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Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States (2019) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
Pages 9-14

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From page 9...
... When a natural landscape is transformed by urban development, its drainage pattern is disturbed. The natural landscape, where flow gradually accumulates through small hollows and channels into local streams, is replaced by a graded landscape where streets carry surface water flow and become an important part of the drainage network.
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From page 10...
... Land development alters natural drainage patterns that previously carried water away and creates hardened surfaces that inhibit infiltration of storm water (Appendix A)
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From page 11...
... Depending on the metropolitan area, more than a dozen federal, state, and local government agency departments, nongovernmental organizations, and private entities may be involved in urban flood preparation, response, mitigation, and recovery. Which organizations are involved and their roles varies across metropolitan areas.
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From page 12...
... , or flood hazard created by drainage and other urban infrastructure (FEMA, 2003) .      COMMITTEE CHARGE AND APPROACH   At the request of FEMA, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine appointed a committee to hold workshops to gain an initial understanding of the causes and impacts of urban flooding in selected metropolitan areas, and to use that information to address three tasks (see Box 1.1)
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From page 13...
... . To address Task 2, the committee drew on published estimates of flood losses in the case study areas and also analyzed federal flood loss data.
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From page 14...
... Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States     magnitude of urban flooding. The participants and agendas for the stakeholder workshops, meetings, and site visits in the four case study areas are summarized in Appendixes B through E
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Key Terms

  • flood hazard
  • storm water
  • urban flood
  • flood damage
  • federal flood

  • flood insurance
  • flood impacts
  • federal resources
  • land development
  • address task

  • managing urban
  • encourage flood
  • urban development
  • urban landscapes
  • understand flood

  • flood hazards
  • flood disasters
  • mitigate flood
  • flood events
  • flood loss

  • special flood
  • national flood
  • maps flood
  • flood survivors
  • flood victims

  • assess urban
  • storm sewer
  • storm drains
  • sometimes neighborhoods
  • natural drainage


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