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Value to the Nation: Flood and Coastal Storm 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.

photograph of a flood barricade

13,000 miles of levees managed by USACE

87,000 dams tracked by the National Inventory of Dams

750 dams managed by USACE

More Information

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Expand List item 32282Collapse List item 32282  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).

Expand List item 21037Collapse List item 21037  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…

Expand List item 21038Collapse List item 21038  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…

Expand List item 21039Collapse List item 21039  Environmental Benefits

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

Expand List item 21040Collapse List item 21040  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…

Expand List item 21041Collapse List item 21041  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…

Expand List item 21043Collapse List item 21043  Other Flood Risk Management Web Sites
Expand List item 32283Collapse List item 32283  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.

Sources of Data

  • FY 2024 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2023. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2023 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2022. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2022 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2021. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2021 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2020. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2020 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2019. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2019 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2018. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2018 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2017. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2017 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2016. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • FY 2016 Fast Facts
    • Annual Flood Damage Report Fiscal Year 2015. [USACE Only]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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.

Specific USACE activities geared towards preparing individuals and communities for potential floods include:

  • Structures - USACE is responsible for managing more than 740 dams and 14,000 miles of levees, which help reduce the risk of flood damage. Additionally, USACE has built hundreds of smaller local flood risk reduction projects that have been turned over to non-Federal authorities for operation and maintenance, and has implemented various nonstructural projects to reduce susceptibility to flood damages.
  • Advance Measures - When it appears that a flood is imminent in a specific area, USACE can take a number of immediate steps to protect life and property, such as constructing temporary flow restriction structures and removing log debris blockages.
  • Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) Program – USACE provides information, technical assistance and planning guidance (paid for by the Federal Government) to states and local communities to help them address floodplain management issues. Typical focus areas are wetland assessment, dam safety/failure, flood damage reduction, floodplain management, and coastal zone management and protection.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Mapping - USACE has also completed thousands of studies for FEMA, mapping the flood potential of various areas of the country. USACE has been instrumental in training private firms to carry out similar studies. These measures are designed to reduce risks from flood hazards to people and their homes and businesses.

 

Some of the most valuable real estate in the nation is located in areas that have a high risk of flooding. For instance, many industrial facilities are built near rivers and harbors for easy access to waterborne transportation. Likewise, coastal communities are highly desirable as residential locations and tourist destinations and offer many recreational activities. In both cases, though, there also is vulnerability to coastal storm and flood damage.

Graphic of chart showing flood damages prevented in the U.S. by USACE. Click for full size picture
Graph of Flood Damage
Prevented

 

Graphic of line graph showing Flood Damage Reduction Benefits to Cost. Click for full size picture
Graph of Flood Damage
Reduction Benefits to Cost

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. USACE flood damage reduction projects, including levees and dikes, have prevented more than $1 trillion in river and coastal flood damage, most of that within the last 35 years. Between 2010 and 2019, USACE projects prevented an estimated $138 billion in average annual damages. For every dollar invested in USACE flood risk management projects, approximately $12.26 in potential damages have been saved.

Typically, USACE flood risk management projects produce economic benefits as they are usually turned over to states, local communities or the private sector for ongoing operation and maintenance, creating jobs and revenue for communities.

USACE's quick emergency response to floods helps the economy by preventing or reducing damage to businesses. USACE's ability to rapidly restore utilities, clear roads and rivers, and reinstate other vital services allows companies to get back to business quickly, reducing flood related revenue losses.

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

Environmental considerations also are an integral component of the planning process for all flood risk management projects USACE undertakes. For example, USACE continues to encourage the implementation of non-structural flood management solutions that involve modifying how floodplains are used or accommodating current uses to potential flood hazards. A non-structural approach helps avoid changes to the floodplains that might have a negative effect on the environment.

As part of its flood damage reduction efforts, USACE also has instituted a program to manage sediment on coastal shores in an effort to protect property, infrastructure and valuable habitats.

When undertaking flood risk management studies, USACE strives to balance and integrate society's needs for economic growth, public safety and environmental quality. Trade-offs must be evaluated to determine which project provides the greatest benefit to the nation. Finding a balance that is acceptable to all stakeholders and decision makers is one of the greatest challenges faced by USACE.

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.

There are many reasons the nation faces flood risk. Challenges include:

  • Many of the more than 20,000 communities in the United States, as well as rural floodplain areas, are still susceptible to flooding
  • Aging infrastructure decreases reliability and increases maintenance costs
  • New housing developments may influence run-offs and increase flood rise
  • Climate change may alter flooding pattern
  • Federal and local flood risk policies sometimes are inconsistent
  • Communities are not aware enough of risks and the need to develop emergency management plans
  • Current legislation only allows USACE to study and build projects where willing sponsors exist.

USACE is taking steps to address these challenges. As USACE moves into the future, it must:

  • Seek water resources solutions that better integrate economic, environmental and quality-of-life objectives
  • Promote investment in flood and coastal risk management solutions
  • Support the formulation of regional and watershed approaches to water resource problems
  • Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing USACE water resource projects.

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.

To help avoid this situation, USACE established in May 2006 the National Flood Risk Management Program which seeks to integrate USACE flood risk management activities, both internally and with counterpart activities of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other Federal agencies, state organizations and regional and local agencies.

Specific goals of the Program include:

  • providing current and accurate floodplain information to the public and decision makers
  • identifying and assessing flood hazards posed by aging flood damage reduction infrastructure
  • improving public awareness and comprehension of flood hazards and risk
  • integrating flood damage and flood hazard reduction programs across Federal, state, and local agencies
  • improving capabilities to collaboratively deliver and sustain flood damage reduction.

One example of a successful collaborative effort with state and Federal agencies is the Silver Jackets program which develops and supports continuous interagency flood risk management teams at the state level. Other examples are the Interagency Levee Task Force and International Partnerships.

 

Non-Structural Flood Prevention Measures

Traditionally, structural solutions such as levees, dikes and dams have been used to control flood waters. In recent years, though, the Corps also has begun to use many non-structural solutions. Non-structural measures modify the ways that a floodplain is used and can provide places for floodwaters to go while avoiding damage to communities. These solutions encompass measures such as expanding floodways and natural habitats, creating flood-water storage basins, enacting permanent evacuation of flood-prone areas, floodplain management initiatives, and installing flood-warning systems.

What are floodplains?

Floodplains are complex systems that support ecological, social and economic services. Many of the functions and processes of floodplains cannot easily be quantified. Some examples of the diversity of benefits of floodplain areas are:

  • Natural flood reduction capabilities
  • Fish and wildlife habitat
  • Natural vegetation
  • Surface water quality and quantity
  • Groundwater quality and quantity
  • Open space
  • Agricultural land
  • Recreation
  • Historic and archaeological preservation

Significant changes to floodplains can upset this delicate balance.

Flood Risk Management Graphics

 
The USACE Flood Risk Management Program works across the agency to focus the policies, programs and expertise of USACE toward reducing overall flood risk. This includes the appropriate use and resiliency of structures such as levees and floodwalls, as well as promoting alternatives when other approaches (e.g. land acquisition, flood proofing, etc.) reduce the risk of loss of life, reduce longer-term economic damages to the public and private sector, and improve the natural environment. 

Flood Risk Management Fast Facts Reports

VTN Fast Facts map

Select 2024 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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Expand List item 39828Collapse List item 39828  2023 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts

Select 2023 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".

Expand List item 36387Collapse List item 36387  2022 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts


Select 2022 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".

Expand List item 34113Collapse List item 34113  2021 Flood Risk Management Fast Facts

 

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".

Expand List item 32288Collapse List item 32288  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".

Expand List item 32287Collapse List item 32287  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".

Expand List item 32286Collapse List item 32286  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".

Expand List item 32285Collapse List item 32285  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".

Expand List item 32284Collapse List item 32284  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".