09-17-07 Meeting of Drainage and Flooding Committee

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WHAT You CAN Do BEFoRE A FLooD "Taking .the time to plan and prepare a solid floodplain management and emergency response program is the only way to minimize the devastating impact that flood waters can have on your community."— Christopher C. Johnson, Mayor, Agawam, Massachusetts UNDERSTAND YOUR FLOOD PROBLEM First, investi- gate your community's flood risk so that you understand its magnitude and the places most at risk. Read newspaper accounts about past floods and examine the photographs. But do not assume that what you can find in old newspa- pers is the whole story. Flooding may have occurred infre- quently, so they probably do nc full history of your past floods. Technical studies of your community's flood risk may have already been done by a federal or state agency so there are reports and maps that descr the flood risk for most of the sti your community. Find out which of your departments has this information in their files. Or check with a state agency, regional planning or special district office, or the nearest office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (see Appendix A). After studying the technical reports and maps, visit constituents who live or have businesses in these areas. UNDERSTAND YOUR FLOODPLAIN Although floods are a problem for many communities, floodplain lands are valuable community assets. The natural resources con- tained in flood -prone lands and their natural functions can mnunity's overall quality of 'his role has been undervalued ll too frequently in the past. Substantial gains can be made by transforming stream and river floodplains m problems areas into value- ommunity assets. Parks, bikepaths, open spaces, wildlife areas, and aesthetic features are important quality -of -life issues to today's citizens. And assets like these make your community more appealing to potential employers, investors, home- owners, and tourists. You are uniquely positioned to tap these resources for the benefit of your community. When portions of floodplains are left in or restored the areas that are subject to flooding. Visualize how deep to a nearly natural state, not only do they reduce the the flood waters will be in each neighborhood (you can number and severity of floods, but they also can help obtain that information from the technical study men- tioned above). Notice which properties would be affected and how. Get first-hand accounts of past floods from your handle stormwater runoff and minimize nonpoint water pollution, for far less money than it would take to build facilities to correct these problems. page 10