Local emergency management agencies, in conjunction with the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducted a tabletop exercise at Harry S Truman Dam on Feb. 16.
The purpose of the exercise was to showcase joint emergency preparedness between local communities around Harry S Truman Dam and USACE.
The dam, on the Osage River in Missouri, impounds water for a hydroelectric powerhouse with a capacity of 160 MW. It is used primarily for flood control but also hydro generation, recreation and wildlife management.
The tabletop exercise focused on communication and coordination efforts during operational releases or an extreme, rare flood event. During the exercise, the Corps emphasized that it regularly assesses the conditions and risks associated with Harry S Truman Dam and its other civil works projects. The most recent assessment, conducted in 2022, found Harry S Truman Dam to be structurally sound, and the risk associated with a potential breach of the dam is low.
Assessments of USACE-maintained dams consider the potential of overtopping of the dam and the risk posed to the population living downstream. The dam safety assessments also assist local emergency management agencies and USACE in coordinating emergency efforts and a communication plan in the event of a dam breach.
Local emergency management agencies are the front lines of emergency preparedness in their communities. Tabletop exercises like the one conducted at Harry S Truman Dam are routine opportunities to identify areas for improvement in the shared responsibility for emergency preparedness.
“We [emergency management agencies] need the public to understand that we exercised together, and we think about the worst-case scenario so that we can keep you safe,” said Sam Henley, Camden County, Missouri, director of emergency management.
