Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Tim Johnson made the following statement on the report issued today by an independent panel charged with reviewing the Missouri River flooding in 2011:
This report by an independent panel provides an important review of the Corps of Engineers’ operations leading up to and during this year’s unprecedented Missouri River flooding. Going forward, it is crucial that the Corps of Engineers incorporate recommendations such as increasing on-the-ground observations of snowpack and enhancing communication about flood risks with states, communities, and farmers along the river. Congress needs to keep providing essential funding for infrastructure repairs and carefully considering policies to mitigate future flood risks.
On Saturday, Johnson supported Senate passage of the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2012, which provides $6.4 billion to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund and $1.7 billion in emergency funding for the Corps of Engineers to make repairs to infrastructure damaged by flooding and other natural disasters this year. The measure now moves to the President for his signature.
The report, “Review of the Regulation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System During the Flood of 2011,” is available at http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/home.asp.
Review panel members included Neil Grigg, PhD, Professor, Colorado State University; Cara McCarthy, Senior Forecast Hydrologist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Water and Climate Center; Bill Lawrence, Hydrologist In Charge, Arkansas Red Basin River Forecast Center (ABRFC), National Weather Service and Darwin Ockerman, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Surface Water.
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