Surface Water: Orientation

Students in Mansfield University's Hydrology course using spectrophotometers to learn about the chemistry of the Tioga River.

Why You Should Learn About Flooding:
Every year, in the United States alone, thousands of people are killed, injured or suffer severe financial losses during floods. Most of these losses could have been avoided if appropriate attention would have been paid to some simple principles of safety and land-use planning. Progress is being made, but millions of buildings now stand in flood-prone areas and ignorance renders many people vulnerable in emergency situations.
The two most important things that you can do to protect yourself are: 1) learn where the flood-prone areas are in your community, and, 2) learn what to do if you encounter flood waters.

Learn About Flood-Prone Areas in Your Community:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published flood-prone area maps for most of the United States. These maps are available for inspection at a government office in your area. Most offices that maintain a flood-map library also have a person who can assist you with the maps.
The office responsible for maintaining the flood-map library varies from one jurisdiction to another. If you are interested in seeing the maps for your area, you can start by calling your county, city, or township office. Ask who you should contact to examine the flood maps for your area. Be persistent, it may take a few calls.

Most of these maps are based upon the concept of the 100-year flood. This does NOT mean that these areas will be flooded only 1 time in 100 years. Instead, it means that areas within the boundary have at least a 1% chance (1 in 100) of being flooded during any given year. Some areas within the boundary - those at the lowest elevations - will be flooded with a much greater frequency.

A portion of the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Wellsboro, Pennsylvania accompanies this lesson. Areas designated as Zone "A" (the dark areas) are within the 100-year flood boundary and are considered to be special flood hazard areas. Areas designated as Zone "B" are between the 100-year and 500 year flood boundaries and have at least 1 chance in 500 of being flooded during any given year. The remaining areas are designated as zones of minimal flooding. Flooding is possible in the zones of minimal flooding as a result of local drainage problems or extremely severe flood events.

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood losses, or losses caused by the flood-associated processes of erosion and landsliding. Persons who own property within the 100-year flood boundary should be aware of the flooding risk and consider the purchase of flood insurance. Persons near the boundary or within the 500-year flood boundary should also be aware of their risks. Insurance coverage for these hazards is issued by the federal government and can be purchased from most insurance agents. Recent regulations require flood insurance on all newly mortgaged property within the 100-year flood boundary. Rates for this insurance may vary, but $85/year for every $25,000 in property value is a common rate.

What To Do If You Encounter Flood Waters:

One of your most important tasks during this lesson will be to learn how to survive in a flood situation. Some of the reading assignments are very effective in explaining this. A few simple rules will keep you safe in most situations. Learn these, teach others, and be ready to apply them if you ever need them. These simple rules could be the most important things that you learn during this course.

The photo at the top of this page shows MU hydrology students testing water samples from the Tioga River. Hydrology is one of the best equipped courses at Mansfield University thanks to a generous grant of over $43,000 from the National Science Foundation and the MU administration. Students enrolled in the course should expect frequent assignments that require math, field work, writing, and use of scientific instruments.