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Value to the Nation

Value to the Nation: Flood Risk Management

Every year floods sweep through communities across the Unites States taking lives, destroying property, shutting down businesses, harming the environment and causing millions of dollars in damages. It is impossible to prevent all floods, but it is possible to prevent some and to limit the impact of those that do occur. 

One of the primary missions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is flood risk management. Through effective planning, forecasting and preparation USACE is working to help communities prevent floods where possible and significantly reduce the loss of lives and the economic and environmental impact when they do occur. USACE also is involved in flood emergency response efforts.

Value to the Nation: Flood Risk Management Fast Facts

VTN Fast Facts mapThe types of infrastructure that fall under this category of investment include levees, storage reservoirs, and other types of floodplain management structural measures. Some of these projects may have multiple purposes. For example, reservoirs that help prevent flooding may also provide storage for water supply and produce hydropower. This infrastructure includes approximately 715 dams and 4,100 miles of levees. In addition to operating and maintaining this infrastructure, USACE has an active role in assessing, managing, and communicating the associated flood risk.

USACE annually tracks Flood Risk Management programmatic benefits in its Annual Flood Damage Report to Congress. Each Annual Flood Damage Report includes assessments of flood damages, acres inundated, property damages, loss of life, and damages prevented by previously completed flood risk management projects (not including reductions in damages from coastal storm surge impacts).

Select 2021 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports from the USACE Digital Library collections:

You can select an individual report, or go to a collection of reports. For a list of all reports in a collection, for example, in the state report collection, select "All State Reports".

Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Archive

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 2020 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts


Select 2020 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports from the USACE Digital Library collections:

You can select an individual report, or go to a collection of reports. For a list of all reports in a collection, for example, in the state report collection, select "All State Reports".

How these numbers were calculated.

 2019 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts


Select 2019 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports from the USACE Digital Library collections:

You can select an individual report, or go to a collection of reports. For a list of all reports in a collection, for example, in the state report collection, select "All State Reports".

How these numbers were calculated.

 2018 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts


Select 2018 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports from the USACE Digital Library collections:

You can select an individual report, or go to a collection of reports. For a list of all reports in a collection, for example, in the state report collection, select "All State Reports".

How these numbers were calculated.

 2017 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts


Select 2017 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports from the USACE Digital Library collections:

You can select an individual report, or go to a collection of reports. For a list of all reports in a collection, for example, in the state report collection, select "All State Reports".

How these numbers were calculated.

 2016 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts


Select 2016 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports from the USACE Digital Library collections:

You can select an individual report, or go to a collection of reports. For a list of all reports in a collection, for example, in the state report collection, select "All State Reports".

How these numbers were calculated.

Flood Risk Management Graphics

 

14,700 miles of levees managed by USACE
 
Flood Risk Management Photograph 287,000 dams tracked by the National Inventory of Dams

708 dams managed by USACE
 

More Information

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 Preparing

Floods can't always be prevented so a key part of USACE efforts focuses on helping communities prepare in case a flood does occur. USACE helps put in place measures designed to reduce risks from flood hazards to people and their homes and businesses. We also provide people who live and work in floodplains with the information they need to know about flood hazards and the actions that they can take to reduce property damage and to prevent the loss of life caused by flooding. Read more…

 Economic Impact

Some of the most valuable real estate in the nation is located in areas that have a high risk of flooding. Many industrial facilities are built near rivers and coastal communities are highly desirable as residential locations and tourist destinations and offer many recreational activities. USACE Flood Risk Management efforts reduce the risk of flood damage to these facilities and homes as well as to vital infrastructure such as energy grids and transportation networks. Read more…

 Environmental Benefits

USACE flood risk management and emergency response efforts help to limit the level of environmental damage caused nationwide by floods. Read more…

 Challenges

Flood Risk Management reduces the risk of damage and loss of life due to flooding and coastal storms. However, risk can never be completely eliminated. Substantial flood damage still occurs and lives are still at risk from flooding. Read more…

 Partners

In the United States, the responsibility for managing flood risks is shared across the Federal, state and local levels of government and the private sector. In the absence of continuous collaboration, conflicting policies, programs and interests from multiple layers of government can work at cross purposes and undermine efforts to improve flood risk management nationwide. Read more…

 Other Flood Damage Reduction Web Sites
 Benefits in Perspective

The estimates of Flood Risk Management benefits presented here are taken from the data supporting the Annual Flood Damage Report, and are related to the flood damages prevented by USACE-controlled reservoir projects, levees, shore protection projects, and emergency operations. The Flood Risk Management benefits are an estimate of the monetary value of damages that floods would have caused in the absence of USACE investments that were put in place to prevent those damages. It should be noted that each Flood Risk Management benefit estimate is based on the weather conditions for the given year (so years with many storms likely show greater benefits than non-stormy years since damages prevented are measured as benefits).

 How These Numbers Were Calculated

The flood risk management (FRM) program is a prominent activity within USACE Civil Works. The types of infrastructure that fall under this category of investment include levees, storage reservoirs, and other floodplain management measures. Some of these projects may have multiple purposes. For example, reservoirs that help reduce flood risk also may provide storage for water supply and produce hydropower. The Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Land Resources Implementation Studies (1983) (referred to as the P&G) provides a conceptual basis for various National Economic Development (NED) benefit estimation procedures by area of study. For FRM, the P&G suggests, in general, NED benefits are realized through reductions in flood hazards that accrue primarily through the reduction in actual or potential damages associated with land use. Following that guidance, the FRM NED benefits used in the Value to the Nation effort are an estimate of the monetary value of damages floods would have caused in absence of the USACE investments put in place to prevent those damages. Reductions in damages from coastal storm surge impacts are not included in the benefit estimate.

USACE annually tracks FRM programmatic benefits in its Annual Flood Damage Report to Congress. Each Annual Flood Damage Report includes assessments of flood damages, acres inundated, property damages, loss of life, and damages prevented by previously completed flood risk management projects (not including coastal storm damage reduction). FRM benefits are dependent upon the value of structures in the floodplain, which may increase over time. The benefit estimates also vary significantly from year-to-year because they are based on the weather conditions for the given year (years with many floods are likely to show greater benefits than years with less flooding since damages prevented are measured as benefits). A 10-year average is often used to account for high year-to-year variability.