1850-1936 Structural Federal Flood Control
The Swamp Land Act of 1850, enacted by the federal government, was one of the first programs directed at draining federally owned land by states to create productive agricultural lands. If states would drain the wetlands off the coast for Ag use, they were given the land by the federal government, and could in turn deed it to people for farming. This Congressionally authorized act became the basis for the transformation of the nation’s floodplains and wetlands. After the Swamp.Read More
1939-1968 Human Adjustment to Reduce Flooding
Gilbert White authors paper titled “Human Adjustment to Reduce Flooding—1939-1968,” which advocates a new way to think about floodplain management. Rather than build structural barriers to keep water away from people, we should give water the space it needs and keep people out of harm’s way. It was in this paper that White famously opined that “Floods are acts of God, but flood losses are largely acts of man.”
1968 – NFIP Created by U.S. Congress
U.S. Congress creates the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) following passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. View A Chronology of Major Events Affecting the National Flood Insurance Program .
1982-1985 Map Initiatives Project (MIP) Determined Flood Map Format
The first maps produced under the NFIP were community-based and consisted of two similar,but different formats. One, the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) was produced for use by theinsurance industry for the purpose of determining flood insurance rates. The other, the FloodBoundary and Floodway Map (FBFM) was intended to be used by state and local floodplainadministrators for floodplain management purposes. Both used the same base map as theunderlying layer for landmarks, such as major streets and highways, railways, and rivers,.Read More
1984 – Interagency Task Force on Floodplain Management (ITF-TF)
In a demonstration of the importance of federal partners, Frank Thomas, FEMA; Jerry Peterson, US Army Corps of Engineers; and Jim Wright, Tennessee Valley Authority, were an integral part of what was known as the Interagency Task Force on Floodplain Management (ITF-TF). They wisely invited ASFPM to participate in their meetings to update federal agencies on what states and locals were doing to manage flood risk on the ground.
1987 – Nollan v. California Coastal Commission, 483 U.S. 825
Nollan v. California Coastal Commission, 483 U.S. 825 (1987) – In California land-use case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, Nollan v. California Coastal Commission, 107 S.Ct. 3141 (l987), the Court held that the California Coastal Council’s conditioning of a building permit for a beach front lot upon granting public access to the beach lacked an “essential nexus” between the regulatory requirement and the regulatory goals and was a taking. This case may be cited in the.Read More
1988 – Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, an amended version of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, was designed to provide an orderly and continuing means of assistance from the federal government to state and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to alleviate the suffering and damage that result from major disasters and emergencies. One of the critical components was change the cost share for hazard mitigation assistance from 50-50 to 75-25, which allowed more communities to participate in the program. It also increased the funding pool to 15% of all disaster costs rather than just certain of the costs.
1990 – ASFPM Board Passes Three Important Resolutions
ASFPM Board passes three important resolutions to improve management of flood risk in the nation: Support for one foot of freeboard to provide better protection against increasing flood levels instead of no freeboard used in NFIP FEMA flood maps should show which properties will be inundated if a dam fails so people are protected FEMA flood maps should use GIS to more accurately show properties and flood areas
1990 – The Community Rating System (CRS) Begins
The Community Rating System (CRS) begins. Under CRS, discounts on flood insurance premiums are available in communities that voluntarily initiate activities that reduce flood losses or that increase the number of flood insurance policies. CRS is the product of three years of development by the Community Rating Task Force, which had representatives from FIA, the insurance industry, and state and local floodplain managers. Extensive field testing, critiques, and reviews with communities, public interest organizations, and the ASFPM’s technical advisors were.Read More
1992 – Increase in State Activities and State Participants
A survey of state NFIP coordinators by ASFPM identifies an increase in state activities and state participants. The survey notes that many states participate in activities to restore and preserve the natural and cultural resources of floodplains and that many identify the environmental benefits of floodplain management as the key to obtaining wide public support. The survey reports that 39 states have more than 175 full-time equivalent personnel.
1995 – State Programs Face Challenges
A survey of states by the ASFPM describes trends since 1992 that have reversed some of the continuous advances made since the late 1960s. According to the survey, state programs face challenges in budget, organization, and authority that threaten their ability to be full, active partners with the federal government and local communities in reducing flood losses. The report concludes that states’ capabilities have eroded because of legislative dilution, budgetary restrictions, and organizational dissection.
2000 – ASFPM Publishes “ The Nation’s Responses to Flood Disasters: A Historical Account”
ASFPM publishes “The Nation’s Responses to Flood Disasters: A Historical Account,” which summarizes the forces and events that have affected floodplain management in the United States since the 1850s.