ABSTRACT
To lay the framework for assessing the 1993 flood, this chapter examines the forces and events that have shaped the evolution of floodplain management in the United States. This evolution has come as a result of the gradual merger of flood control, disaster assistance, and resource protection. Policies dealing with floods in the United States have changed significantly since the first efforts to direct the paths of flood waters in the early 1800s. Flood mitigation initially cantered on structural measures to modify flooding, principally through the use of flood protection levees. The Corps was authorized in the Flood Control Act of 1960 to provide technical services and planning assistance to communities for wise use of the floodplain. Changes in federal flood control policies occurred simultaneously with the growing interest in the environment. The legislation prohibits the nonwaiver of flood insurance purchase requirements of recipients of federal disaster assistance to repair or to rebuild structures damaged by floods.
