January 05, 2010
“Understanding the structural integrity of the levees in the Metro East area and the risk to those living behind them is fundamentally important to my constituents: hundreds of thousands of lives and billions in economic activity are at stake,” Durbin wrote. “Having access to information and your commitment to work with the local communities in addressing their concerns should be the bedrock of updating flood maps in any area.”
Durbin cited yesterday’s announcement that FEMA had agreed, at his urging, to delay the implementation of the new flood maps for the St. Louis region for at least one year as an opportunity for better understanding: “This additional time brings with it an opportunity for all of those affected by the updating of flood maps a chance to better understand the status of the levees in question and the flood mapping process. I respectfully request your assistance in providing residents of the Metro East area a more complete and transparent accounting of the status of the levees protecting their homes and businesses.”
[text of the letter below]
January 5, 2010
The Hon. W. Craig Fugate
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20472
The Hon. Jo-Ellen Darcy
Assistant Secretary of the Army – Civil Works
Army Corps of Engineers
108 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310
Dear Administrator Fugate & Assistant Secretary Darcy:
Thank you for your recent letter extending the timeline of the flood mapping process in the Metro East, Illinois area. Affording residents and businesses more time to engage in this process will ultimately provide your agencies with the best information to protect the area from a catastrophic flood.
This additional time brings with it an opportunity for all of those affected by the updating of flood maps a chance to better understand the status of the levees in question and the flood mapping process. As you may be aware, recent news reports have challenged FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers’ analysis of the levees’ structural integrity. I respectfully request your assistance in providing residents of the Metro East area a more complete and transparent accounting of the status of the levees protecting their homes and businesses. Specifically, I would ask that you release your data publicly and make your agencies available to brief local community leaders and residents.
The greater Metro East area of Illinois, encompassing Madison, St. Clair and Monroe Counties, is one of the first areas in the country where FEMA is conducting a region-wide update of flood maps. This process is important for us as a nation to accurately understand the risks of flood events. Because the area along the Mississippi Bottoms is one of the first areas to undergo this process, it is especially important for FEMA and the Army Corps to conduct extensive outreach and explain the situation to affected residents in the most transparent manner possible.
FEMA and the Corps have held public meetings to discuss this issue over the last few years, beginning with a meeting hosted by the East West Gateway Council of Governments and Congressman Jerry Costello in August of 2007. I encourage you to revisit the communities affected and fully answer any questions they have about the status of the levees and your respective roles in compiling and analyzing data regarding the levees and the mapping process.
Having structurally sound, well-maintained levees certified by the Army Corps is only one line of defense against 100+year flood events that seem to be occurring with increasing regularity. However, even certified levees have failed to protect against the power of Mother Nature. The Flood of 1993, one of the most destructive in the history of the Mississippi Basin, destroyed many levees that had been certified and contributed to the loss of almost 50 lives and over $16 billion in damages.
Understanding the structural integrity of the levees in the Metro East area and the risk to those living behind them is fundamentally important to my constituents: hundreds of thousands of lives and billions in economic activity are at stake. Having access to information and your commitment to work with the local communities in addressing their concerns should be the bedrock of updating flood maps in any area.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
U.S. Senator
Durbin Asks FEMA and Army Corps to Explain Status of Levees in Metro East
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Army Corps of Engineers to publicly release the data on the status of Metro East levees and make both agencies available to brief local community leaders and residents.“Understanding the structural integrity of the levees in the Metro East area and the risk to those living behind them is fundamentally important to my constituents: hundreds of thousands of lives and billions in economic activity are at stake,” Durbin wrote. “Having access to information and your commitment to work with the local communities in addressing their concerns should be the bedrock of updating flood maps in any area.”
Durbin cited yesterday’s announcement that FEMA had agreed, at his urging, to delay the implementation of the new flood maps for the St. Louis region for at least one year as an opportunity for better understanding: “This additional time brings with it an opportunity for all of those affected by the updating of flood maps a chance to better understand the status of the levees in question and the flood mapping process. I respectfully request your assistance in providing residents of the Metro East area a more complete and transparent accounting of the status of the levees protecting their homes and businesses.”
[text of the letter below]
January 5, 2010
The Hon. W. Craig Fugate
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20472
The Hon. Jo-Ellen Darcy
Assistant Secretary of the Army – Civil Works
Army Corps of Engineers
108 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310
Dear Administrator Fugate & Assistant Secretary Darcy:
Thank you for your recent letter extending the timeline of the flood mapping process in the Metro East, Illinois area. Affording residents and businesses more time to engage in this process will ultimately provide your agencies with the best information to protect the area from a catastrophic flood.
This additional time brings with it an opportunity for all of those affected by the updating of flood maps a chance to better understand the status of the levees in question and the flood mapping process. As you may be aware, recent news reports have challenged FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers’ analysis of the levees’ structural integrity. I respectfully request your assistance in providing residents of the Metro East area a more complete and transparent accounting of the status of the levees protecting their homes and businesses. Specifically, I would ask that you release your data publicly and make your agencies available to brief local community leaders and residents.
The greater Metro East area of Illinois, encompassing Madison, St. Clair and Monroe Counties, is one of the first areas in the country where FEMA is conducting a region-wide update of flood maps. This process is important for us as a nation to accurately understand the risks of flood events. Because the area along the Mississippi Bottoms is one of the first areas to undergo this process, it is especially important for FEMA and the Army Corps to conduct extensive outreach and explain the situation to affected residents in the most transparent manner possible.
FEMA and the Corps have held public meetings to discuss this issue over the last few years, beginning with a meeting hosted by the East West Gateway Council of Governments and Congressman Jerry Costello in August of 2007. I encourage you to revisit the communities affected and fully answer any questions they have about the status of the levees and your respective roles in compiling and analyzing data regarding the levees and the mapping process.
Having structurally sound, well-maintained levees certified by the Army Corps is only one line of defense against 100+year flood events that seem to be occurring with increasing regularity. However, even certified levees have failed to protect against the power of Mother Nature. The Flood of 1993, one of the most destructive in the history of the Mississippi Basin, destroyed many levees that had been certified and contributed to the loss of almost 50 lives and over $16 billion in damages.
Understanding the structural integrity of the levees in the Metro East area and the risk to those living behind them is fundamentally important to my constituents: hundreds of thousands of lives and billions in economic activity are at stake. Having access to information and your commitment to work with the local communities in addressing their concerns should be the bedrock of updating flood maps in any area.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
U.S. Senator