Floods are the most common type of natural disaster.
About 200 Americans lose their lives in floods each year. 90 percent of all Presidential declarations of emergency or major disaster involve flooding. 20,000 American communities have flood hazard areas, with more than 7.4 million buildings located in these areas. The direct and indirect costs of flood recovery are not borne by just the flood victims, but are shared by all American taxpayers. Wisconsin's Floodplain Management Program Recognizing this, the Wisconsin Legislature created the floodplain management program.