Developing
a
National
Levee
Update on the National
Safety
Program
Committee on Levee Safety
Susan
& Dusty
Williams
MikeGilson
Stankiewicz
- NCLS
NCLS
Arizona Floodplain Management Association November
Association of State
Floodplain Managers
3, 2011
May, 2012
1
Presentation Overview
• NCLS Introduction
• Overview of Recommendations for a
National Levee Safety Program
• Levee Safety & Flood Risk Management
• Way Forward
History
• National Committee on Levee Safety (NCLS)
created by Congress in response to an event –
Hurricane Katrina
• Tasked to develop recommendations and a
strategic implementation plan for a National Levee
Safety Program (January 2009)
Today
• Last year’s flooding serves as reminder
that we will continue to experience major
floods with significant national, regional,
and local impacts
Committee
Members
Committee Members
Karin Jacoby
Mike Stankiewicz
Rod Mayer
Les Harder
Steve Verigin
Paul Perri
Steve Stockton
Eric Halpin
Bill Blanton
Susan Gilson
Dusty Williams
Marilyn Thomas
Don Basham
David Garcia
Jon Sweeney
Sam Riley Medlock
Robert Turner
7
Levees
Levees Are
Are in
in Every
Every State
State
Source: ASCE / FEMA
8
Levees Today
Today
Levees
•• Many
levees designed
designedfor
forone
one
Many levees
purpose
now serving
serving another.
another.
purpose now
•• Built
uncoordinatedfashion,
fashion,by
by
Built in
in uncoordinated
different
entities, not
not as
asaasystems.
different entities,
systems.
• Varying levels of responsibility and
• Varying
levels– of
responsibility
maintenance
federal,
state, local,
and
maintenance
– federal, state,
special
districts, private.
specialstandards
districts, for
private.
• local,
No national
• No
national standards
for or
construction,
maintenance
construction,
maintenance or
inspection of levees.
inspection of levees.
9
Flooding:
A High A
Cost
to Cost
Communities
Flooding:
High
to
and theand
Nation
Communities
the Nation
2008 = $5.6B
2009 = $1.1B
2010 = $5.1B
2011 = $??B
Source: National Weather
Service
10
Recommendations for a
National Levee Safety Program
Key Activities of National Levee Safety
Program
1. One-time comprehensive inventory and
inspection of levees and maintain a
comprehensive National Levee Database
2. Understand and communicate risks
associated with levees
3. Develop model state levee safety program
and incentives to adopt it
4. Establish Levee Rehabilitation,
Improvement, & Flood Mitigation Fund so
qualified states and communities can reduce
significant flood risk and improve public safety
Key Activities of National Levee Safety
Program
5. Develop model national levee safety
standards and encourage federal
agencies, states, and communities to adopt
standards appropriate to their region and
needs
6. Align federal programs for incentivizing
state programs and appropriate investments
in levees and leveed areas
7. Understand and address liability concerns
Contextfor
foraaNational
National Levee
Levee
Context
SafetyProgram
Program
Safety
• • Part
flood risk
riskmanagement
managementapproach
approach
Partof
of aa larger
larger flood
• • Shared
fromindividuals
individualsand
and
Shared responsibility
responsibility from
allall
levels
levels
of government
required
for success
of government
required
for success
• • Education
communicationare
arekey
keytotosuccess
Education and communication
• success
Primary focus on existing levees and leveed areas
• Primary
focusfuture
on existing
leveesbe
and
leveed
– However,
levees should
built
to national
areas
standards, reduce risk, etc.
– However, future levees should be built to
national standards, reduce risk, etc.
17
NationalLevee
LeveeSafety
Safety Program
Program &&
National
FloodRisk
RiskManagement
Management
Flood
• Improve understanding of role levees
play in overall flood risk management
• Better communicate role and limitations
•• Better
communicate
role and limitations
Recognize
role of nonstructural
approaches in improving levee safety
• Recognize role of nonstructural
approaches in improving levee safety
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Intersection of Levee Safety & Flood
Risk Management
Levee Safety
Program Activities
Inspections
Inventory
Levee Research &
Development
Assessments
Training
Assistance
Standards
Operations &
Maintenance
Program Oversight
Shared Activities
Risk Communication
Community Involvement
Mapping
Levee Rehabilitation
Non-Structural Measures
Environmental-Safety
Collaboration
Incentives/Disincentives
Flood Insurance
Evacuation Plans
Hazard Mitigation Plans
Flood Risk
Management
Activities
Land Use Planning
Levee Certification
Building Codes
Emergency Management
Systems Planning
StatusofofaaNational
National Levee
Levee
Status
SafetyProgram
Program
Safety
• Submitted Report to Congress in January 2009
• Submitted
Report
to Congress in January 2009
(completed
in 3 months)
(completed in 3 months)
• Continuing to engage stakeholders for feedback
• Engaged stakeholders until November 2011 in
• gathering
National feedback
Committee
on Levee
Safety is working
about
the implementation
of the
to raise and
awareness
of levee situation
andsituation
need
program
raising awareness
of the levee
and
need for program
a national program
for national
•• Since
March 2012, NCLS
has new
beenlegal
on a authorities
“strategic
12 recommendations
need
duecoordination
to a legal opinion
of the Corps
legislation
• pause”
Ongoing
with Army
of from
USACE
Engineers and Federal Emergency Management
• 12
recommendations need new legal authorities
Agency
• Non-federal partners on the NCLS have been
coordinating and discussing next steps
20
Untilthere
thereisisaaNational
National Levee
Until
Levee
SafetyProgram…
Program…
Safety
•Activities
Expanding
the National
Levee
Database
ongoing
in the agencies
that
supports a
(USACE)
National Levee Safety Program
Expanding
the National
Levee Database
•• Study
to align
federal programs
with the
(USACE)Interagency Floodplain
Federal
• Management
NFIP Reform (FEMA)
Task Force (NCLS)
Developing
standards
•• NFIP
Reform
(FEMA)via the International Levee
Handbook (USACE)
•• Developing
standards via the International
Developing Tolerable Risk Guidelines (USACE)
Levee Handbook (USACE)
• Developing Tolerable Risk Guidelines
(USACE)
21
Thank
You
Thank You
Forinformation:
more information visit:
• For more
www.leveesafety.org
• www.leveesafety.org
22