Today, storm drainage management is generally an accepted part of the city's services. Tulsa's system has not been tested by a catastrophic rainfall since 1986, but the system has handled smaller rains well. Leaders believe improved maintenance, continuing capital projects, stringent regulations, and aggressive citizen awareness programs will reduce ' but cannot entirely eliminate future flood losses. The greatest testimony to the program is that, since comprehensive regulations were adopted in 1977, the city has no record of flood damages to any building that complies with those regulations. In the early 1990s, FEMA ranked Tulsa first in the nation for its floodplain management program, allowing Tulsans to enjoy the nation's lowest flood insurance rates.
Leaders consider the Tulsa program still in progress.
They know that much remains to be done, and that there is an inevitable next flood ahead. The program continues to evolve. The 1993 Midwest floods spurred national leaders to re-examine their programs. Although Tulsa was not directly affected, local leaders also took advantage of the lessons that the nation was learning. The 1993 floods served as a catalyst to launch a fourth era in the nation's attempts to stem disaster losses, according to Dr. Gilbert F. White, a leader in national floodplain management for the past 50 years, and Larry Larson, Executive Director of the Assocation of State Floodplain Managers.