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Flood Damage Reduction

Making Stormwater Management Systems Reduce Flood Damages

D. Leslie Miller, P.E.

Flood Preparedness Program Manager

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Fighting Floods – “So what” Factor….

March 2008 Cape Girardeau, MO successful flood fight – raised levee height with sandbags

May 2001 Davenport, IA successful sandbagging flood fight of John O-Donnell Stadium

May 2002 Crystal City, MO successful sandbagging flood fight of Dairy Queen

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PerspectiveKeep rain as close to where it falls…even when

it exceeds stormwater retention system designs….

Design system so they can safely retain a much larger volume of run off…by using emergency operations….

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Basics

Design

Plan

Rehearse

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Basics – Why, where, what, when, how and who … Flood Fight Design & Plan…then Rehearse….

• Right & legal priority • Specific location & access (Real

Estate agreements) • Coordinated Emergency

Operations• Warning & triggering • Collaborative design• Identified Resources • Assigned Responsibilities• Remember to cover preparation,

prevention, response and recovery• Link it to permanent mitigation

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Some reasons for designing a stormwater system to accommodate emergency operations

• Provides an opportunity to convert new flood science, technology, historical and anecdotal accounts into a cost, time and resource effective way of reducing flood related damages

• Becomes part of community flood fight design and plan• Allows neighbors to contribute (planning, training,

exercising, stockpiling…placing…removing)• Builds a collaborative vision (changes stagnant feature

into dynamic possibilities)• Increases chance of successfully reducing flood

damages beyond the stormwater system

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Stormwater system design considerations to accommodate

emergency operations• Modifications to new and existing retention structures• Assess how much increase storage capacity is

available• Embankment vs. walls• Natural vegetated crowns vs. four season surface• Width of crown for access and placement of

temporary height and length extention• Include worst case assumptions about material and

processes used to place and remove the temporary structure

• Spillway or overtopping back slope protection

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Flood Fight Tools To Consider

• Sandbags• Baskets• Geotechnical Grids• Impervious Fabrics• Water Filled Bladders• Water Weighted Floaters• Barricades• Agricultural Products and Containers• Pumps• Web Sites

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Flood-Fighting Structures Demonstration and Evaluation Program

• US Army Corps of Engineers• Engineering Research and Development Center• Laboratory and Field Testing in Vicksburg,

Mississippi• ERDC TR-07-3 Report – July 2007• Evaluated 4 foot high level of protection:

– Sandbag Levee– Hesco Bastion Concertainer Levee– Rapid Deployment Flood Wall (RDFW)– Portadam Levee

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Typical Pyramid Sandbag Placement

3 to 1 Base/Height Ratio

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Sandbagging 2009

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Super Sacks – One Ton Bag

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Folded Plastic Barrier – Filled with Sand

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Hesco Baskets – Jamestown, ND - 2009

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PortadamHydrostatic Loading Creates Seal to Stream Bed

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Water Inflated Flood Barriers – FloodWalls™

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Water Filled Barriers – Tiger Dam System

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Mount Prospect, Illinois - 2007

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Muscle Wall - Testing

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RDFW Tied Into Temporary Levee Jamestown, ND - 2009

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Researching – Flood Barriers using Agricultural Products

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PortadamPallet & Plastic Flood Fight Design Hydrostatic Loading

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Summary

• Know why – stay committed• Write it down – get everyone involved• Pick the right tools – one(s) you believe

will work for your site and circumstances• Make it fun – rehearse your plan

– Include everyone in your plan– Play with your “right tools”– Celebrate together…cookies and milk anyone

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Corps Information - Web Sites

• http://www.metalithh2o.com/assets/pdfs/USACE_NonFed-Levee-Owners-Manual_Mar06.pdf

• http://chl.erdc.usace.army.mil/ffs

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Flood Fight Technology - Web Sites(In order of presentation)

• http://hesco-bastion.com/• http://www.geocellsystems.com/index.htm• http://www.portadam.com/index.html• http://www.aquafence.com/index.html• http://www.aquadam.com/index.htm• http://www.floodwalls.com/FloodWalls/index.htm• http://www.hydroresponse.com/wipp.htm• http://www.usfloodcontrol.com• http://www.hydroresponse.com/flood_barrier.htm• http://www.hydroresponse.com/watergate.htm• http://www.hydroresponse.com/floodgate.htm• http://www.musclewall.com

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Where do “you choose” to go from here?

For more information about flood fight design, planning and tools, please have your state or county Emergency Management Office contact me and I will get you in contact with the Corps office serving your area:

D. Leslie Miller, P.E. Flood Preparedness Program ManagerReadiness Branch (CENWP-OD-E)Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers333 SW 1st AvenuePortland, Oregon 97204-3495503-808-4400d.les.miller@usace.army.mil