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PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES: STATE SUCCESS STORIES Having 50 states means that there are at least 50 different types of mitigation pro- grams, each tailored to meet the needs, hazards and unique resources available in each state. Below are profiles of several state programs. IA - R - K - A - N - S . A - S Ir The state of Arkansas has made strides in the past decade to strengthen and spread the message of mitigation. Arkansas has a $1 million Hazard Mitigation Trust Fund that is appropriated from state general fund revenues. Money from this fund can only be used for hazard mitigation and may only be released by a governor's disaster proclamation following disasters or pre-disaster executive orders. The trust fund may also be used to supplement the state and local cost share of the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). In addition, the state has a $1 million pre-disaster fund, the purpose of which is to reduce repetitive damage by funding complete solutions to problems resulting from disasters. The state accomplishes this by funding county projects based on vulnerabil- ity analyses and providing half the local match for HMGP projects. The state is cur- rently considering increasing the Mitigation Fund to $2 million dollars. Arkansas' efforts are paying off. In the city of McGehee, state, local and federal agen- cies have been working together to reduce the costs incurred by repeated flooding over the years. In fact, up to 25 houses have received repetitive damages costing more than $1,100,000 in the past 10 years, with $150,000 worth of damages ex- pected every year. To mitigate against future floods, the city has joined with state and federal agencies to construct a detention basin that collects excess storm water. The project has paid off. Over eight inches of rain fell in McGehee in early January of 1999 - equivalent to the 75-year storm. "Many residents breathed a sigh of relief as they realized the onslaught of water was draining away from their homes instead of steadily rising toward them, as had been the case in the past," noted a local newspa- per following the event. Mayor Bain Poole sent a letter of thanks to the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services for working with them to eliminate the flooding in McGehee: "Had the detention facility not been in place, some 15 to 20 homes would have received damage. I was pleased that this flood control project was in place:' !A.R..-Z-O-N-A . Arizona has a long history of mitigation, beginning in the 1970's when the Division of Emergency Management began buying out floodplain properties as part of an inten- sive floodplain management program. In 1979, the state legislature enacted legisla- tion allowing counties to form flood control districts, each with taxing authority. The money raised not only supports the district but is also used for both structural and non-structural flood control projects. These districts also have responsibility for building permits, land use planning, and zoning. During 1998, Arizona's Legislature passed the Disaster Prevention Act, which estab- lished a Disaster Prevention Council composed of representatives from government, business, and industry. The Disaster Prevention Council's mission is to advance I Investing in Our Future: Report on Trends in State Mitigation Spending ~