DWR Announces Report on Floods in California; New Recommendations to Reduce Flood Damage, Preserve Agriculture and Restore the Environment.News Editors SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2003 The Department of Water Resources announced that a report urging a higher level of protection from California floods was delivered to the Legislature today. Among its other recommendations, the California Floodplain floodplain, level land along the course of a river formed by the deposition of sediment during periodic floods. Floodplains contain such features as levees, backswamps, delta plains, and oxbow lakes. Management Task Force recommended that homes and businesses be built at least one foot higher than the previously expected '100-year flood level,' and that out-of- date floodplain maps be redrawn. "Floods are an inevitable part of California's natural setting", said Jonas Minton, Deputy DWR DWR Design Within Reach DWR Department of Water Resources DWR Direct Web Remoting (Easy Ajax for Java) DWR Durable Water Repellency DWR Delayed Word Recall (medical testing) DWR Driving While Revoked Director. "This report addresses important issues of public safety in the State's floodplains. It will help educate the public, and ensure that California is safer and better prepared the next time the floodwaters start rising". The Task Force's Report notes that many Californians have a false sense of safety from floods, the result of incomplete information. Current flood threats are higher than commonly thought; the term "100-year flood," for example, is misleading. It does not denote de·note tr.v. de·not·ed, de·not·ing, de·notes 1. To mark; indicate: a frown that denoted increasing impatience. 2. a flood that will occur only once every 100 years, as is commonly believed. Rather, it is the flood elevation that has a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded each year. "Over the lifetime of a 30-year mortgage, there is a 26-percent chance of being flooded by a 100-year flood," the Task Force Report states. Moreover, new housing and other development may be increasing flood perils and damages for millions of Californians. "As new development occurs, more hard surfaces, such as roads and roofs, accelerate and increase flood runoff Runoff The procedure of printing the end-of-day prices for every stock on an exchange onto ticker tape. Notes: If the "tape is late" then it can take a long time to print off all the closing prices. , increasing the size and often the depth of the floodplain," says the report, which also notes that many floodplain maps have not been updated for over a decade and therefore do not accurately reflect today's development. Maps of the National Flood Insurance Program The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was created by the Congress of the United States in 1968 through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-448). determine who must buy flood insurance Flood insurance denotes the specific insurance coverage against property loss from flooding. To determine risk factors for specific properties, insurers will often refer to topographical maps that denote lowlands and floodplains that are susceptible to flooding. and guide local government decisions on new developments. The Floodplain Management Task Force -- established last year by the Department of Water Resources as recommended in Assembly Bill 1147 (Chapter 1071, Statutes of 2000) (Honda) -- was comprised of a diverse group of builders, real estate professionals, environmentalists, and State and local agency officials. Among the panel's other recommendations are calls to: -- Inform the public of the dangers of cascading boulders and mudslides during flash floods that can devastate dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. subdivisions built on alluvial fans alluvial fan n. A fan-shaped accumulation of alluvium deposited at the mouth of a ravine or at the juncture of a tributary stream with the main stream. at the base of foothills, particularly in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . -- Use flood plains for the multiple purposes of farming, recreation, and wildlife as well as flood protection. In 1997, floods forced 120,000 Californians to evacuate e·vac·u·ate v. 1. To empty or remove the contents of. 2. To excrete or discharge waste matter, especially of the bowels. their homes, caused $2 billion in property damage and killed nine people. Floods in 1995 killed 28 people, a 1986 flood killed 13 people, and a 1955 flood killed 74 people. Since 1950, all 58 California counties have been declared flood disaster areas no fewer than three times. A copy of the report can be found at http://fpmtaskforce.water.ca.gov/ Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Visit DWR 's Website at http://www.water.ca.gov/ |
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