Transcript Slide 1

Examples in Quantifying Flood Risk
Presentation to
National Flood Risk Management
Policy Summit
Edward Hecker
Director, Contingency Operations
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
14 July 2009
How Katrina Impacted the Corps, and Implications for Those Living Near Water
Slide11
Flood Risk Management
Inventory and Assessments
• National Levee Inventory:
•
Living database and national resource.
•
Include all federal and nonfederal levees
• Risk Assessments:
•
Identify failure modes and prioritize remedial
actions.
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levee_flood_fight_site
levee_break_site
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sand_boil_point
levee_inspection_line
piezometer_point
cross_section_line
borehole_point
levee_inspection_point
encroachment_site

How Katrina Impacted the Corps, and Implications for Those Living Near Water
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Flood Risk Management
Risk Quantification
Risk = Hazard Probability X System Performance X Consequences
Flood Hazards
Seismic Hazards
Asymmetric Hazards
Infrastructure Reliability
Infrastructure Resilience
Operation & Maintenance
Contingency Planning
and Response
Mitigation
Life Loss
Property Damage
Social and
Economic Damage
Environment
Evacuation
Disaster Recovery
Probability of Failure
• Risk Quantification is key to managing risks:
– Understanding the source and nature of the Risk
– Communicating the Risk
– Acting to Reduce the Risk
How Katrina Impacted the Corps, and Implications for Those Living Near Water
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Flood Risk Management
Tolerable Risk Guidelines
within a Risk Framework
•
Tolerable Risk Guidelines
Informing Assessments:
– How Safe is Safe?
– Priority & Urgency
– What is Tolerable?
•
Informing Management:
– Effectiveness of Interim
Measures?
– What Options are Available?
– What is Practicable?
– How Well Justified is Action?
TRG
•
Informing Communication:
– How reliable is it?
– What are Societal Risks?
– What Risks Remain?
Risk Framework
How Katrina Impacted the Corps, and Implications for Those Living Near Water
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Shared Flood Risk Management
Residual Risk
How Katrina Impacted the Corps, and Implications for Those Living Near Water
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Policy Studies
• Wise Use of Floodplains – An ongoing, IWR
policy study to understand the effects of USACE
programs and policies in different policy and
watershed contexts on floodplain management
choices affecting flood risk, and to describe
options for policy, legislative or program
reforms.
• WRDA 2007, Section 2032 - The President is
to submit a report to Congress describing the
vulnerability of the U.S. to damage from flooding,
comparative risks faced by different regions of
the country, programs in the U.S. which may be
encouraging development and economic activity
in flood prone areas, and recommendations for
improving those programs and proposals for
implementing the recommendations.
How Katrina Impacted the Corps, and Implications for Those Living Near Water
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Flood Risk Management Cycle
Event
Preparation/Training
Response
State & local partnerships
• Hazard mitigation plans
• Floodplain mgnt plans
• Pre & post response and
recovery
Mitigation
Recovery
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