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I. ! 1 , ie REPORT OF THE INTERAGENCY FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE to the ADMINISTRATION FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT TASK FORCE i , I I I " ! EXECUTIVES~ARY " ~ . ~ I I i The time has come to face the fact that this Nation can rw longer afford the high costs of natural disasters. We can no longer afford the economic costs to the American taxpayer, nor can we afford the social costs to our communities and individuals. FLOODPLAINS AND THE NATION The upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries have played a major role in the nations's history. Their existence was critical to the growth of the upper Midwest region of the United States and fostered the development of major cities and a transportation network linking the region to the rest of the world. The floodplains of these rivers provide some of the most productive farmland in the country. They offer diverse recreational opportunities and contain important ecological systems. While development of the region has produced significant benefits, it has not always been conducted in a wise manner. As a result, today the nation faces three major problems : First, as the Midwest Flood of 1993 has shown, people and property remain at risk, not only in the floodplains of the upper Mississippi River Basin, but also throughout the nation. Many of those at risk do not fully understand the nature and the potential consequences of that risk; nor do they share fully in the fiscal implications of bearing that risk. Second, only in recent years has the nation come to James L. Witt Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency Testimony before Congress, October 27, 1993 appreciate fully the significance of the fragile ecosystems of the upper Mississippi River Basin. Given the tremendous loss of habitat over the last two centuries, many suggest that the nation now faces severe ecological consequences. j ",j 'ij :!i i , I Third, the division of responsibilities for floodplain management among federal, state, tribal and local governments needs clear defmition. Currently, attention to floodplain management varies widely among and within federal, state, tribal and local governments. --on-The Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee proposes a better way to manage the nation's floodplains. This report not only describes the nature and extent of the 1993 flooding and government efforts to cope with the event but also presents a blueprint for change. This blueprint is directed at both the upper Mississippi River Basin and the nation as a whole. Its foundation is a sharing of responsibilities and accountability among all levels of government, business,and private citizens. tt provides for a balance among the many competing uses of the rivers and their floodplains; it recognizes, however, that all existing vii