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<br />III. FLOOD MITIGATION STBATEGIES: <br />LESSONS FROM OJ'HER CONTE XTS <br /> <br />A. Floodplain Management <br /> <br />Humans have historically settled along water'ways in l'ecogni tion of <br />theil' many benefits. In constructing these s'9ttlements, however, we have <br />often failed to realize that flooding is a natu"a,l and inevita.ble <br />proce,ss. In those areas where humans utilize ar:,Q, inhabit land areas that <br />are f,ubject to flooding, a potential conflict ar'ises. Floodplain <br />management is a comprehensive approach towards I"esolution of this conflict <br />which ma,y include both structural and nonstructural meaS1.D"es and addresses <br />both preventive and corrective actions. <br /> <br />1. The F'ederal Context <br /> <br />Floods affect thousands of communi ties in the Uni ted State's. More <br />than 300,000 people are evacuated annually dUoe to flood l;hreats. Since <br />1975 an average of 200 people have died In floct:[s each YE!ar in the, Uni ted <br />StatEls, and annual flood damages now average ne<:,rly $5 b:lllion (U.S. <br />Department of Commerce, 1985: p. i). FiBures 1'1 and 12 dramatically show <br />the nation's vulnerablli ty to floods. Flash :fl(:>ods are particulaf'ly <br />disaf'trous in terms of loss of lives. <br /> <br />Struetural and nonstructural measures have !)(:en adopted to limIt flood <br />damages. Structural measures include channel erClargement and the <br />construetion of levees, reservoirs and bypass,""" Structural measures ean <br />greatly reduce flood threa'~ and consequent 10:lS 1~\lt they can also create a <br />false sense of securi ty and encourage development in par1;ially protected <br />areas. Thus, when a rare flood occurs, even gn:.ater flood losses may be <br />sustaine,d. This may account, in part, for the t.l'end toward inereased <br />floocl losses as shown in Figure 12 (U. S. Depaj"tlllent of C':IIlmeree. 1985: p" <br />3) . <br /> <br />2. The State Context - Relation to the 406 Pl,an <br /> <br />Po Flood Hazard Mi tigation Plan was preparerj by the Coloraclo Water <br />Conservation Board to address critical if,sues relative to floodplain <br />management at the state level (Colorado Water Cor\.'lervaticm Board, 1985). <br />The plan identifies areas which are vulnerabl,e \:.0 flooding, documElnts <br />existing federal, state, and local programs r,=levant to flood hazard <br />mitigatIon, and provides guidance to local govEH'nments regarding <br />reasonable actions to take to reduce flood damages. The Plan is a resource <br />to help state and local agencies develop, in 11,,~:t of limited budgets, <br />policies and programs which will mitigate flood losses in Colc>rado. <br /> <br />ManItou Springs is one of more than 200 Colol'ado communitIes which <br />facef; a flash flood threat. Flood hazar cis exist in all 63 of Colclrado's <br />countief'. Approximately 150,000 people permanently reside in Colorado':s <br />floodplains. At least 350 people have died in Colorado as a result of <br />flooding in the past 100 years. Cumulati ve floocl losses in Colorado's <br />history are estimated to exceed $1.6 billion ,joJI ars in present val ue <br />(Colorado Water Conservation Board, 1985; pp. v:i i"'viii). <br /> <br />-37- <br />