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-2- proper to seek specific answers to land use problems, but it is equally important to maintain some perspective on the uncertainties associated with the development of effective strategies which deal with the destruc- tive and unpredictable aspects of nature. Statement of the Problem The severity of flood hazards extends over a wide range; they can be mere nuisances or can pose an extreme danger for both life and prop- erty. Stream valleys have always been highly desirable sites of human activity for a variety of economic and aesthetic reasons. Whether by foresight or as a result of experience, older development has been situ- ated largely on the safer floodplain margins and higher terraces. As a result, current residential and commercial activities are induced to oc- cupy progressively more hazardous floodplain areas in rapidly growing metropolitan regions. Numerous flood control structures have been erec- ted in response to the obvious dangers inherent in this pattern of devel- opment, but events such as Hurricane Agnes in 1972 are clear warnings that such measures can be only partial solutions in the long run. As a direct response to steadily mounting flood losses despite mas- sive investments in structural controls, Congress established the Nation- al Flood Insurance Program in 1968 and further amended it in 1973. The major thrust of this legislation is twofold. In the first place, it is designed to promote land use controls in flood hazard areas as a supple- ment to flood control structures. These nonstructural techniques help to resolve the dilemma of government investment of huge sums on flood control projects which cannot prevent economic and social disruption by catastrophic floods. Such an approach views avoidance of the hazard as . .