Long Term Recovery Council Final Report to Gov Pat Quinn : Aftermath of the Floods of June 2008 & Recommendations for Long-term Economic Recovery

The Long Term Recovery Council was established after the June 2008 flooding to help develop a framework for future state disaster recovery efforts. Future efforts will help Illinois communities recover from flood events and aid the State in mitigating the damage of future floods. Public funds for flood recovery should contribute to reduction of future flood risk. Similarly, economic development in a location subject to future flooding is not truly sustainable economic development. Any location that is prone to future flooding is not economically viable in the long term, nor is any situation that requires a larger public investment in flood protection than warranted by the economic benefits. The Midwest floods have clearly demonstrated that structural measures alone, such as levees, do not eliminate risk, rather they contribute to a cycle of increasing risk in urban areas due to investments in areas incorrectly perceived to be safe from flooding that eventually will flood. Continued pressure from the public, officials, and elected representatives to put public investment in flood prone areas shows the need for better flood risk communication, including the mitigation options that are not well known or understood outside the community of flood management professionals.