Abstract
Tucson, Arizona, experienced two large‐scale floods in October 1983
and January 1993. In comparing these floods, examines both the natural
events and the response of public safety organizations. A summary of the
natural events compares the weather, flooding and damages. In
consideration of the human response to the 1983 event, finds that the
community′s emergency co‐ordination centre was ineffective and isolated
from the public safety response network. Furthermore, an organizational
structure, suited to the management of large‐scale, multi‐organizational
response, failed to emerge. Concludes that local government mitigated
these deficiencies before the January 1993 flood. This was accomplished
in two ways. First, the community′s emergency management agency merged
into the Sheriff′s Department and second, through consensus building and
training, the community institutionalized an effective disaster response
organizational structure.