1993 Flood Programs

Flood Programs prior to 1993

• Reservoirs and levees built by the Corps prevented more than $19 billion in potential damages.  

•  Watershed projects built by the Soil Conservation Service saved an estimated additional  $400 million. 

•  Land-use controls required by the National Flood Insurance Program and state floodplain management programs reduced the number of structures at risk throughout the Mississippi basin. 

• Weather cooperated with a freeze late in the year, and spring 1994 saw only a few minor  floods. This allowed many repairs to be made. 

Flood Programs Implemented after 1993 

• Created the Increased Cost of Compliance program within the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) for all people who  have a flood insurance policy. This program gives money to owners of substantially damaged properties to meet the more expensive costs of rebuilding according to a local  floodplain management ordinance. 

• Created the Flood Mitigation Assistance program This program is funded from a surcharge added to all flood insurance policies nationwide. The money is then redistributed to states in the form of grants to be used to mitigate future flood losses.   

•  Increased emphasis on floodplain mapping. 

• Codified the Community Rating System (CRS) into the NFIP. The CRS is an incentive program which allows communities to reduce their costs for all flood insurance policies in exchange for going above and beyond minimum NFIP requirements. 

• Under the Clinton Administration, FEMA targeted buyouts of flood-damaged properties as the first priority for Midwest flood mitigation funds. This initiative represented a turning point in flood recovery policy: it was the first time buyouts had been attempted on such a large scale. In the nine states that flooded, FEMA ultimately moved more than 300 homes, and bought and demolished nearly 12,000 at a cost of over $150 million. The lands were turned to flood-friendlier uses such as parks and wildlife habitat. State and federal agencies have also acquired interest in over 250,000 acres of flood-prone land. 

• According to FEMA data, another 9,140 properties in 140 communities were elevated, acquired or relocated under hazard mitigation grants. Projects ranged in size from elevations of one or two homes in a neighborhood to entire communities moving to new locations.

http://www.dnr.ne.gov/floodplain/PDF_Files/FloodUpdateStory_Rev3.pdf