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Emergency Action Plans for Levees
Fort Bend County Flood Management AssociationEmergency Preparedness Committee
February 12, 2013
• For what creature were the Canary Islands named?
• Originally named by Roman sailors “insulae canariae” for the wild dogs that inhabited the island. The small birds found there were later named “Canary”.
• Cat gut was used for centuries to string instruments and tennis racquets. What animals’ intestines are used to make cat gut?
• Sheep and sometimes cow. The name cat gut may comes from the “caterwauling” sound created by lousy musicians.
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• Where do panama hats come from?
• Ecuador – when they were most popular in the 1800s, they were shipped from Panama.
• Where is the German porcelain known as “Dresden China” produced?
• Not in Dresden Germany but in near-by Meissen where the oldest porcelain factory in Europe was established in 1710.
Why an EAP?
PURPOSE: to provide a plan for
an expedited, effective response
to prevent failure of the levee.
Why an EAP?
Why an EAP?
Plans help mitigate impacts when
everything goes wrong.
Why an EAP? USACE FEMA
Fort Bend County
•BECAUSE IT’S A VERY GOOD IDEA!
• PLUS these guys say so!
What does the plan look like?
“Larger levee systems with
multiple pumping stations
require more detailed plans than smaller
systems.”Department of Homeland Security
What does the plan look like?
Engineers – technical description of the project
What does the plan look like?
Attorneys – legally sufficient to meet regulations, guidance and liability issues
What does the plan look like?
Emergency Management and Responders – sample messages for warning, inundation maps for evacuations and provide assistance with resources
What does the plan look like?
LEVEE OPERATOR – specific information for the levee including: identifying problems, who to notify, steps to take to resolve or minimize problems
Guidelines• USACE
o PL 84-99o Rehabilitation and
Inspection Program (RIP)
o Levee Owner’s Manualo Flood Fighting
Techniques on Levees• (Appendix D of Levee
Owner’s Manual)o Flood Emergency Plans
• (for Corp Dams)
• Othero Fort Bend County
Office of Emergency Preparedness
o TCEQ 30 TAC Chapter 299 (dams)
o Department of Homeland Security (FEMA)• Emergency
Preparedness Guidelines for Levees
A Guideline for Owners and Operators, January 2012
Contents of an EAP
• USACE and TCEQ guidelines MUST included:
o Notification Flow Charto Responsibilities/Authoritieso Emergency Identification
System/Situational
Awarenesso Emergency SOGs
Contents of an EAP
• TCEQ model: Legal and regulatory information upfront Description of the project Responsibilities Situational Awareness Preventive Actions Supplies and Resources Inundation Area Implementation
(More legal/documentation) Supplemental Information
• (TABs or Annexes with additional/supportive material)
Based on YOUR Levee
Who has responsibility during an emergency?
What resources do you really have?
What resources will you need to acquire?
What are your vulnerabilities?
What are your upstream impacts?
What are your downstream impacts?
• Legal description of project• Legal authority under which
project is operated• Legal authority during
emergency• Regulatory information • Limits of plan• Purpose of plan:
• Plan for an expedited, effective response to prevent failure of embankment
Legal and Regulatory
Project Description
• Levee Description:• Where located –
exactly• Construction
method used• Key
Measurements• Elevation of
crest, height, length, etc.
• Description of other features• Pump Stations,
Gate Structures, etc.
* Texas Division of Emergency Management
Responsibilities
• Texas Disaster Act of 1975, V. T. C. A. Government Code, Title 4, Chapter 418
• Subchapter E –local entity is “. . . responsible for disaster preparedness and coordination of response. The presiding officer of the governing body shall notify the division* of the manner in which the political subdivision is providing or securing an emergency management program . . . .”
* Texas Division of Emergency Management
The Board
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
• WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY?• Abnormal Condition –
• could be an emergency if ignored
• Watch Condition – • an obvious problem which
may not lead to failure but requires remedial actions
• Possible Failure Condition – • progressively worsening
problem despite actions taken
• Imminent Failure Conditions – • despite all efforts, failure is
likely
PREVENTIVE ACTIONS
Who to notify• at each stage of a problem Simple steps to take problem specific
(sloughing not the same as a sand boil)
List of equipment required for steps
flagging material up to excavator SPECIFIC TO YOUR
LEVEE No concrete = no concrete SOGs
INUNDATION AREAS
Where does the water go?
How Floodplain mapping Breach Analysis Overtopping Piping Failure
Inundation Map Share with Office of
Emergency Management and Law Enforcement Agencies
Implement/Maintain Plan
EAPs are “living and breathing”
documents!• When do you review the
document?• When do you review the
Notification Flowchart?• With whom do you share the
document (and updates)?• What training is required?• How and when are exercises
conducted?
What resources do you have?
• People! Board Key Consultants Volunteers
• Equipment Yours Your Operators Lease/Purchase Borrow/Share
• Other USACE
Other Resources
Emergency Lighting
Sand and sandbags
Shovels
Weather gear Floatation Vests Plastic Sheeting
Rip rap (gravel/rock)
Portable Pumps Plywood
Steel Posts Fencing Material Barricades
Orange Fencing Fork Lift Backhoe
Dump Truck Excavator Crane
Boat Gator/ATVs
Emergency Communications Equipment
Levee Patrol Members
Operations Center
Staging Area
(cell phones, radios, pagers – backup batteries)
Safety gear for all participants (vest, gloves, etc.)
Meals for responders/staff/volunteers
Consider your vulnerabilities
Are there seeps /sloughing?
What areas of the levee are difficult to patrol/observe?
What intrusions have been made into your levee?
Is your equipment working properly?
Know capabilities of your personnel
Impacts - Upstream / Downstream
• What happens to other Districts if you breach?
• What happens to you if the District next to you breaches?
• Which river indicator do you use?
• What are your triggers to take specific actions?
• When to prepare for the arrival of tropical storm/hurricane.
Notification Flowchart
Responsibilities/Authority
What is an Emergency?
“Abnormal Conditions” Unusual but not necessarily
dangerous
Observed: Cracks in the embankment crest or on slopes
Action: Walk area of crest and slope and check for additional cracking. Stake the cracks and document size and location.
Notify: District Engineer for further inspection.
When do you worry about
cracking?
What is an Emergency?
“Watch Conditions” Can become an emergency; serious
enough for close surveillance
Observed: Numerous cracks in crest that are enlarging.
Action: Initiate 24-hour surveillance. Monitor and measure cracking to determine speed and extent
of problem. Mobilize to fill cracks. Notify: District Engineer, Board, Local Emergency Management officials
When do you worry about
cracking?
What is an Emergenc
y?
“Possible Failure” Working on it but failure is possible
Observed: Large cracks in the crest that are rapidly enlarging during high water event (or if levee is loaded)
Action: Continue monitoring and remedial actions. Parallel cracks indicate a slide – see remedial action for slides.
Notify: District Engineer, Board, State and Local Emergency Management officials
When do you worry about
cracking?
What is an Emergenc
y?
“Imminent Failure” We can only lessen the impacts –
not prevent failure
Observed: Cracking that extends to pool elevation – during high water event.Action: Evacuation within leveed area. Continue remedial actions.Notify: EVERYONE
When do you worry about
cracking?
SPEAK THE SAME
LANGUAGE!Observation City of Sugar Land Many guidelines USACE
New cracking, minor Emergency Level 3 Abnormal Level 1
Progressive ------------------------- Watch -----------
Increasing, multiple Emergency Level 2 Possible Failure Level 2
Large chunks, loss of integrity Emergency Level 1 Imminent Failure Level 3
Guidelines for Operating the Levee
“Under Duress” Who to call /when to call When to turn on / turn off the pumps How to start the generator What to look for during levee surveillance What equipment to take during levee
surveillance What to watch for if threatened with sabotage ALL MUST BE SPECIFIC TO YOUR LEVEE!!
What the County Needs
• Project Name• River/Tributary• Location
o (city/county; township/section; GPS)
• Emergency Contact Informationo Notification Flowchart
• Map o Inundation – could include your leveed areao Additional inundation information is obtained
through modeling
Rita AndersonFreese and Nichols, Inc.10497 town and Country BoulevardSuite 600Houston, Texas 77024
