Mitigation works. That is certainly the case in regard to Grand Forks, N.D., a community devastated in 1997 by floodwater from the Red River. After the flood, the city was estimated to have lost as much as 25% of its population. No aspect of life in the city went unaffected; some businesses stayed shuttered for a year.

The word “dire” only begins to describe the city's situation as a result of the flood.

But as we report on page 1, observers now consider Grand Forks to be a model for disaster preparedness and resiliency. What changed?

The city committed itself to assuring that it would never experience that kind of devastation again. As a Grand Forks official said: “We found that we kind of had to write the book as we went along.”

And what a book they wrote.

The first chapter might be called “Safe, Sanitary and Secure,” after the three basic factors the Federal Emergency Management Agency considers in recovery efforts.

The city set up committees to address specific priorities such as housing and health. It also reached out to other communities to examine potential solutions to flood risk.

The city worked with private partners as well as governmental agencies to bolster its defenses against future floods. It wasn't cheap, but the result was a project that can mitigate a 500-year flood event.

And the effort has paid off.

The city had to deal with major flooding since the big flood of 1997, notably in 2009 and 2011, but managed to get through the events without damage.

Grand Forks built mitigation into virtually every aspect of its recovery efforts.

The city's experience amply underscores that effective mitigation is a cooperative effort built in part on public-private partnerships.

The city's experience also underscores the importance of learning from other communities that are facing similar exposures.

Grand Forks learned well the lessons of mitigation. It is more than fitting that it should now be the teacher for other municipalities and enterprises seeking to make the most of their mitigation efforts.