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<br />Ramsey County | Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan 50 <br />• Reduced industrial productivity due to water shortages, impacting sectors like manufacturing, <br />energy, and mining. <br />• Long-term economic downturn from loss of revenue, increased unemployment, and higher costs <br />for water and food imports. <br />Impact on Public Confidence in the Jurisdiction's Governance <br />• Criticism of water management policies, including allocation, conservation, and infrastructure <br />investment. Potential for social unrest or political challenges if the public perceives inequities or <br />failures in drought response efforts. <br />3.8 Floods <br />3.8.1 PROFILE <br />Floods occur when water inundates land that is typically dry. This can occur during periods of intense <br />rainfall, high tides coupled with storm surges, rapid snowmelt, or the failure of dams or levees. <br />Damaging floods may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. <br />Flood events can develop in a matter of minutes or evolve over an extended timeframe, persisting for <br />days, weeks, or more. Among all natural disasters related to weather, floods are the most frequent and <br />have the broadest impact, often being the primary type of weather-related calamity affecting <br />reservations. <br /> <br />Flash or urban flooding occurs when storm sewers and other drainage systems are overwhelmed by the <br />amount of rain falling in a short period of time. The National Weather Service (NWS) gives the advice <br />“Turn Around, Don’t Drown” for flash floods. What makes flash floods dangerous is their sudden nature <br />and fast-moving water. <br />Flooding is a hazard that can strike in any U.S. state or territory, as well as any global location prone to <br />rainfall. In the United States, floods claim more lives annually than tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightning <br />strikes. High-risk areas for flash floods include densely populated regions, vicinities adjacent to rivers, <br />and locales near dams. Intense downpours have the potential to induce floods even on parched ground; <br />areas recently affected by wildfires in mountainous regions are particularly vulnerable, and ice jams <br />along with snowmelt are additional factors that can contribute to flash floods. <br /> <br />3.8.2 LOCATION <br />Those communities along the banks of the Mississippi, including the City of Saint Paul, are particularly <br />vulnerable to riverine flooding.