Overview of Flood Damages Prevented by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Flood Control Reduction Programs and Activities

T his paper provides a concise description of the methodology employed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in its estimates of "damages prevented" by Corps flood control activities.This paper notes both the strengths and potential areas of improvement for this performance measure, which is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of some of the nation's investments in water resources infrastructure.These investments provide social benefits that are realized when Corps projects are available to accommodate public demands.To the end, this paper is organized into the following sections: Background; Contents of Annual Flood Damage Reduction Report to Congress; Congressional Intent of Legislation for Annual Report; Magnitude of Flood Damages Prevented; Description of How Flood Damages Are Calculated, including Floodplain Inventory; Difference between Estimates of Flood Damages Prevented and Actual Flood Damages; Potential Ways to Improve Flood Damage Estimates; Conclusions.