Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
regional planning, symbolized by vast rural electrification projects and, most
notably, the creation in 1933 of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federal
agency designed to revive a region - several states in the southern Appalachians -
devastated by the environmental and economic crisis, through a series of public
works programs: dams, rural electrification, reforestation, and agriculture.
NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) : Program of national insurance
against floods put into place following enactment of the National Flood Insurance
Act of 1968. Faced with the rising cost of flood claims, the NFIP was designed as an
insurer of last resort whose mission is to create an alternative to traditional
distributed relief to disaster victims following natural disaster. Participation in the
NFIP results from an agreement between local government and federal authorities.
Communities agree to a floodplain management plan (Floodplain Management
Ordinance), in exchange for which residents become eligible for insurance at
subsidized rates. In theory, the NFIP should be self-supporting. A 2004 federal
report, prepared one year before Hurricane Katrina, showed that the annual deficit
amounted to 200 million dollars due to frequent flooding. Amendment of the 1973
Flood Disaster Protection Act made flood insurance mandatory for areas prone to
flooding. Amendment of the 1982 Coastal Barrier Resources Act established a set of
maps delineating coastal areas at risk and ineligible for flood insurance. The 2004
Flood Insurance Reform Act reformed the compensation available to properties
repeatedly flooded. This program has been frequently criticized, in particular by
Raymond Burby [BUR 06].
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) : This agency of the
Department of Commerce is the US counterpart of Météo France . It provides a
wealth of meteorological, oceanographic and climate data for the United States in
particular, but also for the rest of the world. The NOAA is very committed to
scientific research. The NOAA website may be consulted at http://www.noaa.gov/.
O
Oregon Trail : President Thomas Jefferson wanted to extend the United States
from coast to coast. The Lewis and Clark expedition reached the shores of the
Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805. In 1811, John Jacob
Astor privately financed an expedition to found a colony on the Columbia River
estuary. The War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain lead to the
establishment of British sovereignty over Oregon. But it was only in 1842 that the
first colonists blazed the Oregon Trail. The settlers in the fertile Willamette valley,
who were reinforced by the “great migration” of the early 1840s, demanded
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