In this issue of Disaster Recovery Today , industry expert Jeff Shaw takes an in-depth look at flood damage and explores the applicant’s ability to recover from this devastating peril.
Applying his extensive experience as a disaster recovery consultant, the author breaks down the concept of floodplain management into easily understood terms and helps clarify its interrelationship with the FEMA Public Assistance program. Mr. Shaw shares his insights about developing floodplain ordinances and procedures, addresses the issue of which eligible repair and replacement costs are paid for and by whom, defines applicable terms related to improvements, damage and market value, and discusses the consequences for failure to comply with floodplain management program requirements.
Mr. Shaw has taken a complex and technical subject and transformed it into one that is basic enough for even those outside of the industry to comprehend. His efforts here are part of an overall effort nationwide to communicate the effectiveness of floodplain management programs that are designed to minimize damage and destruction caused by floods, the most common natural disaster in the U.S.
We hope you find the information here enlightening and look forward to receiving your comments so that we can continue to offer a resource that is of value to our readers. As always, we appreciate your readership and interest.
—Sheila E. Salvatore, Editor
With the most common natural disaster in the United States being floods, exhaustive efforts have been made by Congress to ensure that the damages and destruction created by these events are minimized. The most prominent of these efforts was the creation of Executive Order 11988, which requires federal agencies to avoid the Special Flood Hazard Area 1 (SFHA) unless there is no practicable alternative, or to mitigate the effect of future...
1 The SFHA is the area where the NFIP’s floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. The SFHA includes Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, AR/A1-30, AR/AE, AR/AO, AR/AH, AR/A, VO, V1-30, VE and V.