A. The flood hazard areas of the city of Okmulgee are subject to periodic inundation, which results in loss of life and property, health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, and extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection and relief, all of which adversely affect the public health, safety and general welfare.
B. These flood losses are created by the cumulative effect of obstructions in floodplains which cause an increase in flood heights and velocities, and by the occupancy of flood hazards areas by uses vulnerable to floods and hazardous to other lands because they are inadequately elevated, floodproofed or otherwise protected from flood damage.
C. The Okmulgee city council makes the following additional findings of fact:
1. Because of its physical terrain and geographical location, the city is particularly subject to damage from stormwaters, which, from time to time, overflow from existing watercourses and drainage facilities;
2. Previous regulations addressing drainage requirements for land development must be replaced by a comprehensive approach, with local enforcement, in order to prevent or minimize damage to property and to reduce the potential for loss of life;
3. A comprehensive approach to managing stormwater runoff and floodplain management is required to address existing and future needs; and
4. While the city does not own all drainage facilities within its jurisdiction, it does own or control a sufficiently comprehensive system in each of the major drainage basins so as to make a unified approach to flood issues a desirable and administratively achievable goal. (Ord. 1969, 2011: Ord. 1966, 2010)