in the sense that the Federal buyout program has and will continue to
bring into the county large numbers of open space. FEMA has a program
,HMGP (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program), that allows flood control
districts to buy homes to reduce future flood damage. The land the
homes are on must be forever dedicated and maintained as open space.
http://www.fema.gov/fima/hmgp/ Some of the HMGP guidelines that define
standards and acceptable uses for open space and appeal to
conservation groups allow for wetland restoration, wildlife refuges,
bird sanctuaries, habitats, and community gardens/farms. The Brownwood
subdivision in Baytown, TX was turned into a huge nature refuge,
http://www.enn.com/features/1999/12/...ytown_7399.asp and
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/storm2001/982409. Civic
associations, special-interest groups, private enterprise and
individuals apply to take over management of the land, persuant to
rules and regulations of FEMA. Once flooded, these lands are returned
to a state of accomodating community needs and thus, increase the
quality
of life in that community. Thats not bad for a storm having passed
through. Please be sure to see
http://www.awra.org/state/tx/acrobat/ivey.pdf to get the real feel for
the extensiveness of this storm so that you may understand what is
happening now as a result of it. =

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - commercial
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html