PONTIAC - Paul Osman is clear about one thing: the recent flooding that battered many parts of Pontiac isn't the end. | Flood coverage

"I can say with 100-percent certainty that a flood is going to happen again, but who knows when," said Osman, a local floodplain programs manager for the Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources in Springfield. "The fact of the matter is that Pontiac is in a floodplain."

It has been more than three weeks since the Vermilion River crested at a record height of 19.5 feet in Pontiac, filling the streets with water, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate and resulting in a yet-to-be-tallied amount of damage.

Now the question on the minds of many is whether today's devastation can be prevented tomorrow.

"Right now we are still going through all of it, and on the city side we are talking and working with members of the local legislature in trying to get the federal declaration," said Pontiac Mayor Scott McCoy, which would provide financial aid to residents and businesses. "It may look normal on the surface, but there are still homes that are unoccupied."

McCoy said the city's primary concern is to continue providing services for those still affected by the Jan. 9 flood. Somewhere from 12 to 30 residents have still not returned home, and need assistance. But those discussions on prevention will come, he stressed.

Pontiac City Administrator Bob Karls, who has held his post for more than 25 years, remembers the last major flooding of the Vermilion River, when it crested at 19.2 feet in 1982. At that time, the river's problems were studied by the Army Corps of Engineers. Its suggestions included building a lake east of Pontiac and a 400-foot channel, none of which were cost-effective.

"The only thing at the time that was really cost-effective was a levy system, which was really the only feasible project," Karls said. "The levy system would have reduced flooding in the streets."

A 1986 referendum asked Pontiac voters if they would pay for construction of a levy system. It was defeated.

But Osman said for Pontiac and most communities a levy is not the answer, because it can deteriorate or break. A levy can actually cause more damage if it breaks, he said, recalling the 1993 flooding of the Illinois River.

"A lot of communities have developed a flood infrastructure program where build a levy or flood wall, but basically you are just pushing it off somewhere else," Osman said. "Yes, it is better that you don't have as much damage and devastation, but the fact of the matter is that these people live in a floodplain . . . and Pontiac is quite unique as there is quite a bit of floodplain and a river bisects the entire town."

"The best thing that they can do is to take advantage of mitigation programs where residents can elevate their home or flood-proof it," he said. "People need to be living with the river rather than fighting it."

McCoy said that the city plans on talking again with the Army Corps of Engineers about flood prevention. It would have to "start back at square one" with any future projects. Any projects would likely be years away, and may require voter support of a tax increase, he added.

Meanwhile, the city is still awaiting word on whether it will be declared a federal disaster area. That would provide grants to individuals and low-interest loans for businesses.