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<br />INTRODUCTION
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<br />WHAT IS A FLOODPLAIN?
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<br />Floodplains are the relatively low and periodically inundated areas adjacent to rivers,
<br />lakes, and oceans. Floodplain lands and adjacent waters combine to form a complex, dynamic
<br />physical and biological system that supports a multitude of water resources, living resources,
<br />and societal resources. Floodplains provide the nation with natural flood and erosion control,
<br />water filtering processes, a wide variety of habitats for flora and fauna, places for recreation
<br />and scientific study, and historic and archeological sites. They are also the locus of a variety
<br />of human activities, including commerce, agriculture, residence, and infrastructure.
<br />Estimates of the extent of the nation's floodplains vary according to the areas measured.
<br />In 1977 the U.S. Water Resources Council estimated that floodplains comprise about 7 percent,
<br />or 178.8 million acres of the total area of the United States and its territories.
<br />During the 1993 flood, floodplains along the upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers
<br />became part of the rivers when they were inundated by river stages exceeding channel capacity
<br />or the design elevations of flood-control levees or when the levees failed or overtopped.
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<br />Adapted, in part, from the draft 1994 Unified National Program for Floodplain Management.
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<br />floodplain management. This initial effort was followed
<br />by discussions in the nine Midwest states most affected
<br />by the flood. Review Committee members met with the
<br />governors and their representatives, state flood recovery
<br />and mitigation task forces, staffs of relevant
<br />congressional committees, staffs of congressional
<br />members from the flood states, and interest groups at
<br />the national, regional, and local level. In March the
<br />Review Committee shifted its focus to outreach visits in
<br />the Midwest communities and areas affected by the
<br />flood. During this phase of review, the Review
<br />Committee visited over 60 communities where county,
<br />city, and other local officials and citizens assembled to
<br />provide information and insights. The Review
<br />Committee asked those contacted to share their candid
<br />opinions about the best use of flood hazard areas, their
<br />visions of the future, and how that vision was changed
<br />by the 1993 flood. They were asked about hazard
<br />mitigation, floodplain management, and the emergency
<br />response plans of the flood-affected communities, with
<br />particular regard to whether such plans were useful
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<br />during or after the flood. All were asked to critique the
<br />strengths and weaknesses of federal programs and
<br />policies as presently structured, and to discuss what
<br />federal and state roles should be in long-term' ~
<br />management of floodplains.
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<br />Throughout the review process, a steady stream of
<br />letters arrived from organizations, interest groups, state
<br />and local officials,and from individuals offering
<br />information, personal viewpoints, and advice, all of
<br />which the Review Committee great! y appreciated.
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<br />Following visits to the Midwest, the Review Committee
<br />formulated an array of floodplain management options,
<br />briefs of which were presented to the Administration
<br />Floodplain Management Task Force. congressional
<br />interests, federal agencies, state officials, and interest
<br />groups. Meetings to review the options were held in
<br />Washington, D.C.; Kansas City, Missouri; Springfield,
<br />Illinois; and Minneapolis. Minnesota. The Review
<br />Committee then developed its recommendations.
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