Federal Government’s Role in Mitigating Flooding

Flooding and its Causes

Flooding is the overflow of water which covers land that is supposed to be dry. Flooding may occur due to heavy rains in a place where there is poor drainage. Typhoons, cyclones, and tsunamis can cause flooding of areas near large water bodies. Flooding causes the destruction of property, disruption of transport and communication networks, and may even lead to death.

The Role of the Federal Government in Mitigating Flooding

The federal government has a role to play in mitigating the flooding disaster once it happens. Firstly, it is the role of the federal government to declare flooding as an emergency. The declaration gives the President the authority to release supplementary funds to government and local rescue teams. The aim of the teams is to save lives of the affected people and protect property.

Assistance Provided by the Federal Government

Additionally, the federal government can provide different types of assistance during flooding. The government provides individual assistance where the affected families, businesses, and individuals are given loans, tax relief, and emergency housing (McNabb, 2017). The federal government can also fund the regional/state authorities, local community leaders, and non-profit organizations to assist in rescue operations.

Mitigation Funds and Investigation

Besides, the federal government can provide mitigation funds to regions/states and local leaders to establish projects for minimizing the susceptibility of the region to flooding. Also, the government calls upon independent or private organizations and institutions to offer assistance to the victims of the floods. It is the role of the federal government to fund an investigation that probes into the incidence and provides a full report of the incidence (Schneider, 2018). The hired commission/analysts assess the losses emanating from the disaster by conducting Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA). The federal government continues to provide food and clean water to the displaced people until they are fully settled after the floods are over.

References

McNabb, D. E. (2017). Managing Storm, Flood, and Runoff Water. In Water Resource Management (pp. 263-281). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Schneider, S. K. (2018). Governmental Response to Disasters: Key Attributes, Expectations, and Implications. In Handbook of Disaster Research (pp. 551-568). Springer, Cham.