The document provides guidelines for developing an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for levees. An EAP is important to have a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively to prevent levee failure. The key components an EAP should include are: contact information; description of the levee system; responsibilities during an emergency; procedures for monitoring the levee and responding to issues; inundation maps; and maintenance and training plans. The EAP should be specific to each individual levee system and updated regularly.

1. Emergency
Action Plans for
Levees
Fort Bend County Flood Management Association
Emergency Preparedness Committee
February 12, 2013

2. • 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”.

3. • 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.

4. • Where do panama hats come from?
• Ecuador – when they were most popular in the
1800s, they were shipped from Panama.

5. • 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.

6. Why an EAP?
PURPOSE: to provide
a plan for an
expedited, effective
response to prevent
failure of the levee.

7. Why an EAP?

8. Plans help mitigate
impacts when
everything goes wrong.
Why an EAP?

9. Why an EAP?
• BECAUSE  USACE
IT’S A  FEMA
 Fort Bend
VERY County
GOOD • PLUS these guys say so!
IDEA!

10. “Larger levee
systems with
multiple
pumping
stations require
more detailed
plans than
smaller
systems.”
Department of Homeland Security
What does the plan look like?

11. Engineers –
technical
description
of the
project
What does the plan look like?

12. What does the plan look like?
 Attorneys –
legally sufficient
to meet
regulations, gui
dance and
liability issues

13.  Emergency
Management and
Responders –
sample messages
for
warning, inundation
maps for
evacuations and
provide assistance
with resources
What does the plan look like?

14. 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

15. Guidelines
• USACE • Other
o PL 84-99 o Fort Bend County Office
o Rehabilitation and of Emergency
Inspection Program (RIP) Preparedness
o Levee Owner’s Manual o TCEQ 30 TAC Chapter
o Flood Fighting 299 (dams)
Techniques on Levees o Department of
• (Appendix D of Levee Homeland Security
Owner’s Manual) (FEMA)
o Flood Emergency Plans • Emergency
• (for Corp Dams) Preparedness
Guidelines for
Levees
A Guideline for Owners
and Operators,
January 2012

16.  Contents of an EAP
• USACE and TCEQ
guidelines MUST included:
o Notification Flow Chart
o Responsibilities/Authorities
o Emergency Identification
System/Situational
Awareness
o Emergency SOGs

17. • 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)
Contents of an EAP

18.  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?
 Based on YOUR Levee

19. Legal and Regulatory
• 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

20. • 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.
 Project Description
* Texas Division of Emergency Management

21. The Board
• 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 Disaster Act of 1975, V. T. C. A. Government
Code, Title 4, Chapter 418
Responsibilities
* Texas Division of Emergency Management

22. • 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
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

23.  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
 PREVENTIVE ACTIONS

24.  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
INUNDATION AREAS

25. 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?
Implement/Maintain Plan

26. • People!
 Board
What resources do
 Key Consultants
you have?
 Volunteers
• Equipment
 Yours
 Your Operators
 Lease/Purchase
 Borrow/Share
• Other
 USACE

27. 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

28.  Are there seeps
Consider your /sloughing?
vulnerabilities  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

29. • What happens to other
Districts if you breach? Impacts - Upstream
• What happens to you if the / Downstream
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.

30. Notification Flowchart

31. Responsibilities/Authority

32. “Abnormal Conditions”
What is an  Unusual but not necessarily
Emergency? 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?

33. What is an “Watch Conditions”
 Can become an emergency; serious
Emergency? 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?

34. “Possible Failure”
What is an
 Working on it but failure is possible
Emergency?
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?

35. “Imminent Failure”
What is an  We can only lessen the impacts – not
Emergency? 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?

36. 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

37. 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!!

38. • Project Name
• River/Tributary
• Location
o (city/county; township/section; GPS)
• Emergency Contact
Information
o Notification Flowchart
• Map
o Inundation – could include your leveed area
o Additional inundation information is obtained
through modeling
What the County Needs

39. Rita Anderson
Freese and Nichols, Inc.
10497 town and Country Boulevard
Suite 600
Houston, Texas 77024
713-600-6825
rita.anderson@freese.com