Inside This IssueWelcome 1Meet the Team 2What is the USACE FRMP? 1-3Useful Web Links 3USACE Corner 4Connecting the Dots, Silver Jackets 4U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Map 4

Welcome! By Tom Waters, Chairman, Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association Welcome to the inaugural issue of The River Crest. This newsletter is the first of six issues coming out in a joint effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, SEMA, FEMA, and the Silver Jackets Program. Newsletter funding comes through a Corps of Engineers Silver Jackets Program. Communications are an important part of any relationship. The Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association was formed following the Great Flood of 1993. Since then, the Association has worked hard to develop important relationships with the Corps of Engineers, various State and Federal agencies and our elected officials. With all these relationships, the importance of open, honest and trustworthy communications cannot be overstated. This newsletter will help to build more relationships, provide valuable emergency preparation and response information, and let you know about issues impacting levee and drainage districts, landowners, businesses and others interested in flood control and issues surrounding the Missouri River. MLDDA levee sponsors are encouraged to submit topics of interest or write articles for inclusion in The River Crest. I hope you will find the newsletters interesting, informative and a valuable resource you can save for future reference. You will find important contact information in each issue and learn more about people, programs and resources available to you before, during and after flood events or other disasters. I encourage you to save each issue. It is our hope the information inside will continue to provide assistance well beyond your initial reading.

What is the USACE National Flood Risk Management Program?By Eric Lynn, Flood Risk Management Program Manager, Kansas City District, USACE Even the largest and best of levees may someday be overcome by the forces of the river. What happens then? What are the consequences? Risks may be reduced, but rarely eliminated, so how do we manage them? These questions are central to a complete Flood Risk Management program and they won’t be easily answered without collaboration among all who might be affected. The USACE National Flood Risk Management Program is based on the idea that flood risk management in the Unites States is a shared responsibility between multiple Federal, state and local government agencies with a complex set of programs and authorities (see Shared Responsibility for Flood Risk Management in the information links, page three). Effective flood risk management can improve public safety, reduce long-term economic damages from flooding, and improve the natural environment. To achieve these goals the Corps aims to integrate our flood risk management programs

Continued on page 3.

Communications are an important part of any relationship.

Meet Our TeamCol. Doug Guttormsen commands the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Commissioned in 1992 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, his distinguished career includes multiple deployments to Iraq and a tour in Korea. A licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri, this is his third heartland duty assignment. Some key positions he’s held include strategic planning for USACE, Honolulu District Commander and Engineer, and commands at engineer company and battalion level. Awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Action Badge, Airborne and Air Assault Badges, and the Ranger Tab. He holds advanced degrees from University of Missouri at Rolla and the National Defense University.

Col. Bryan Sizemore commands the St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Commissioned in 1996 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, with a degree in environmental engineering, his distinguished career includes assignments in Iraq and Germany, several key positions including Engineer battalion command and headquarters company command and Chief of the Iraqi Security Forces Cell in United States Division – North. He has advanced degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology (engineering management) and the Marine Corps University (military arts and sciences). Military decorations include the award of two Bronze Star Medals, five Army Commendation Medals and the Combat Action Badge.

Tom Waters is a seventh-generation Missouri farmer from Orrick, Missouri. He’s Chairman of the MLDDA and represents levee & drainage districts, businesses, and others interested in Missouri River and tributary activities. Tom is also president of three local Levee and Drainage District Boards. He has submitted congressional testimony on river and agricultural topics. The Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow named Tom the 2011 Agricultural Leader of the Year and the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City gave Tom the 2013 Jay B. Dillingham Agricultural Leadership and Excellence Award. In January 2016, Ingram’s Magazine named Tom one of “50 Missourians You Should Know.”

Elizabeth Weyrauch, A Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), has been the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Hazard Mitigation Officer for four years and was previously the SEMA lead mitigation planner. Before SEMA, she spent five years with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (including the State Public Health Laboratory) and the Missouri Office of Administration. During 20 years in the insurance business, Elizabeth owned and managed a multi-line agency (American Family Insurance), learning about risk management and mitigation. Elizabeth has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia College, and is working on her master’s degree in Homeland Security.

Karen McHugh, Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), has been SEMA’s Floodplain Management Section Manager and Missouri State National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Coordinator since 2016, following nine years as the State Floodplain Management Officer. A 20 year plus public servant, she had also been the Hancock County, Illinois County Floodplain Administrator and Chief County Assessment Officer. Karen planned, organized, and carried out all floodplain management activities during Illinois’ historic 1993 flooding. She worked in the public and private sectors between 2002 and 2007, when SEMA invited her to join the team. Karen has degrees in business administration and management (summa cum laude), and has served as the Association of State Floodplain Manager’s Board Treasurer and Secretary.

and authorities, including levee safety, dam safety and the Silver Jacket programs, with ongoing programs of regional and local agencies, such as the MLDDA.How do we define Risk? In general, risk is the product of probability (how likely) and consequence (who or what is impacted, and how) of a specific hazard, in this case flooding. Modeling, based on past history, forecasts of rainfall and flows, and knowledge of current or expected river conditions, can be used to estimate flood probability. These consequence estimates include likely impacts such as property damage, life loss, environmental or health damages, etc. When levees, floodwalls, or dams are added to the equation, the effectiveness and reliability of the infrastructure must be estimated. Flood Risk Management cannot focus on just one aspect of this equation; it must consider the use of all available alternatives, from reducing probability, improving performance, and reducing consequences. Managing risk is a shared responsibility. The Federal Government can provide tools and technical knowledge, but true risk management and resilience will not be achieved if local governments, agencies, and private individuals do not participate in the process and commit to long-term implementation. The Flood Risk Management Cycle. As depicted in the figure, the phases of the flood risk management cycle involve multiple Federal programs and agencies. At the center are the critical state and local partnerships that implement risk management on the ground where the flooding occurs. USACE coordinates

State & LocalPartnerships

Hazard Mitigation Planning

Floodplain Management Plans

Pre & Post-Response

& Recovery Activities

Prep

arat

ion

/ Training Response

Recovery Mitig

ation

EVENTEVENT

USACE Disaster Preparedness and Levee Safety Programs

USACE Emergency ResponseProgram and Reservoir Operations

USACE FloodplainManagement Services, Silver Jackets, and Planning Assistanceto States Programs

USACE RehabilitationAssistance Program

FEMA Preparedness Programs

FEMA National Response Framework ResponseActivities

FEMA Mitigation Programs FEMA

Mitigation, Public Assistance, and IndividualAssistance ProgramsNRCS

Conservation Easements

Web LinksMissouri SEMA ProgramsFloodplain Management Program: https://sema.dps.mo.gov/programs/floodplain/Flood Mitigation Program: https://sema.dps.mo.gov/programs/mitigation_management.php

USACE Levee Safety Program: http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Levee-Safety-Program/

USACE Institute for Water Resources Shared Responsibility for Flood Risk Management: http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Flood-Risk-Management/Flood-Risk-Management-Program/Partners-in-Shared-Responsibility/

Levee repair under USACE programKansas City District: http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Management/Levee-Rehabilitation/

Emergency ManagementKansas City District: http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Management/St. Louis District: http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Operations/

with other agencies and partners to encourage consistency, minimize duplication of effort, and leverage resources in all phases of the cycle.

This graphic illustrates the cycle simply. In reality, each phase is not of equal size and they do not

always occur in a direct sequential order. For many, preparation and training

has become a regular year around routine. Response and Recovery

phases, and the funding for them, are triggered by flooding events, and multiple floods can result in extended and overlapping response and recovery efforts. Mitigation, (actions to prevent or reduce flooding probability or

consequences), is too often missed or deemphasized due

to ongoing responses, funding, exhaustion, or staff turnover. It

becomes an afterthought or a “nice to do.”

Can we break the Cycle? The graphic displays a continuous cycle. While we strive to reduce flooding risk we will never be able to eliminate it. Thus, every phase of the cycle is necessary, and must be revisited and improved regularly. We can reduce the extremes of this cycle by focusing on resilience. A community that is resilient to flood risk will use fewer resources in response, recover more quickly, have fewer remaining risks to mitigate, and will always be prepared. Shared responsibility for flood risk management and achieving resilience will not happen without innovative collaboration, clear communication, and a partnership with all stakeholders.

We can reduce the extremes of this cycle by focusing on resilience.

Continued from page 1.

Connecting the Dots, Silver JacketsBy Brian Rast, PE, CFM The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Silver

Jackets program allows Corps Districts to participate directly with state agencies to

reduce the risk of flooding. Communities and levee districts have told the Corps that the overall picture of flood risk management is overcomplicated by the

many agencies and various programs.

Luckily, Silver Jackets Coordinators are available to help connect the dots. I have been the Lead Silver Jackets Coordinator in Missouri since 2009 when this program began, and help the agencies connect USACE and other programs with the needs of communities or levee and drainage districts. We participate in the Missouri State Risk Management Team (SRMT) meetings, which are led by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). No single agency has all the answers, but a patchwork quilt of multiple state and federal agencies is available and helps give direction. Silver Jackets helps communities and levee districts manage flood risks in several ways. First, each Lead Silver Jackets Coordinator works directly with the State Hazard Mitigation Officer and the State Floodplain Coordinator which helps the state prioritize flood mitigation actions. We bring USACE funding to bear on many flooding mitigation needs. We offer state representatives travel funding to attend an annual conference to share ideas and successes in flood risk management. We have attended conferences with both SEMA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Silver Jackets also administers an annual call for proposals that brings USACE Flood Plain Management Services funds for use on nonstructural flood risk management measures. Last year, the program also offered a special call for proposals tied to the Levee Safety Program. This newsletter is one of the accepted projects, and other projects include tabletop exercises and special funding aimed at improving local risk communication and emergency actions. Six Corps of Engineers Districts have responsibilities in Missouri. Kansas City and St. Louis Districts participate in the SRMT. Missouri SEMA with its SRMT have helped complete many projects with Silver Jackets funding, including flood warning tools, flood mapping products on the Missouri River, and emergency action plans for levees. Last year, Kansas and Missouri together received over a million dollars in projects, and we are really busy with them. To find out more, contact Brian.T.Rast@usace.army.mil and see this USACE web page http://silverjackets.nfrmp.us/State-Teams/Missouri. The site has helpful tools and links to the SRMT’s many resources. We hope we’ve connected the dots for you!

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Districts

KANSAS CITYDISTRICT

OMAHADISTRICT

ROCK ISLANDDISTRICT

ST. LOUISDISTRICT

TULSADISTRICT

MEMPHISDISTRICT

LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT NASHVILLEDISTRICT

LOUISVILLEDISTRICT

Chariton

River

Osage River

Grand River

Kansas River

Missi ssippi River

Missouri River

USACE CornerLevee Safety The USACE Levee Safety Program ensures levee systems provide benefits to the nation by working with sponsors and stakeholders to assess, communicate

and manage flood risks to people, property and the environment. The Levee Safety Programs complete levee inspections and risk assessments, provide technical support to levee sponsors, review potential alterations to existing projects and coordinate with other local, state and Federal agencies on levee-related topics.

Levee Contacts:Kansas City District: Geoffrey Henggeler, 816-389-3238, Geoffrey.J.Henggeler@usace.army.milSt. Louis District: Rachel Lopez, 314-331-8425, Rachel.L.Lopez@usace.army.mil

Emergency Management USACE has authority under PL 84-99, Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) (33 U.S.C. 701n) (69 Stat. 186) for emergency management activities. Under PL 84-99, the Chief of Engineers, acting for the Secretary of the Army, is authorized to undertake activities including disaster preparedness, advance measures, emergency operations (flood response and post-flood response), rehabilitation of flood control works threatened or destroyed by flood, protection or repair of federally authorized shore protective works threatened or damaged by coastal storm, and provisions of emergency water due to drought or contaminated source.

Emergency Management Contacts:Kansas City District: Emergency Operations Center 24 hour hotline: 816-426-6320; Jud Kneuvean, (O) 816-389-3281, (C) 816-820-7803; Eugene.J.Kneuvean@usace.army.mil.St. Louis District: Emergency Management Center Switchboard/Standup Hotline: 314-331-8605; Matt Hunn, (O) 314-331-8569, (C) 314-346-9563, Matthew.J.Hunn@usace.army.mil.

Click the map for a larger version.

Silver Jackets Coordinators are available to help connect the dots.