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How FLOODS CAN AFFECT You "Elected public officials must give the same attention and priority to their flood problems as they give to their police and fire problems, In the history of Rapid City, perhaps 35 people have died in fires and another 35 have been killed during the commission of crimes, But in just two hours, 238 died in a [June 1972] flood."- Don Barnett, former Mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota INTRODUCTION If you are a local official in one of America's 22,000 flood-prone jurisdictions, you face a major dilemma. How should you plan now to be pre, pared for future floods? Should you do nothing and hope you won't have to answer to angry and confused citizens after a flood occurs? Unless your community has planned ahead, it will be very difficult to resolve tough issues during the chaotic and emotional period after a flood. This guide will help you, as an elected official, to plan and take action to prepare your community for floods that will happen, either during your term in office or at a later date. Everyone will benefit from your initiative. FLOODS AND FLOODPLAINS IN YOUR COMMUNITY Floods are natural processes. Throughout time they have shaped the landscape, provided habitat for wildlife, and created rich soils. Cumulatively, floods have also been our nation's greatest natural disaster, disrupting lives, and often causing significant economic losses. Television coverage of floods and their consequences has provided vivid images of the damage that can be done. Floods happen when runoff exceeds the capacity of the river or stream channel. Water overflows onto the nearby low-lying lands called floodplains, In hilly and mountainous areas, flooding is likely to be rapid, deep, and dangerous, In relatively flat floodplains, land may stay covered with shallow, slow-moving flood water for days or even weeks. Human activity often leads to flood damage. When people use flood-prone areas along rivers and streams, they do two risky things. First, their homes, businesses, and activities get in the way of the natural overflow of the waterway. Sooner or later, they will be dam, aged or destroyed. Second, their buildings, pavement, landscaping, roads, and other facilities take up space in the normal floodplain that is needed to carry extra water during a flood. This forces the flood water to move farther away from the natural waterway, flooding more land. It sometimes also increases the velocity and height of the floodwater. In addition, there may be flood hazard areas along the smaller streams and other watercourses in your com- munity that have not have been identified or mapped through a study of its flood problems. And new devel- opment can increase water run-off, causing flooding in places that have never been flooded before. Some flood page 7