Washington -- In January and early February 2022, working in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began hosting a series of virtual public workshops to gather stakeholder input on a national approach for developing a new integrated framework for managing reliable levee systems and improving community resiliency in areas behind all levees throughout the Nation. This input will be used to help shape the National Levee Safety Program.
To date, more than 300 stakeholders joined the first four sessions and more than 300 participants have already registered for the remaining sessions in February to learn more about the program.
These workshops highlight the program’s four main components: National Levee Safety Guidelines, Integrated Levee Management, National Levee Database and Data Collection, and Implementation Support. The National Levee Safety Program is a new program, different from the traditional levee activities the Corps of Engineers is known for, in that it aims to support all stakeholders who are responsible for, are impacted by, or have interest in levees and flood risk management in the United States.
“This is an exciting time to be at the ground level as we build this program and we highly encourage stakeholders to sign up for a virtual workshop to learn more about the program and how they can continue to stay involved,” said Tammy Conforti, National Levee Safety Program Lead.
There are five virtual workshops remaining from February 8 – February 24, 2022. Pre-registration is required, and each workshop is limited to 100 participants. For registration information visit www.leveesafety.org/pages/get-involved.
“We had initially scheduled in-person meetings around the country but due to high COVID-19 transmission this winter, had to quickly shift to a virtual format. Talking with stakeholders face to face is always preferable; however, we have gotten great feedback and participation so far. We appreciate the engaging discussions and the passionate interest from the participants. This is just the beginning, and we will continue to offer a variety of opportunities to get involved with this program,” said Conforti.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans live in a county that relies on levees to help reduce the impacts of flooding. As the Nation looks to make the next generation of investments in flood risk management, the Corps of Engineers, alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency and key stakeholders, are working together to coordinate efforts and increase community resilience.
To learn more about the National Levee Safety Program, listen to the latest episode of the “Corpstruction” podcast, featuring Tammy Conforti. The podcast is currently available on:
DVIDS: https://www.dvidshub.net/podcast/488/corpstruction
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/corpstruction-national-levee-safety-program-interview/id1574706025?i=1000547030118
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EIz1JCSVuHcfen5cF6NlG?si=ukeWYDBrQDGP3--3Neo-Fw
For questions about the program, email hq-leveesafety@usace.army.mil.