FEMA releases report on benefits of floodplains

FEMA releases report on benefits of floodplains

FEMA releases report on benefits of floodplains

The Natural and Beneficial Functions of Floodplains: Reducing Flood Losses by Protecting and Restoring the Floodplain Environment (2003) is now available as the final report of the Task Force on the Natural and Beneficial Functions of the Floodplain, established by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994. The Act required the task force to identify the functions of floodplains that reduce flood damage, make recommendations on how to protect those functions, and prepare a report on its findings. The group, chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), included representatives from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The report examines the relationship between the natural functions of floodplains and flood loss reduction. It includes summaries of the current state of floodplain management in the USA, the challenges facing the nation in reducing losses caused by floods, and the opportunities for inter-governmental partnerships in managing floodplains to reduce losses by protecting and restoring natural functions. The report concludes the nation’s approach to flood loss reduction must be changed to reflect fully multi-objective floodplain management goals that focus on sustainability as well as the protection of natural and beneficial floodplain functions. Such actions will reduce flood losses, preserve wildlife habitat, improve the quality of waterways, and enhance quality of life.

Printed copies of the report are free and can be requested from FEMA Publications, PO Box 2012, Jessup, MD 20794-2012; Tel: (800) 480-2520. FEMA also plans to make the report available on its Web site.

(Natural Hazards Observer, Vol. XXVIINo. 6, July 2003)