Courtesy Photo | The Louisville District Flood Fight Teams from Levee Safety work with the local levee...... read more read more
As historic flooding impacted parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois in April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District flood fight teams were on the front lines. Three Flood Fight Teams from the district’s Levee Safety Program partnered with local levee sponsors to monitor conditions and protect communities from the high-water event.
“During flood events, USACE’s Levee Safety Team offers technical
assistance to local levee sponsors through recommendations, on-site monitoring and inspection of levee system features and required flood operations (which includes closing of gates to stop flow through pipes, installation of closures structures that in non-flood scenarios allow for
vehicle or pedestrian traffic, and running pump stations to reduce interior flooding from rain), and tracking of the use and additional need for flood fight materials and equipment,” said Neil Cash, program manager for the Louisville District Levee Safety Program. The team also acts as a liaison between the USACE Emergency Operations Center and local levee sponsors to make sure that requests are received, and the appropriate
channels are used to meet the needs of the communities behind the public’s flood risk management infrastructure.
These efforts, part of USACE’s Levee Safety Program, not only provide real-time inspection but also help guide future risk assessments and operations planning.
“Observations of levee performance during events, especially ones of this
magnitude, will better inform future risk assessment analyses to determine which future Operation and Maintenance activities the sponsors could perform to buy down the most risk,” Cash added.
As of April 10, USACE Louisville District had flood fight teams monitoring
levee systems along the Wabash River and its tributaries in western Indiana/eastern Illinois and along the lower Ohio River and its tributaries covering areas in western Kentucky and southern Illinois. These teams coordinated with levee sponsors to ensure they had the necessary equipment and materials for proper levee performance.
“Our team visited more than 30 levees, including those at both rural areas and urban communities such as Paducah, Covington and Frankfort in Kentucky; Harrisburg and Mt. Carmel in Illinois; and Vincennes, Evansville and Terre Haute in Indiana,” said David Lasoski, Louisville District Levee Safety Section chief.
Teamwork with local sponsors is crucial.
“Communication, communication, communication! Ensuring the sponsors
have what they need and in a timely manner is a big focus during flood fight missions,” Cash said.
The Louisville District’s response was robust, involving a wide range of
personnel.
“Events of this size are typically 'all hands-on-deck’. Several Levee Safety
personnel are fulfilling roles beyond their daily responsibilities by inspecting levees across our whole portfolio and at the direction of the mission manager. Events of this scale even expand beyond the Levee
Safety section,” Cash said.
Support comes from across the Louisville District.
“Special thanks have to go out to our water management team, dam safety personnel and our partners in Emergency Management who continually provide support to our teams and help our sponsors
connect to the appropriate channels,” he added.
According to the team, this year’s flooding has rivaled some of the region’s most severe historical events, including the 1997 flood in Louisville. As the high-water event unfolded, it was clear that the routine
collaboration and focus on preparedness between USACE and its local partners is key in responding to emergency events.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2025 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 496714 |
| Location: | KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USACE Levee Safety team partners with local sponsors to brace for historic flooding, by Abby Korfhage, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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