Dam Hazard
Consequences
Assessment
ASFPM
May 2010
James Demby – FEMA
Ed Beadenkopf - RAMPP
Jim Murphy - RAMPP
Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
OVERVIEW
 Objectives
 Work Plan
 Approach
 Assessment
 Pilot Studies
 Schedule
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
Provide recommendations for a process a community
can follow to effectively execute an economical and
effective dam failure consequence assessment
OBJECTIVES
 Work with stakeholders to conduct a pilot study to assess the potential
consequences to a community from a dam failure
 Evaluate the processes used in the pilot study to determine the lessons
learned, capture the best practices, and provide recommendations on
an assessment process
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
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FEMA Dam Safety Task Orders
 Two task orders were issued in Sept 2009
 Dam Consequence/Assessment
 Standardized Guidance for Dam Breach Modeling and Inundation
Mapping
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
APPROACH
 Select a representative dam/communities for the pilot studies
 Coordinate with state and local stakeholders (e.g., decision makers,
emergency managers, planners, first responders)
 Support a community with the analysis of their vulnerability to dam
failure through a collaborative process
 Compile, analyze, and document the study results in a report that
captures lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations for an
assessment process
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
ASSESSMENT
 Impacts on human health and safety, special needs facilities, industrial
areas, and Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR)
 Economic and environmental impacts
 Impact on local government capabilities and services
 Indirect effects due to disruption and loss of function by key facilities,
such as power supply and water
 Impact on public confidence
Visualization of structures depth of flooding
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
IMPACTS TO BE EVALUATED
 Direct Economic Impacts
 Physical impacts
 Immediate recovery costs
 Debris removal
 Regional and Indirect Economic Impacts
 Indirect impacts (e.g., relocation, loss of business)
 Induced Impacts (e.g., loss of critical infrastructure)
 Social Impacts
 Loss of Life
 Psychological issues/stress related to hazard event
 Public confidence issues
 Environmental Impacts
 Natural Resources
 HTRW Concerns
 Institutional Impacts
 Governmental Services
 Nongovernmental Services
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
SELECTION OF PILOT STUDY COMMUNITIES
 Developed Action Plan to select and prioritize communities for pilot
study
 Evaluate key information about communities
 Population at risk – potential loss of life (significant population size within 5-15 miles of
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dam)
Significant infrastructure impacts
Impacts to lifeline systems – impacts on first responders and emergency management
assets, required systems and networks
Loss to function or performance of the dam/reservoir (e.g. loss of municipal water supply)
Environmental and Economic Impacts
 Identified 12 communities as potential pilot studies
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
SELECTION OF PILOT STUDY COMMUNITIES
 Communities below the Howard Hanson Dam in the State of
Washington have been selected for the first pilot study
 Unique opportunity for FEMA to work the USACE and DHS
 Efforts are part of the Dam Sector Exercise Series 2010 (DSES-10)
 Initial planning workshop held in April 2010
 Recently received funding to conduct two additional pilot studies
 One pilot study anticipated to be conducted in the Washington DC region
 One pilot study anticipated to be conducted in North Carolina
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
SELECTION OF PILOT STUDY COMMUNITIES
 Howard Hanson Dam
 USACE owns and operated the dam
 Safety concerns have forced the operation of the reservoir to remain at normal pool
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elevation, therefore no flood storage capabilities
To operate the dam to prevent catastrophic failure, increased releases may occur
Downstream communities will experience increased flooding because of the lack of
floodwater retention at the dam
Impacted areas are heavily developed
Downstream communities very active in preparing for increased flooding and have been
coordinating with each other and other agencies
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
SELECTION OF PILOT STUDY COMMUNITIES
 Howard Hanson Dam (continued)
 Currently being evaluated as part of the 2010 Dam Sector Exercise Series (DSES-10)
 Opportunity to collaborate with DHS and USACE
 Attended initial planning workshop in late April
 Currently working with DHS and USACE to define FEMA’s role with DSES-10
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
2010 DAMS SECTOR EXERCISE SERIES – GREEN
RIVER VALLEY (DSES-10)
 Overall Purpose: Enhance regional preparedness and disaster
resilience thru multi-jurisdictional discussion-based activities involving
a wide array of public and private stakeholders.
 DSES-10 Focus: Analysis of short- and long-term regional impacts
created by a flooding scenario affecting a large portion of the Green
River Valley.
 Flooding scenario will serve as the triggering event to analyze impacts
and interdependencies.
 DSES-10 Goal: Develop a regional resilience strategy in collaboration
with public and private stakeholders
 Communities at Risk: Auburn, Kent, Renton, and Tukwila in King
County, State of Washington.
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
Seattle
Renton
Tukwila
Kent
Auburn
Howard Hanson Dam
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
c) Regional Resilience
Strategy
b) Regional Consequence
Assessment
a) Regional Baseline
Assessment
04/28/10
06/30/10
07/21/10
1) Initial
Planning
Workshop
2) Regional
Assessment
Seminar
08/11/10
09/08/10
3) Regional
Consequence
Assessment
Workshop
Regional Baseline
Assessment Report
Regional
Consequence
Assessment Report
10/21/10
03/11
4) Regional
Resilience
Table-Top
Exercise
Regional Resilience
Strategy
DSES-10
Regional
Conference
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
INITIAL DSES PLANNING WORKSHOP
 Date: Wed 28 April 2010 (Seattle, WA)
 Total Participants: 150 (private & public sector)
Federal (55), State (20), County (10), City (29), Private Sector (26), NGOs (10)
 Federal Agencies: BPA, DHS, FEMA (HQ and Region X), FERC, NOAA, NWS, USACE
 State of Washington
 King County
 Cities of Auburn, Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila
 AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, Chelan County PUD, Costco, Puget Sound Energy,
Qwest, Safeway, among others
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
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Dam Hazard Consequences
Assessment
REPORT OUTLINE
Hazard Identification - information that is required for conducting the
consequence analysis, the type of information required as well as the
agency, stakeholder, or source of this information
Risk and Vulnerability Assessment - methodologies and frameworks
communities can use to identify assets (e.g., human, structural,
governmental, economic, and environmental) that may be at risk
Consequence Assessment - provide methods for communities to assess
the potential impacts and the extent of damages of a dam failure on their
community
How to Apply the Results – what a community can do with the results
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