Hazard Mitigation Activities Involving Dams
Author(s)
Woosley, Tom
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
In July 1994, Tropical Storm Alberto came ashore in Georgia dumping large amounts of rain and creating flooding situations over a large portion of the state. Thirty-one people lost their lives, hundreds of dams failed, three interstates were shut down, numerous bridges were destroyed, and thousands of people were left homeless. Tropical Storm Alberto became the worst natural disaster ever for Georgia. Alberto tested many facets of government including floodplain management and emergency preparedness. Communities were able to judge their effectiveness in emergency preparedness and their need for improvements. In the two years since Alberto, some agencies and communities have made progress in certain areas. However, others made no changes. This presentation will provide an overview of the aftermath of Alberto. Significant damage resulted from the flooding and dam failures. The awareness of dams and their associated floodplain issues has increased. Alberto provided everyone an opportunity to learn many lessons. Often though many lessons are not learned and we will experience some of the same problems with the next major storm. FEMA has worked closely with the Georgia Safe Dams Program to rebuild many of the dams damaged or destroyed during Alberto. Our joint efforts have emphasized hazard mitigation from future flooding. This presentation will discuss the mitigation efforts and lessons learned from Alberto.
Sponsor
Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date
1997-03
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings