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Allhough less dramatu than urban or coaskli floo(h.'ng, rural flooding arui C01lSl1lJ.ff!t agricultural losses account for almost 50% of flood damages in tIM rJnited States. Flooding along the S710Jwmish River, Washington SUlU, ,\'ownher 1986 DamageJ to itifrastrw::ture may account jor as much as 25% 0/ the tota! damage:;- iru:u.rred during jloodJ'ng. Bridge damaged by flooding, Jeffirson Island, Loumana, 1979. In a 1971 study, the Corps found that approximate/;' 24 % 0/ the nation's shurelint was significantly eroding. Two-thirds if this larui was private/;, owned. Dune eroswn and house collapse, Sandwich, Mas- sachusetts. - 18 Loss of Life and Property Between 1916 and 1985 there were, on average, 101 flood-related deaths annually; there is no indication that deaths are increasing or decreasing on a per capita basis. On the other hand, there definitely was an increase in flood damages over that 70-year period. Per capita flood damages were almost 2.5 times as great from 1951 to 1985 as from 1916 through 1950, after adjusting for inflation. Property losses from floods appear to have been fairly constant in relation to the overall national economy. For example, flood losses in 1937 in the Ohio and lmver :Mississippi River basins ($440 million) amounted to .0049% of the GNP for that year. Flood damages in 1983 ($4 hillion) amounted to only .0012% of GNP. Consistent, reliable data on historic flood deaths and damages are still not being collected. Information on the financial aid given by many federal and state agencies is not available in a form that separates flood-related damages from other types of natural and technological disasters. Nevertheless, there are numerous figures available to help establish the type and extent of damages suffered. . Floods account for more losses than any other natural disaster in the United States (with the exception of drought losses during certain years or long-term periods). In most years flood damages constitute the bulk of federal financial aid for disasters. . From 1981 to 1985, ahout 23% of all Presidentially declared disasters involved coastal flooding, and about 49% of federal disaster aid obliga- tions were attributable to coastal damage. . A total of $2.6 billion in flood insurance claims were paid out by the National Flood Insurance Program from 1978 to 1987. Over 31% were for flooding in areas outside the 100-year floodplain-the result of rapid urbanization that exceeds the capacity of managers to remap and regulate, or to manage stormwater. . The Federal Highway Administration provided $442.3 million in emer- gency relief from 1986 through 1989. . About half of the nation's annual flood damages are agricultural losses. . The Small Business Administration issued $ 78. 7 million in economic injury disaster loans and .$67.9 million in physical disaster loans in fiscal year 1989. . On irrigated cropland, flooding can damage irrigation facilities, such as ditches, pipelines, and sprinklers. Sediment deposited by flood waters can reduce long-term yield by covering fertile land with infertile deposits and can damage existing crops by interfering with their growth. These losses range from $150 to $500 million annually. . A review of eight disasters from the 1950s and 1960s found that damages to infrastructure accounted for about 25% of the total damages. Other estimates put that figure at 10-19%. . Over three-fourths of all Presidentially declared disasters involve flash flooding; flash floods have been the cause of most weather-related deaths in the United States. . A study of streambank erosion estimated $295 million in average annual damages. Neither the damages from nor costs of coastal erosion have been estimated. . Total national losses from Jake level fluctuations exceeded $250 million from 1981-1986. . The overall damages and cleanup costs from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, \vhich caused catastrophic flooding and mudflows, were estimated at $1.2 billion; over $875 million was needed to restore land, clean up rivers, and provide flood protection to area communities. . Three tsunamis have resulted in losses in recent times: 173 deaths in Hawaii in 1946; 61 deaths in Hawaii in 1960; and 107 deaths in Alaska, 4 in Oregon, and 11 in California in 1964, plus $100 million damage on the ""Vest Coast.