The foremost goal of Omaha Districts’ Flood
Risk Management mission is to reduce the loss of life and reduce property
damage from flooding. While every year brings the possibility of a large flood,
risks have decreased since the days when rivers overflowed their banks almost
yearly, laying watery waste to whole communities.
While no one action, dam, levee, or
agency can eliminate flood risks, Omaha District works to:
·
Improve
public understanding of their risks from flooding and improve federal, state,
and local agencies’ roles in reducing this risk.
·
Assist
communities in developing local actions to further reduce flood risks. This can
include non-structural actions, levees, floodwalls, gate closures, and drainage
and floodplain improvements.
·
Encourage
informed decision-making by governments, individuals, the private sector, and
non-governmental organizations and provide technical information to support
these decisions.
Dams provide significant benefits, but no dam
is risk-free, and dams cannot eliminate flooding. For example, some flooding
can occur even when a dam is properly working. More extreme, or abnormal
circumstances can cause a dam to fail. This can impact people and their
property. Many people who live in
an area that could be flooded by a dam release or failure are unaware of the
potential impacts they could face. It is important to know if you are in a dam
flood inundation zone, which can include areas up and downstream of a dam.
To learn about the USACE Dam Safety Program,
visit https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Dam-and-Levee-Safety/.
Explore the National
Inventory of Dams to view flood inundation maps for many USACE
dams and learn how these maps can help downstream communities prepare for a
flood. This resource
also provides brief video descriptions of how dams work to reduce flood risks.
Learn where you live in relation to a dam and read about actions to reduce
your risk from dam-related flooding. https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/#/learn/dams101