Emergency Preparedness Guidelines for Levees: A Guide for Owners and Operators

This document, which was prepared under the auspices of the Levee Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Levee Sub-Sector Government Coordinating Council, aims to assist public and private stakeholders that have responsibilities as owners or operators in managing levees, floodwalls, pumping stations, and any other components of flood risk management systems. The intent of this document is to provide guidance in preparing for, and responding to, potential natural and manmade incidents at levees.

This document includes basic recommendations regarding how to plan and prepare for high water events and identifies some practical steps that could be considered before, during, and after such events. The document also provides some basic guidance on how to develop an emergency preparedness plan and introduces basic security concepts. Some sections are loosely adopted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that was re-issued by FEMA in 2017, and is based on the Incident Command System (ICS). This document also utilizes material from the Dams Sector Crisis Management Handbook.