It's when you write the rules that tell people how and where they can build. Those rules should meet or exceed the minimum standards of the National Flood Insurance Program. Do that for a couple of reasons. First, your constituents won't be able to purchase flood insurance unless you do. On a related note, communities that go the extra step of enacting especially strong rules can participate in our Community Rating System, which makes residents eligible for price breaks on insurance.
Enforcement really is the key.
Let me give you just one example. The ferocious speed of development was to blame too. In the years leading up to Andrew, people were building so fast that building code enforcement became lax. And estimates now say that strict enforcement would have reduced losses in Hurricane Andrew by at least 30 percent. Most people think of building codes and land-use decisions as a local responsibility.