Introduction
South Carolina faces frequent flood hazards due to effects of severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, seasonal rains and other water-related phenomena. The state is located in a low lying region with a generally flat topography. Flooding disasters are intensified by the humid subtropical climate making numerous areas of South Carolina susceptible to inland floods. The region is also affected by riverine flooding caused by overwhelming of natural drainage systems by the increased flow of rainwater runoff. The largest flooding calamity occurred in the 1903 flood where the Pacolet River rose more than 40 feet in one hour, killing 65 people. The infrastructure in focus is the Lake Murray Dam. It is the largest dam in South Carolina found on the Saluda River, 10 miles from Columbia (FEMA, 2019). The top has a walkway where people can enjoy the fantastic views of Lake Murray and the Saluda River. The dam is a major threat to the people that occupy the ten miles towards Columbia and the city itself. James Deveraux indicated that the dam could wipe Columbia from the map if a disaster materialized (SCEMD, 2020). According to South Carolina Regulations 58-101 (SCEMD, 2020), the State of South of Carolina is expected to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.
Purpose
This plan provides the necessary standards and procedures for the Response and Recovery Dam and Flooding response unit. It establishes a framework through which state agencies in South Carolina can conduct an all-hazards emergency response. These entities include FEMA, NDSP, NRCC, ICODS, IPAWS, and FEMA Region IV Agencies (SCEMD, 2020).
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The main aim of the response plan is to establish a preparedness model that allows the state of South Carolina to respond to flooding calamities effectively (FEMA, 2019). It elaborates on operational concepts designed to deliver rescue services to residents living along risk regions found 10 miles between Lake Murray Dam and Columbia.
Provide support to local and tribal government disaster operations established by residents to help state respondents during flood events (FEMA, 2019). In collaboration with FEMA, the plan seeks to provide adequate training to local community response personnel through the Emergency Management Institute (EMI).
Ensure that state populations are aware of disaster situations and provide information on how to ensure their own safety. The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) seeks to relay emergency information faster to people living in flood prone areas adjacent to Lake Murray Dam and along the Saluda River (FEMA, 2019).
The EOP will coordinate response and recovery interventions whenever local government resources are overwhelmed (FEMA, 2019). Assistance will also be provided by connecting local governments with other response agencies, NGOs and the private sector to direct resources towards mitigating the effects of the disaster (FEMA, 2019).
Scope
The operational scope of the plan refers to Response and Recovery Dam and Flooding (RRDF) response actions. The EOP defines policies and procedures through which the state will organize State and Federal response to disasters affecting South Carolina and citizens living close to the flood prone regions.
The plan describes how the state and response agencies will deploy resources and conduct activities to direct citizens on how to evacuate and protects themselves in case of a flood event. Citizens will be provided with the necessary preparedness education to guide them in a risk situation.
Provide support to the National Response Framework (NRF) and provide the necessary directions through which the Incident Command System (ICS) can take command and control of the flood event to minimize negative impact on property and citizens living in flood prone areas (SCEMD, 2020).
The EOP outlines the duties of all state agencies in executing an effective response and recovery response. It also allocates responsibilities to appropriate state agencies and organizations under the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 44, Chapter 4 (SCEMD, 2020). The law mandates the unit to take specified special powers concerning the control of property and persons during a risk event.
Describes the actions to be initiated by the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) in collaboration with county and federal agencies. Flood mitigation in South Carolina requires all the help and resources that the state can acquire from agencies and organizations.
Situation
The EOP assumes that the flood event has already occurred or will most likely occur requiring refocusing, mobilization and deployment of all RRDF resources to ensure the protection of South Carolina citizens along with their property. It acts as an additive to the South Carolina Emergency Operations Plan (SCEOP).
The plan applies to the Lake Murray Dam infrastructure in case of a flood risk event. More particularly, all individuals living around a three-mile radius of the Lake Murray Dam base, 10 miles along the Saluda River and the city of Columbia in its entirety.
The RRDF plan of response integrates information from the State Preparedness Report (SPR), the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), local residents’ data and knowledge to develop an efficient response to the disaster (FEMA, 2018). The Vulnerabilities and Hazards 2019 contain adequate information on response protocols in flood events.
Regardless of the fact that none of the federally regulated dams has failed in South Carolina, numerous state and non-state dams regulated by private entities have failed with notable risks occurring between the October floods of 2015 and the Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 (FEMA, 2016). The incidents between the indicated times occurred due to inland and riverine flooding.
Various events may lead to breaches in the walls of the Lake Murray Dam including earthquakes, neglect, bombs, rapid runoff, malfunctioned spillways, and vandalism. Dam failure could cause mass injuries or deaths, damage and loss of the highlighted infrastructures and others along the flood prone region. It could also lead to failure of other dams along the path of the Saluda River.
Assumptions
A dam incident may lead to numerous hazards of threats. Such an event might completely obliterate the city of Columbia leading to thousands of casualties in the process. The EOP identifies this as a mass catastrophe event that would have detrimental effects on the state of South Carolina
Lake Murray Dam may be heavily reinforced but dams tend to fail without notice. Due to the occurrence of an impromptu flood event, agencies might lack time for further analysis or decision making. The EOP proposes conducting the required research soonest possible to facilitate development of response procedures.
The Dam failure could lead to destruction of infrastructure and potentially exhaust all state government resources in the response process. In the event of a Lake Murray dam, failure the RRDF will request the Governor to declare a State of emergency (Stapf, 2015).
Floods may restrict transportation and destroy communication systems leaving a number of individuals and communities living along the Saluda River without warning and evacuations means. Shelters placed in the affected areas may not be accessible in a mass flood event.
Conclusion
The RRDF Emergency Operations Plan ensures that essential support services are provided to citizens currently living in the flood-prone areas around the Lake Murray Dam and along the Saluda River. If a large scale flood event materialized, numerous facilities might be affected meaning that resumption of normal daily activities of the community is critical to the state’s economic success. Citizens must be committed to working with the highlighted agencies and providing information about risk events. This plan aims at minimizing the risk of mass loss of life and property. South Carolina is a high rainfall region increasing the probability of a risk event. Implement the EOP ensure preparedness, responsiveness and recovery in case of a dam failure in the Lake Murray Dam.
References
FEMA. (2016, November 14). North Carolina Hurricane Matthew (DR-4285) . Federal Emergency Management Agency. https://www.fema.gov/Disaster/4285
FEMA. (2019, November 4). Risk MAP Region IV - South Carolina . Federal Emergency Management Agency. https://www.fema.gov/risk-map-region-iv-south-carolina
FEMA NR029. (2018, January 3). FEMA Hires Local Residents for Disaster Recovery Jobs. Federal Emergency Management Agency. https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/11/15/fema-hires-local-residents-disaster-recovery-jobs
Fugate, C. (2010, October). Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans. Federal Emergency Management Agency. https://www.fema.gov/
SCEMD. (2020). Emergency Operations Plan . South Carolina Emergency Management Division. https://www.scemd.org/em-professionals/plans/emergency-operations-plan/
SCEMD. (2020). Floods . South Carolina Emergency Management Division. https://www.scemd.org/prepare/types-of-disasters/floods/
Stapf, J. (2015, October 4). Inside FEMA’s South Carolina Flooding Response . Federal Emergency Management Agency. https://www.fema.gov/blog/2015-10-05/inside-femas-south-carolina-flooding-response
