National Dam Safety Awareness Day
-U.S. Department of Homeland Security Promotes Preparedness-
Release Date: May 28, 2007
Release Number: R10-07-010
SEATTLE, Wash. -- May 31, 2007 is National Dam Safety Awareness Day, marking the South Fork Dam failure above Johnston, Pennsylvania in 1889-the worst dam disaster in United States history. Historical dam failures in the Pacific Northwest include the Willow Creek Dam failure which killed 250 people and almost destroyed the town of Heppner, Oregon on June 14, 1903 and the June 5, 1976 Teton Dam failure in Idaho. The Teton Dam failure sent 20 billion gallons of water spilling down Teton Canyon towards Willford, Teton, Sugar City, Rexburg, Roberts and Idaho Falls, contributing to the deaths of eleven people. Of over 80,000 dams across the country, 9,000 have been designated by their state as "high hazard dams," but according to FEMA Regional Administrator Susan Reinertson, a "high hazard" designation has less to do with the strength of the dam than with threats posed to downstream populations in the event that a given dam does fail.
"FEMA doesn't own or regulate dams or levees, but we can advise on dam and levee safety issues. Time and again, the lesson driven home from devastating disaster is that there is no substitute for pre-disaster mitigation and pre-disaster planning," said Reinertson, whose region includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State. "Dam safety can affect people and property across local, state, and even national borders and an incident in one area can affect commerce, navigation and power generation in another. People who live downstream need to be aware of the risks associated with dams, and understand their local government's evacuation plans."
With 95 percent of all dams owned by states, local government, industry or individuals, states have primary responsibility for protecting their populations from dam failure. The focus of National Dam Safety Awareness Day observances is to empower our citizenry as primary stakeholders in safe dams, and to sustain the public's interest in becoming active partners in local emergency action plans.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 30-May-2007 15:14:14