done immediately after a flood. Emotions run too high. <br />At this time you have two primary <br /> <br />MmGATION After the immediate flood emergency <br />has passed, you face a number of other tasks that should <br /> <br />your community's resources to <br /> <br /> <br />be done to mitigate (reduce or eliminate risk) <br /> <br />responsibilities as a local official: <br />. Directing the immediate use of <br /> <br />against future flood losses: <br /> <br />. Leaming what caused the flood, who <br /> <br />was affected, and to what extent. <br /> <br />deal with the emergency; and <br /> <br />. Dealing with an emotional <br /> <br />. Directing your community's <br />longer-term recovery effort. <br /> <br />citizenry who want answers and <br /> <br />immediate action. <br /> <br />. Finding out exactly what type of <br /> <br />EMERGENCY RESPONSE At the local <br /> <br />outside aid to expect, and when. <br /> <br />and county levels of government, elected officials <br /> <br />. Taking advantage of the "window of opportunity" <br />to guide redevelopment. <br />. Leading your community's post-flood efforts. <br /> <br />play key roles in an emergency. The public expects its <br />elected officials to show up and take charge. If your <br /> <br />community is flooded, you and other local officials must <br />respond to supply lifesaving operations, restore vital ser- FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED First, you need to <br />vices, and provide for the human needs of the victims. investigate what happened and who was affected. If you <br />Successful emergency operations are the result of were involved in the emergency response, then you may <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />having been prepared. Experience shows that when <br /> <br />already have much information. If not, then your previ- <br /> <br />emergency plans and procedures are made, understood, ously acquired understanding of your community's flood <br /> <br />practiced, and used, reaction times during the emergency problem will greatly help you. <br /> <br />are reduced, coordination is improved, and overall res- You will also want to know the cause so you can <br />ponse and recovery measures are more effective. The respond to the public and the media. The state and federal <br /> <br />p age 21 <br />