West Virginia Code
Article 31. State Resiliency and Flood Protection Plan Act
§29-31-1. Short Title; Legislative Findings; Purpose

(a) This article may be known and cited as the “Resiliency and Flood Protection Planning Act”.
(b) The West Virginia Legislature finds that:
(1) Flooding has affected each of the fifty-five counties and thirty-two major watersheds within the state;
(2) Over the past fifty-two years, more than two hundred and eighty-two West Virginians have died in floods;
(3) Between January 1996 and January 2017, there have been twenty-seven federal disaster declarations in West Virginia involving flooding; and
(4) In June 2016 much of West Virginia suffered devastating flooding.
(5) Despite the many state and federal flood protection programs and projects, flooding continues to be West Virginia’s most common and widespread natural disaster.
(c) It is the purpose of this article to provide a comprehensive and coordinated statewide resiliency and flood protection planning program to save lives, and develop community and economic resiliency plans including, but not limited to, reducing or mitigating flood damage while supporting economic growth and protecting the environment.

Structure West Virginia Code