THE RISKS OF FLOODS

As the Mississippi River continues to fall and the rains hold off, recovery efforts gear up. Soon talk of buyouts, insurance claims and levee reconstruction will abound.

Although hundreds of volunteers came to the rescue of flooded neighbors, the response was less enthusiastic than two years ago. "Been there. Done that" may have been the sentiment of some who volunteered during the Flood of 1995, still weary from the hard rescue work two years ago. Others may be aggravated that people chose to move back into flood-prone areas.

The government shouldn't prevent people from living in flood plains. But, by the same token, people in flood plains should expect to be flooded from time to time, and they shouldn't expect the government to come to their rescue. Most taxpayers applaud the government for no longer handing out repeated disaster assistance grants for uninsured properties.

Many of those in flood-prone areas purchase federal flood insurance. There is nothing wrong with that. This program isn't subsidized by tax dollars. It is self-supporting and cost effective. The fact the waiting period has been increase to 30 days from five days also seems to make sense.

People living in flood-prone areas need to plan ahead for disaster, especially if disasters strike a second or third time.