Current government policies and programs to reduce flood

losses did not get created in a vacuum. They evolved over the years in three parallel approaches: flood response, flood control, and flood hazard mitigation. I will discuss these three approaches, how current policies evolved, how they reflected contemporary public interest, why they continue on their own separate courses, and what things look like for the future. Special emphasis will be placed on the third, hazard mitigation, an approach that many thought would have a greater impact on reducing flood losses.