Statewide Flooding Alert System To Be Launched
As promised in her Tuesday night "State of the State" address, Gov. Ivey is launching a statewide flood notification system. The genesis of the system seems to be what she witnessed last summer during the deadly flooding in Texas. At least 135 people were killed, many were children attending summer camps along the Guadlupe River.
“Alabama is no stranger to natural disasters,” Ivey stated in her address. “Protecting the safety of all Alabamians, especially our children, is our top priority, and this statewide flood notification system will ensure families receive timely alerts to prepare and stay safe. By launching this notification system now, we are getting ahead of Alabama’s camps serving children this summer.”
The National Weather Service Issues Flood Advisories, Watches and Warnings but the new statewide system envisioned by the governor will be more targeted to flood prone areas.
From landfalling hurricanes to slow moving thunderstorm systems producing heavy rains, flooding is a threat in the Yellowhammer State. Not surprisingly, Coastal Alabama, mainly the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley area of Baldwin County area, is listed as the 11th most susceptible to flooding in the nation. That designation is based on 100-year floodplain mapping. That area's risk comes mainly from a flat topography, along a coastline where high tides can combine with storm surge to push water higher in numerous streams and small rivers. But the rest of the state is vulnerable too.
Alabama's vast river system, numerous creeks and streams along with many unregulated dams are susceptible to heavier than normal rainfall resulting in flooding. West Alabama has experie3nced numerous floods, some devastating.
Governor Ivey is providing an initial $1.2 million investment for the notification system this year, as well as working with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to establish the system in all 67 counties.
The state's 24-hour "Warning Point" is AEMA's Emergency Operations Center in Clanton. Personnel there, in consultation with the National Weather Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State Hydrologist and other agencies, will be the trigger point for flood alerts.
While AEMA will run the administration of the system and be responsible for its maintenance and technical management; legislative funding appropriated from ALEA will support the program’s execution as part of Governor Ivey’s broader emergency response efforts.
“Every second counts in an emergency. Closing the gap between information and action can save lives,” AEMA Director Jeff Smitherman was quoted as commenting in the governor's prepared release. “By launching the statewide notification system, we are working to bridge that gap and empower individuals to make informed decisions.”
Flash floods are the most dangerous kind of floods, because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed. The force of floodwaters is nearly unstoppable. The main reason for the National Weather Service's admonition, "Turn Around, Don't Drown" is because it takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks.
AEMA says the need for such an alert system is reflected in the fact that floods kill more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.
More From Tuscaloosa Thread
