COUNTY EXERCISES FLOOD PLAN
Nine Agencies to be Rainy-Day Ready
PHOENIX (May 2, 2008) – Residents of Maricopa County might not imagine a flood disaster occurring while the region is in the midst of a 13-year drought. The threat is real, however, considering the thousands of miles of rivers, washes and canals traversing the county.
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County (District), the agency responsible for protecting county residents from flood hazards, is prepared to practice its emergency action plans during a mock flood disaster. On May 6, the District, in conjunction with the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management (MCDEM), the National Weather Service (NWS) and other partners including the Cities and Towns of Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Glendale, Gilbert, Litchfield Park, Salt River Pima- Maricopa Indian Community, and Pinal County, will be conducting the second
broad-based joint flood exercise in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The exercise will set in motion a controlled flood emergency simulation scenario designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the emergency operations plans used by local agencies and cities/towns, and test the readiness of intergovernmental emergency communication systems. The event will increase awareness of flood response procedures and capabilities, and identify deficiencies in existing procedures. Exercise planners will “inject” various situations while the test is underway and a group of evaluators will record the results for later review.
“Along with safety exercises at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, the annual flood response exercise is one of the county’s most critical emergency planning events,” said Andy Kunasek, chairman, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
This year’s exercise is the most comprehensive flood emergency test yet devised for the county. Included are nine communities across the Valley along with additional participants from a range of public agencies, including law enforcement, health and environmental safety. Previously, the District has performed annual flood drills featuring four-hour “tabletop” exercises along with separate field drills. In 2007, flood response emergency planning was significantly enhanced to offer a wider opportunity for public agencies to test their emergency response measures. During this year’s exercise, the District will test its emergency action plan for any flood control structures involved in the flood scenario.
The National Weather Service worked with County personnel to design and develop a heavy rain event that realistically could affect the Phoenix metro area. During the exercise the NWS forecasters will be given the hypothetical heavy rain event to analyze in a near real time basis. This will result in the dissemination of NWS products and warnings to MCDEM, the District, and the participating cities in the metro area. Prior to, and during the exercise, the NWS will test its ability to provide real time audio and visual weather briefings to multiple locations in the County.
The emergency scenario is shrouded in secrecy until May 6, known only to a select group of District, MCDEM and NWS planners. MCDEM’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will serve as the primary communications hub during the exercise. District staff members in the EOC will serve as expert advisors during the flood exercise. Real-time rainfall, streamflow and dam impoundment water level data will be provided by the District’s ALERT system gages and transmitted to District representatives in the county EOC. District engineering staff will be on hand to create, monitor and analyze hydrologic (water flow) models based on rainfall and runoff conditions. District Operations & Maintenance (O&M) crews will conduct field observations and on-site inspections of flood control structures.
“Even during a drought, Mother Nature can surprise us with severe rainstorms,” said Tim Phillips, District chief engineer and general manager. “Our annual flood exercise keeps us sharp and prepared to implement our emergency action plans in the event of an unforeseen, major flood.”
The emergency plans utilized by the exercise participants provide the logistical framework necessary for successful management of an emergency situation. During the exercise, communication back and forth between the participants will confirm incidents and coordinate the response on the ground. “It should be stressed that in any emergency plan, you need redundancies,” said Warren Leek, Director of MCDEM. “Having several parallel tracks is always desirable.”
After analyzing the results of the 2007 flood exercise, the District compiled a 16-point plan to improve the emergency management process for flood operations. During this year’s exercise, Phillips said the District will concentrate on the free flow of internal communications, more accurate predictive models for evacuation areas, additional pre-exercise training, and more adaptive models to account for both large-scale and small-scale flooding.
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County is tasked to provide regional flood hazard identification, regulation, remediation, and education to Maricopa County residents so that they can reduce their risk of injury, death, and property damage from flooding, while still enjoying the natural and beneficial values served by floodplains.
The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management coordinates response and recovery activities through implementation of emergency response plans during and after emergencies. Implementation requires the support and assistance of many other county departments, local jurisdictions, the private sector and volunteer agencies.