Fort Smith flood survivors want answers about dam releases, policy updates

Jul. 19--Emotions ran high Wednesday at the second flood relief informational meeting, as residents asked what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could have done to prevent the flooding or lessen the impact.

Survivors wanted to know why water wasn't released from the dams earlier, and, why there wasn't earlier warning if new technology can forecast rainfall. They questioned why this data combined with historical information couldn't have been used to predict and warn people of potential flooding.

Chris Roark, executive officer with the Corps, said it can't act until water has fallen. Otherwise, it could create disastrous results upstream and downstream.

If water is prereleased from the dams upstream in Oklahoma and southern Kansas and rain doesn't occur, it could cause a drought. If water is released and heavy rains occur downstream, flooding could occur that shouldn't have.

For rain that does fall, it's also a balancing act between how heavy the rainfall was and its duration.

In this year's case, there was little rain in Fort Smith but that wasn't the case in neighboring states. Jay Townsend, public affairs chief for the Corps Little Rock District, said Oklahoma and Kansas experienced 400% to 600% more rain in May than they typically see in an average year.

This meant the dams were full and needed to release water to prevent damage. Townsend said there was an outflow of approximately 600,000 cubic feet per second released at the height of the flood in Fort Smith.

"Had those dams not been there, we've been told by our hydrologist that we could've seen flows around 900,000 cubic feet per second," Townsend said. "We understand the volume of water that came, but then we also understand the flood risk reduction dams to our west shaved off some of the disaster and impacts that could've happened."

Roark said if water ran over and damaged the flood control gates, the Corps wouldn't have had any control.

"We have to release water to relieve pressure on that infrastructure," Roark said. "It would be like the dam isn't there."

One resident said she "felt like we were the sacrificial lambs" to save the dams from breaking.

Several Oklahoma cities, however, were also flooded. These include but are not limited to, Braggs, Dora, Fort Gibson, Moffett, Muskogee, Sand Springs, Tulsa, Wagoner and Webbers Falls. Conway, Lavaca and Van Buren were just a few other River Valley cities to experience flooding.

Residents said there are a lot of competing interests -- flood prevention, navigation, drinking water, wildlife and recreation, and hydropower -- regarding the dams and their water, but they'd like to see flood prevention be number one again and changes in policy. Several in attendance expressed displeasure that the Corps can't do anything until after rain has fallen.

Townsend said the Corps is "project funded," meaning it gets money for specific projects. A group effort would need to occur for them to get the funding and the assignment from Congress to work on a deep evaluation and update of its policy manual.

Roark and Towsend said the Corps worked with local municipalities and media to share information to give people as much warning as possible.

Some residents in attendance said they didn't receive notice of the possibility for historic river levels and flooding.

The Corps released a statement on May 22, warning Arkansans of the possibility. It also included information about increased water output from the dams. This statement was shared on the Fort Smith City Hall Facebook page.

A notification from the National Weather Service went out on the same day predicting river levels to rise significantly. These warnings were reported on by multiple local news outlets.

Resident Lady Jane Cohen said she previously had flood insurance but canceled the policy several years ago, because her home wasn't listed as being in the floodplain. New maps show, however, her home is now listed in the floodplain. Cohen wanted to know how residents are individually notified of map changes.

Trey Rozelle, FEMA hazard mitigation specialist, said the newest maps are dated 2012 and were published at the time through local media, provided to the city and are available through the Federal Register.

There is no city, state or federal requirements to notify residents or business owners individually when changes to the maps are made.

All those impacted are encouraged to visit the Disaster Relief Center at Central Mall. They can receive individualized assistance and information on grants, low-interest loans and paperwork.

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