WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Mother Nature must have known April 22-28 is National Severe Weather Week.
Sunday marked the beginning of the first-ever National Severe Weather Week. NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) partnered to raise awareness about severe weather risks and preparedness. "Be a Force of Nature" and check out this website www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/news/042212_severe.html.
Warming spring temperatures and recent rainfall in Idaho and parts of eastern Washington and Oregon are melting snowpack throughout the Snake River Basin. Water managers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District have been monitoring rivers and tributaries within the basin watershed, noting increasing flows from seasonal runoff. Some rivers in the basin are already at or forecasted to soon reach bankfull or flood-stage conditions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service River Forecast Center which can be found online at www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/rfc.
Corps hydrologists are monitoring stream gauges, weather forecasts, snow melt rates, reservoir capacities and other data to best determine how much water will arrive where and when.
The Corps coordinates with other federal and non-federal water managers to make adjustments in reservoir system operations that will best accommodate the increased seasonal flows.
For example, the Corps and the Bureau of Reclamation operate three dams on the Boise River as a system to manage flood control and irrigation storage needs -- Lucky Peak Dam and Lake (Corps), Arrowrock Dam (Reclamation) and Anderson Ranch Dam (Reclamation). During the past several weeks, water releases from Lucky Peak were incrementally increased to bring flows in the river to just below bankfull level, or near 7,000 cubic feet per second at the Glenwood Bridge monitoring gauge. Water managers plan to sustain this below-flood-stage flow level as the snowpack melts, allowing the system -- Lucky Peak, Arrow Rock and Anderson Ranch reservoirs -- to slowly refill with the high inflows to provide water for irrigators while maintaining space in the reservoirs to minimize flood risks to local communities.
Corps officials communicate with local officials to obtain on-site observations from communities located along rivers throughout the Walla Walla District area of operations. This area covers the Snake River Basin, plus a portion of the middle Columbia River and tributaries.
Disasters and emergency situations -- like flooding -- can occur anywhere, often with little or no prior warning. Corps officials encourage everyone to keep local emergency management contact information handy, keep an eye on evolving weather and streamflow conditions, and be familiar with emergency action plans for your specific location. Be prepared and stay informed so you’ll be ready to react if an emergency occurs near you.
BE PREPARED ~ Become familiar with local emergency management plans for you area. For example, if your home becomes flooded, to which emergency shelter should you take your family? What route should you take to safely get there? Will the shelter allow pets? What should you have ready to bring with you? Links to emergency management office contact information is provided, by state, below:
WASHINGTON ~ Contact information for county emergency management offices in Washington State can be found on the state’s Emergency Management Division website www.emd.wa.gov/myn/myn_contact_info.shtml -- an interactive map allows you to click on your county for details.
IDAHO ~ County emergency coordinators in Idaho State are listed on the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security website www.bhs.idaho.gov/Pages/AboutUs/Contact/CountyCoordinators.aspx. Idaho residents can also subscribe to receive warnings and emergency messages through the Idaho Sate Alert and Warning System (ISAWS) by following this link: http://isaws.org.
OREGON ~ The Oregon State Office of Emergency Management provides a list of county emergency managers on its website www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/docs/plan_train/locals_list.pdf.
WYOMING ~ Wyoming’s Office of Homeland Security provides contact information for county emergency coordinators at http://wyohomelandsecurity.state.wy.us/counties.aspx. In Teton County near the Jackson Hole Levee System, residents can sign up on the county’s emergency management website to receive emergency notices by text or e-mail www.tetonwyo.org/em -- click on the “Sing Up!” button.
NEVADA ~ Nevada’s Department of Public Safety website offers a list of county and major city emergency management offices http://dem.state.nv.us/coordinators.shtml.
UTAH ~ The Utah Division of Homeland Security - Emergency Management encourages residents to subscribe to their statewide alert system at www.utahemergencyinfo.com -- click on the “Join Mailing List” tab. Residents can learn how to be prepared for natural disasters at BeReadyUtah.gov. The state provides an interactive map linking to county office webpages at www.utah.gov/government/countymap.html.
STAY INFORMED ~ Weather forecast information and extreme weather warnings can be found on the National Weather Service (NWS) website http://weather.gov. NWS Forecast Stations serving areas within the Corps’ Walla Walla District area of operations include:
• NWS Spokane - serves northeastern and far-eastern Washington (includes Garfield and Asotin counties) and northern Idaho
• NWS Pendleton - serves south-central Washington (as far east as Columbia County) and northeastern Oregon
• NWS Riverton - serves western and central Wyoming
• NWS Boise - serves southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon
• NWS Pocatello - serves southeastern Idaho
• NWS Missoula - serves central Idaho and northwestern Montana
• NWS Elko - serves most of northern Nevada
• NWS Salt Lake City - serves Utah
The Corps works with states, counties and other public entities to provide necessary resources and information. The Corps does not have authority to provide disaster assistance directly to individuals.
The first responsibility for protecting life, homes and property from flood damage rests with the individual. Local governments and agencies, such as flood control districts, may share in this responsibility, and together form a community's first line of defense in preventing flood damages.
Occasionally, however, local resources are not able to minimize the effects of flooding. The Corps’ flood assistance program is intended to supplement state and local governments and special-purpose districts when more help is needed.
Walla Walla District is prepared to assist states and municipalities with flood-management support. That assistance could include technical expertise, supplies and materials, equipment or contracts for emergency flood-fighting work. District flood support teams and technical experts are ready to deploy should local emergency managers request Corps assistance.
State and local agencies needing disaster assistance from the Corps should contact the Walla Walla District Emergency Management Office at 509-527-7146, or 509-380-4538.
Individuals and business owners are encouraged to contact local emergency management agencies to ensure they understand how to prepare, respond and recover from a flood.
For more information about the Corps’ Emergency Management Assistance programs, check out the District’s Web site at www.nww.usace.army.mil/html/offices/op/em/flodasst.htm.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: Flooding FAQs, including cold-water and flood-safety tips for individuals, follows this release.
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – WALLA WALLA DISTRICT
509-527-7020 cenww-pa@usace.army.mil www.nww.usace.army.mil
Walla Walla District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
FLOODING FAQs 2012
What is the Corps doing in regards to potential flooding in the region?
· We're watching rivers and streams throughout the Walla Walla District area of operations and staying in touch with local emergency officials so, if requested to, we can plan, prepare or act.
· Corps water management officials are coordinating with other federal and non-federal dam managers to make adjustments in system operations that will best accommodate the increased flows, yet still meet agriculture irrigation\flood storage water needs.
· Our hydrologists are monitoring stream gauges, weather forecasts, snow melt rates, reservoir capacities and other data to best determine how to manage flows to minimize flood risks to communities, while planning for authorized irrigation storage for agriculture needs.
· Corps personnel working near flood-prone areas provide additional information about current river and streambank conditions. We also communicate with local officials to obtain on-site observations from communities along the river.
· Walla Walla District is ready to deploy flood support teams to help emergency managers’ flood-fighting efforts in their areas.
· District emergency managers recommend that people living in low-lying or flood-prone areas stayed tuned to information and advisories provided by the National Weather Service or their local emergency-service agencies.
· The Corps will continue to carefully watch the evolving situation and respond, when requested, with appropriate assistance, as authorized and available.
What are some of the risks to public safety?
· Our primary concern during the annual “spring thaw” period is public safety. The Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation discourage river recreation at this time because of cold water temperatures, higher flow velocities, floating debris and brush along the river banks.
· Flows in area irrigation canals are also expected to run fast – higher flows can saturate earthen banks, creating unstable walking surfaces. Water-soaked banks can slough off into the flowing water under the weight of people standing too close to the edge of the canals.
· Water levels often fluctuate to accommodate runoff as warmer springtime conditions melt snow and reservoir system releases are adjusted to balance flood risk and irrigation needs. Corps officials advise boaters and other waterway users to be alert to changes in water elevation and volume of flow during this high-flow season. Boat operators should also keep the fluctuating water levels in mind when anchoring or tying-off their vessels, leaving enough line to accommodate changes in water elevation that may occur while anchored along a shoreline or tied-off to a dock.
· MORE ON COLD WATER IMMERSION -- Plunging into cold water can cause several involuntary physiological reactions:
Ø Hypothermia can occur when a person is exposed to or immersed in cold water. Hypothermia occurs when more heat escapes from your body than your body can produce, resulting in a critical lowering of core body temperature. Signs and symptoms of hypothermia may include gradual loss of mental and physical abilities. Severe hypothermia can lead to death.
Ø When a person is submerged cold water, it triggers an involuntary gasping reflex – if your head is beneath the water, you may draw a breath of water and possibly drown.
Ø “Mammalian dive reflex” affects some people. When their heads become submerged in cold water, their airways involuntarily close to keep the water out of their lungs. This could be a useful response, except often the airway doesn’t open up again soon enough for one to get a breath, and a sensation of choking can ensue, followed by hyperventilation after it finally does release.
Ø There’s a significant response to cold water entering a person’s inner ear during a dunking that can quickly induce vertigo, the inability of the brain to determine how the body is oriented, while producing extreme dizziness and nausea.
What is the Corps’ role/responsibility in regards to flooding?
· The first responsibility for protecting homes and property from flood damage rests with the individual. Local governments and agencies, such as flood control districts, may share in this responsibility, and together form the community's first line of defense in preventing flood damages.
· Occasionally, however, local resources are not able to control or contain a flood emergency situation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood disaster assistance program is intended to supplement and assist local governments, institutions and special-purpose districts when more help is needed.
· When there is an imminent threat of flooding or when flooding has already occurred, the Corps of Engineers has authority to provide state or local governments with technical assistance, supplies and materials, equipment, or contracts for emergency flood-fighting work.
· The Corps of Engineers operates under the general authorities of Public Law 84-99 ("Natural Disasters") for disaster preparedness and reaction. Natural disasters generally include naturally occurring events like flooding, drought, wind storms, etc. Flooding is the event most often associated with our agency. These events are dealt with using Corps resources and authorities. Walla Walla District has natural disaster preparedness responsibilities within the Snake River Basin. This includes parts of the states of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Nevada. We also support disaster recovery through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
· We can provide assistance for flood emergency preparation, flood fighting, repair and restoration of flood control works damaged or destroyed by a flood, or emergency water supplies. Assistance may also include providing technical assistance, equipment, sandbags, pumps, or other materiel for an imminent or actual emergency.
· Flood fighting includes strengthening existing flood control works, construction of temporary works such as earthen dikes and mud boxes, or sandbagging low-lying areas. We maintain a limited stockpile of sandbags and other flood fighting materials intended to augment the stocks of local jurisdictions during actual flood emergency situations.
· Our assistance is intended to be supplemental and not a replacement for community self-help. In general, we require only a verbal request from a community or local government, except when construction work is needed. That requires a written request from a local sponsor. Since most emergency work is to provide protection for an immediate situation, our authority does not extend to the reimbursement of flood-fighting costs incurred by state or local authorities, flood and debris clean up, or the removal of temporary flood control structures.
How do I get disaster assistance from the Corps?
· The Corps is authorized to work with the states, counties and other public entities to provide necessary resources and information. The Corps does not provide disaster assistance directly to individuals. In a disaster, time is of the essence! If a call for help comes in, we will contact the necessary officials to speed up reaction. However, funding does not come easily, and we have a responsibility to be sure that there is a Federal interest before committing your tax dollars.
· Individuals needing flood-fight assistance should contact their local emergency management officials.
· State and local agencies needing disaster assistance from the Corps should contact the Walla Walla District Emergency Management Office at (509) 527-7146.
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