U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hazard Mitigation Actions in Relation to State Hazard Mitigation Plans Kansas and Missouri - 2013
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hazard Mitigation Actions in Relation to State Hazard Mitigation Plans Kansas and Missouri - 2013 INTRODUCTION The overlapping responsibilities for many natural hazards that are shared by multiple state and federal agencies, especially flooding, can be challenging to clearly understand. Complicating this, many agencies have different divisions, districts, communities of practice and stovepipes that could interact better. The stovepipes make us blind. Federal agencies can better communicate their actions aimed at reducing risks from natural hazards. This document seeks to meet this aim. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has districts, usually setup by watershed boundaries (see figure below), and this is completely different than the states and FEMA regions. In addition, the NOAA National Weather Service and U.S. Geological Survey all have areas of responsibility that differ. The counties and local hazard mitigation plans also need help understanding how the broader efforts of federal agencies may translate down to the local level. Figure 1. The states, counties, and USACE districts in and surrounding Kansas and Missouri. The USACE Kansas City District is charged with leading coordination for USACE in Kansas and Missouri. Under the USACE Silver Jackets Program, the district has prepared the summary paragraphs herein that will strongly enhance the state hazard mitigation plan (SHMP) section on flooding, including sections on levees and dams, drought, and some other hazards. The development and delivery has been coordinated by the Kansas City District Silver Jackets Coordinator, the lead for Kansas and Missouri. This coordination was done internally with the various districts’ programs to better inform the states’ • Risk assessments and • Actions supporting hazard mitigation. Many Agencies, One Solution: Be Risk Aware 1 Strategic and Cost Effective Hazard Mitigation. The USACE has a real opportunity to contribute to the states’ efforts in developing the most effective use of mitigation dollars. This new communication process is possible as a direct result of the USACE National Flood Risk Management Program. USACE brings this product to the state through USACE Silver Jacket funding. Other federal agencies should consider providing similar data and leveraging Silver Jackets and state hazard mitigation teams’ interagency coordination. The states’ hazard mitigation efforts can only be as good as the available information is. State budgets are very tight. The best strategies and cost effective approaches that the state may take depend on federal agencies following suit, not just for the SHMP, but also to inform state budgeting priorities and decisions. History of this Endeavor. The most notable items that are synonymous with hazard mitigation actions at USACE are the interim risk reduction measures (IRRMs) related to the USACE Dam and Levee Safety Programs. These IRRMs are the USACE equivalent to the state’s hazard mitigation actions. The Dam Safety Program developed and released dam safety action classifications (DSACs) between 2006 and 2009. In May of 2012, the Levee Safety Program began a similar effort with the state hazard mitigation teams. Silver Jackets Coordinators and Levee Safety Program Managers are establishing the revised Levee Safety path forward with state teams and plan specific actions through new processes, such as this very document. Tools such as fact sheets and Strong Points [USACE news bulletin] on topics including risk assessment, risk-informed decision-making, and IRRMs specifically developed for communicating flood risk associated with levee systems are available through a USACE Silver Jackets Coordinator. Clearly the opportunity for risk communication comes up as the SHMPs look at state-wide risk assessments. The USACE understands that more than 15 other natural hazards, besides flooding, exist, which the states’ must also address. Flooding remains the highest priority risk, although USACE can also acknowledge some of the other natural hazards in this document. Leading the Local Plans. The state plan is the best place where the county or local HMPs can find more and better understand the roles of people at other agencies who have more information, such as the USACE Dam and Levee Safety Project Managers. The state plan is a resource about many agencies, and it attracts users. Being easily available off the state web pages makes the SHMP a fine place to also help the communities in the states better understand who, what, when, where, and how USACE is addressing hazard mitigation. This information allows these communities to improve local emergency action plans, as well. The shared responsibilities of risk management can only be shared when understood. Therefore, USACE is providing this basic text within this document to enable situational awareness. Introduction to Silver Jackets Activities and State Hazard Mitigation Efforts Several relevant USACE Civil Works programs overlap with the Kansas Hazard Mitigation Team, or KHMT, in Kansas and the State Risk Management Team, or SRMT, in Missouri. Silver Jackets. This is the USACE Civil Works program enabling participation in the states hazard mitigation teams, including the KHMT and the SRMT. Some of the states use the name Silver Jackets, however, many of the teams have existed longer than the inception of Silver Jackets around 2009. The Lead Silver Jackets Coordinator for Kansas and Missouri directly participates on the KHMT and the SRMT, representing all the USACE districts within the state at the team's regular meetings. Each district also has a Silver Jacket Coordinator, whom is encouraged to attend. The lead coordinator provides regular status updates, available on request. The status updates provide detail information on active USACE Civil Works projects and programs, including specific project information that is useful during the FEMA Risk MAP Discovery Phases. The Silver Jackets Coordinators will participate in the FEMA Risk MAP Resiliency Meeting. Many Agencies, One Solution: Be Risk Aware 2 Regional State Risk Management Team. This is the hazard mitigation teams in the four state region of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska, with a focus on the Missouri River. The team is primarily composed of the state agency officials directing those state teams and representatives from the local USACE Districts. The SRMT co-leads are one of the four states leading this broader team. Levee Safety Program. The KHMT and the SRMT get periodic updates on this USACE Civil Works program. Note the USACE is not responsible for all levees in the Nation. The USACE Levee Safety Program activities have complemented both the KHMT and the SRMT work and have included establishing a National Levee Database, inspecting levees, communicating risks, taking steps to reduce risks, and establishing a levee safety portfolio internally at USACE for prioritizing levee work. Dam Safety Program. This USACE program complements the KHMT and the SRMT work with the two states’ dams. The focus is USACE owned and operated dams. The USACE Dam Safety Program focuses on the large reservoirs, many of which are multipurpose. Reservoirs act together with levees and other infrastructure to reduce impacts of floods, and the reservoirs may also maintain flows for navigation downstream. The program is a little older than the USACE program on levee safety and also has a risk portfolio for prioritizing dam work. Emergency Management. This USACE Civil Works program addresses flood fighting and the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, such as levees or dams. In addition, major disasters and emergencies are also coordinated through this program. Water Management. The control of flow releases from the many USACE lake projects is done by the district and divisions responsible for the various river basins. The flows of the Missouri River are managed by the USACE Northwestern Division. Eight authorized purposes must be addressed, including flood risk management. Flows on the Missouri River are managed by two districts. The Kansas City District Water Management handles reservoirs in Kansas and Missouri that drain to the Missouri River. The Omaha District handles major dams upstream of Rulo, Nebraska. Missouri lakes that are managed by the Kansas City District Water Management include Blue Springs Lake, Harry S. Truman Reservoir, Long Branch Lake, Longview Lake, Pomme de Terre Lake, Smithville Lake, and Stockton Lake. Upstream in Iowa is Rathbun Lake, which flows via the Chariton River to reach the Missouri River. The eastern side of Missouri is part of the USACE Mississippi Valley Division, which does water management for tributaries of the Mississippi River. Reservoirs on that side of the state, including Mark Twain Lake, Clearwater, and Wappapello Lake, are managed in the St. Louis District. St. Louis District also addresses the navigation mission and water management for the associated locks and dams. In southern Missouri, Bull Shoals Lake, Norfolk, and Table Rock Lake are managed by the Little Rock District, which is part of the USACE Southwestern Division. Flood Risk Management Projects. The USACE Civil Works program has planning studies (General Investigations, or GI, and other programs), projects under design phase (Preconstruction Engineering and Design, or PED), and others in construction phase (Construction General, or GI) within the State of Missouri. Those in the Missouri River Basin are part of the Kansas City District. Those USACE projects in the Mississippi