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Security Levels
| Response |
| Incident Mgt. |
| Enforcement |
| Waterways Action Plan |
Response Department
Incident Management Division
Mission
The Incident Management Division coordinates and controls the Sector response to emergent situations including search and rescue coordination, pollution incidents, marine casualties, terrorism, natural and terrorist disaster relief and mitigation, port contingencies, marine fire fighting, and marine transportation emergencies. The division also leads the Waterways Action Plan activities that govern commercial vessel operating conditions during periods of high and low water and during ice conditions.
Flood Response Management
Flooding generally occurs along the Western Rivers in late spring/early
summer due to heavy rains and snow melt, and along the coasts during hurricane
season from June through November. Seventy-five percent of all Presidential
declared natural disasters are floods. The skill and experience of Sector
Upper Mississippi River member’s have been used for both coastal and
river flooding, and has a history of responding to floods of national significance,
such as The Great Flood of ’93 and Hurricane Katrina.
Since the flood of 1993, all Western Rivers units have developed flood response
capability in the form of Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs). Sector
Upper Mississippi River has been deployed throughout the U.S., annually
within the 7th and 8th districts. Recent successes include Hurricane Katrina
where the DARTs were instrumental in the rescue of over 13,000 lives. A
DART consists of active duty, reserve, and auxiliary personnel, and 3 flood
boats. Sector Upper Mississippi River has 5 DARTs strategically prepositioned
across the area of responsibility for rapid response to State Emergency
Operational Center (EOC) requests for assets during flood disasters.
Safety tips for flash flood preparation:
Know what to expect:
• Know your area’s flood risk-if unsure, call your local American
Red Cross chapter, emergency management office, or planning and zoning department.
• If it has been raining hard for several hours, or steadily raining
for several days, be alert to the possibility of flood.
• Listen to local radio and television stations for flood information.
• Floods can take several hours to days to develop. A flood watch
means that a flood is possible in your area.
• A flood warning means flooding is already occurring or will occur
soon in your area.
• Flash floods can take only a few minutes to a few hours to develop.
When a flash flood watch is issued:
• Be alert to signs of flash flooding and be ready to evacuate at
a moment’s notice.
When a flash flood warning is issued:
• Or if you think a flash flood has already started, evacuate immediately.
You may have only seconds to escape. Act quickly!
• Move to higher ground away from rivers, streams, creeks, and storm
drains. DO NOT drive around barricades; the barricades are in place for
your safety.
• If your car stalls in rapidly rising waters, abandon your car immediately
and climb to higher ground.
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