FLOOD08661

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Floodplain Web Information
• Date: 11/14/1997
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Community File

Learn-Assess

Flood Forecasting, Warning, and Emergency Plans

Warning systems and accompanying emergency
response have long been recognized as effective
ways to save lives and reduce flood damages in
both riverine and coastal floodprone areas. The
joint hurricane evacuation study is a good example
of this. As the cost of the required equipment
continues to decrease, more and more state and
local governments are funding the development of
flood warning systems and emergency plans.

The National Weather Service conducts research,
provides specific flood forecast and warning
services to over 3,100 communities, and works
with many of the 900 communities that have local
warning systems. The Corps, the Tennessee Valley
Authority, and the Bureau of Reclamation collect
hydrometeorological data and prepare operational
forecasts, often in cooperation with the National
Weather Service, for their flood control structures.
The U.S. Geological Survey collects streamflow
and other data that can be used for flood
forecasting.

About half of the states are involved in flood
warning, including cooperation in !FLOWS (the
Integrated Flood Observing and Warning System)
in Appalachia and installation of automated data
collection equipment. Some large urban
communities have included forecasting and
preparedness planning in their operations for years,
participated in regional warning systems, or have
developed their own systems.

University and private research has contributed
substantially to the knowledge about and design of
warning systems, disaster response, and system
effectiveness. The private sector is vital to the
design, installation, operation, maintenance, and
modification oflocal flood warning systems. In
many instances, industries have cooperated in the

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