Tom Conning is a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and these views are his own. He also believes sarcasm and dark humor will resonate more with the intended audience.
Every year, USACE publishes updated statistics for water safety (or lack thereof) at its project locations throughout the country. In the eight years I’ve been working for USACE, the statistics on drownings have not significantly changed (that I can recall), regardless of the amount of focus and messaging the enterprise has published. Again, it’s no surprise that USACE data from 2023 shows that drowning victims at our locations are 88 percent male and 89 percent who weren’t wearing life jackets.
This is an important topic...
05.22.2024 | PORTLAND, OR, US |
Story by Tom Conning
The National Levee Database is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), designed to contain information on all known levees in the United States. Story discusses the database, who manages it, who uses it and why it's important.
Tom Conning (right), Northwestern Division public affairs specialist, talks about water safety to Heather Roberts, freelance journalist, during a boat tour on the Willamette River in Oregon, Aug. 18, 2022. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is among the largest providers of water-based outdoor recreation in the nation. Because of that, USACE emphasizes water safety and life jacket wear, especially during the summer season.
B-roll by Amber Tilton of spill operations at John Day Dam, March 28, 2024 After an agreement to stay the Columbia River Basin litigation for up to 10 years, federal water managers will begin spilling more water over basin dams this spring than in past years. This year, four projects on the lower Snake River and McNary Dam on the Columbia River will also begin spilling four hours each day through surface passage routes to primarily assist migrating adult steelhead starting March 1. Beginning March 21, those projects, plus John Day Dam on the Columbia River, will begin spilling through surface passage routes 24 hours each day until regular spring spill begins with the goal of providing additional benefits for both juvenile and adult...
