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How to prepare for Dam Failures
Dam failure or levee breeches can occur with little warning.
Intense storms may produce a flood in a few hours or even
minutes for upstream locations. Flash floods occur within six
hours of the beginning of heavy rainfall, and dam failure may
occur within hours of the first signs of breaching.
Other failures and breeches can take much longer to occur, from
days to weeks, as a result of debris jams.
What to Do Before a
Dam Failure
Knowing your risk, making sure an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is
in place, and evacuating when directed by emergency response
officials are the most important steps you can take to staying
safe from a dam failure.
Ways to Plan Ahead
Know your risk. Do you live downstream from a dam? Is the dam a
high-hazard or significant-hazard potential dam? To find out,
contact your State or Local Government emergency management
agency.
Once you determine that you live downstream from a high-hazard
or significant-hazard potential dam and find out who manages the
dam, see if a current EAP is in place for the dam. An EAP is a
formal document that identifies potential emergency conditions
at a dam and specifies preplanned actions to be followed to
reduce property damage and loss of life. An EAP specifies
actions the dam authority should take to take care of problems at
the dam. It also includes steps to assist the dam managersowner in
issuing early warning and notification messages to responsible
downstream emergency management authorities of the emergency.
If there is a dam failure or an imminent dam failure and you
need to evacuate, know your evacuation route and get out of
harm's way. In general, evacuation planning and implementation
are the responsibility of the state and local officials
responsible for your safety. However, there may be situations
where recreational facilities, campgrounds, or residences are
located below a dam and local authorities will not be able to
issue a timely warning. In this case, the dam authority should
coordinate with local emergency management officials to
determine who will warn you and in what priority |
