$ij, 205^000 to the area between Fox Point barrier and the Lower Bay- 

 barriers o The damages preventable by the recommended plan in a re- 

 currence of the storms of the past 50 years amount to $226,880,000, 

 or $Uj,538,000 annually o 



do Scare-cost benefit S o In addition to flood-prevention bene- 

 fits, significant losses are sustained in areas susceptible to tidal 

 flooding due to the institution of temporary preventive measures as 

 the result of hurricane warnings, whether the areas are flooded or 

 not. Based on data gathered in the coiirse of damage surveys conducted 

 subsequent to the flood of August 19^h. in the Narragansett Bay area, 

 it is estimated that in the areas susceptible to tidal flooding 25 

 percent of the commercial establishments and $0 percent of the in- 

 dustrial concerns attempt to minimize their potential losses through 

 temporary preventive measures. The estimated benefits to the Narragansett 

 Bay projects, by eliminating the scare costs of a single hurricane warning, 

 amount to $325,000, Based on a frequency of 3 hurricane warnings in a 

 10-year period, the average annual benefits amount to |98,000, with $36,000 

 accruing to the area above the Fox Point barrier and $62,000 between Fox 

 Point and the Lower Bay barriers, 



e. Increased utilization benefits » A field investigation was made of 

 the flooded areas for the purpose of determining the extent of benefits 

 attributable to changes in land use and development that could be credited 

 to the project. The area of the City of Providence protected by the Fox 

 Point barrier is already built up and benefits of this nature would be 

 relatively small. Below the Fox Point barrier the investigation revealed 

 that about one-fourth of the shore is in public ownership, mainly the 

 Department of the Navy, Land for development is distributed at intervals 

 along the shores of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, In view of the demand 

 for shoreline property for the National Defense, commercial and residential 

 use, the developnent of these areas is likely to occur without flood 

 protection so that increased utilization benefits are speculative in 

 nature, and it is not practicable to estimate these benefits. The total 

 possible utilization benefits would comprise only a minor portion of the 

 total benefits creditable to the Lower Bay barriers. 



SUMMARY OF BENEFITS 



Fox Point Lower Bay 



Barrier Barriers Total 



Flood-Damage Prevention $1,697,000 $ii,205,000 $5,902,000 



Scare-Costs Prevention 36,000 62,000 98,000 



Total $1,733^000 $1;, 267,000 $6,000,000 



D-16 



