The Nation's Responses To Flood Disasters: A Historical Account

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98 The Nation’s Responses to Flood Disasters: A Historical Account Committee noted that “the time is ripe for serious attention to be paid to how this nation responds to the threat of floods.” 212 The Federal Interagency Floodplain Task Force stated “the floods and severe storms of the last few years have been a sobering reminder of work yet to be done to further reduce the vulnerability of residents of the United States to extreme natural events, and to more closely safeguard the valuable natural resources and functions that are found within the Nation’s floodplains. The Nation is entering a new era in hazards and emergency management⎯one in which a comprehensive multi-hazard, multidisciplinary approach, with stronger emphasis on mitigation, and use of technological tools like geographic information systems, will play leading roles.” 213 With the wide differences in points of view towards the issues that exist today, it is doubtful that any resolutions will emerge easily. Most likely any significant changes in federal policy will be based on compromise. Given the extent of federal outlays for disaster assistance during the 1990s, the final outcome may be driven by constraints imposed by the federal budget. Nevertheless, many observers believe a change in national policies and the public response to living and investing in floodprone areas is necessary. 214 212 Ibid. 213 A Unified National Program for Floodplain Management, 1994, Foreword. 214 Kitch, H. E., “Limiting the impact of future floods,” USA Today, July 1994, vol. 123(2590), p. 39.
APPENDIX A: ABOUT THE AUTHOR James M. Wright has always had a strong interest in history. He combined this interest, his earlier inquiry into the origins of floodplain management in the United States, and his own knowledge and involvement in this field of endeavor in developing this historical account. Wright is a licensed professional engineer in three states. He holds an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a Master of Science degree in water resources engineering, with additional post-graduate study in water resources. Since 1980, he has been a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Tennessee, teaching graduate-level floodplain management courses. Upon graduating from Virginia Tech in 1960, he was employed as a water resources engineer with the TVA in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was principally involved in studies examining local flood damage prevention planning. In 1968, he became an assistant to Tom Lee, helping to carry out Wisconsin’s recently established floodplain management program. He left in 1970 to develop and administer Minnesota’s state program. In 1978, he returned to TVA where he later became manager of its floodplain management program. He left the agency in 1994 to pursue other career interests. During his three decades of federal and state service, he has served on numerous national task forces, panels, and technical committees established to develop policies and procedures for managing floodplains to reduce economic losses and losses of natural and beneficial resources. He has authored several dozen papers in this field, including numerous invited papers and has prepared a number of works for publication in magazines, reports, and books. He has received several national awards for his work in dealing with the nation’s flood problems. Since his retirement from federal service, he has served, on occasion, as a Disaster Assistance Reservist with FEMA in a number of roles. He is currently an associate with the Floodplain Management Group in Knoxville, providing specialized services to state and federal agencies and national organizations.
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The Nation’s Responses To Flood D
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The floodplain management community
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to th
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CONTENTS National Weather Service .
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OVERVIEW The floods of the 1990s an
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1 PRE-20TH CENTURY: ISSUES OF FEDER
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Pre-20th Century: Issues of Federal
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2 THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY: A GROWING
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The Early 20th Century: A Growing F
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The Early 20th Century: A Growing F
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3 THE 1930S TO THE 1960S: BROADENIN
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The 1930s to the 1960s: Broadening
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34 The Nation’s Responses to Floo
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36 National floodplain mapping begi
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