Education Program for Flood Control
Teaching Youths About Risks

Los Angeles, CA - The dangers associated with the flood control system in the County of Los Angeles, especially during periods of heavy rain, produces a substantial threat to the health and safety of our young people. The LA County Drainage Area system consists of over 470 miles of mainstream and tributary channels designed, built and maintained by the LA County Department of Public Works and the US Army Corp of Engineers. The flood-channel system conveys, stores, or manages the storm runoff from the mountains, through and including the urban community, to the ocean. On an annual average, six individuals drown in the flood channel system, the majority of these involve young people from 5 to 18 years old.

LA County and the LA County Office of Education embarked on a public education program directed to grades 4-12 and required parent participation. Their goal was to educate young children and the public about the extreme danger and substantial threat to life that the flood channel system presents. Educational materials include: 1) Booklet describing flood channel safety information, 2) science lesson explaining forces of water and dangers around flood channels, and 3) videos depicting flood channel dangers and safety precautions.

The materials will be incorporated within the safety section of the health education and science education curriculum. It is important to tie the specific flood control system safety information to these broader curricular areas, because they address the personal and social skills of decision-making needed to avoid all types of risks in daily living.

These collaborative efforts will contribute to a long-term solution to the historically repetitive problem of rescues and deaths related to flood control channels. If these measures are not implemented, the rate of deaths and rescues may increase due to the increase in population in the Los Angeles County area.

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