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City of Peoria and Peoria County PROJECT BACKGROUND Acquisition and relocation of frequently flood-damaged buildings have been taking place in the City of Peoria and unincorporated Peoria County for nearly fifteen years. Beginning in 1982 with FEMA's Section 1362 floodprone property acquisition program and continuing through today's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the City, County and the Park District have acquired, relocated, and demolished dozens of structures and restored an open floodplain along a 25 mile reach of the Illinois River. MITIGATION MEASURES EMPLOYED The City and County have obtained Illinois Department of Natural Resources funding to continue to acquire flood-prone properties. All the properties have been cleared to create open space and residents have relocated to flood-free locations. The County also participates in the Community Rating System (CRS) and has used the acquisition projects to reduce their CRS rating, which lowers flood insurance premiums for County residents. PROJECT BENEFITS Record floods occurred in 1979, 1982, 1985 and 1995. The success of the program is obvious when the damages for the 1985 and 1995 floods are compared. Although the 1995 flood crested 1.4 feet higher than the 1985 flood, very little damage occurred, and flood insurance claims were reduced by almost ninety percent. Taxpayers were saved millions of dollars in relief costs and the benefits are continuing. Removing the exposure to flood damage pays real benefits. Also, the jurisdictions have continued these ongoing efforts by applying for $1.3 million in HMGP funding and $383,000 in Flood Mitigation Assistance Program funding, which will be matched by State agencies. PROJECT COST $4.7 million FUNDING SOURCE $2.2 million in FEMA's obsolete Section 1362 Program (under the National Flood Insurance Program), 1.5 million from DNR,