In Wake of New Year's Storms, Matsui Requests Review of Flood Control System & Emergency Operations

In Wake of New Year's Storms, Matsui Requests Review of Flood Control System & Emergency Operations

Tuesday, January 3, 2006

Washington, DC - As Sacramento begins to dry out from the recent storms, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-5) requested post-storm briefings by the state and local agencies - the Department of Water Resources, the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, as well as the Sacramento City Manager and the Sacramento County Emergency Operations Chief - to evaluate the effectiveness of the flood control system and emergency operations. As part of the Congresswoman's on-going conversation with Sacramento's federal flood control partners - the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - she will also be briefed on the federal component of the flood control system.

"Despite being inundated with three times the usual amount of rainfall for December, Sacramento appears to have weathered the storms. Significantly, the flood control systems for Sacramento on the American and Sacramento Rivers were able to manage the storm and mountain run-off water with a minimal number of isolated incidents, although we will have a better idea of the rain's impact as we dry out.

"This is because of the many personnel who worked tirelessly monitoring our flood control system and emergency operations to ensure it worked as intended. Throughout the storm, they kept my staff and me constantly updated with reports on how the flood control system was working. I very much appreciate their hard work to ensure the well-being of Sacramento and the region's residents. Additionally, I was pleased at the response of the residents of Sacramento, who saw the approaching rain and made certain they were prepared for it, and I thank them for their efforts.

"However, we should use this experience as a guide to prepare for future storms. I am certain each of the state and local agencies are already planning to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the systems and Sacramento's ability to be prepared during the rainy season. And next week during meetings with agency officials I will be briefed on the findings in these reviews.

"As we assess the effects of the storm, we should also be examining how both our flood control and emergency management systems functioned over the past days, including areas that worked as designed and areas that need improvement and additional attention. Knowing this information will assist not only the many people who worked around the clock to ensure our safety, but the residents of Sacramento as well, so we are all better prepared when the next heavy storm arrives.

"Watching the rain continue and the level of the rivers rise with each successive day, demonstrated, once again, how vulnerable Sacramento is and should serve as further proof that we need additional flood protection. While I am working in Congress to move funding for those projects forward, we still need to ensure the system we have is working at maximum efficiency.

"This is an opportunity to determine how our flood control and emergency operation systems are or are not working. I look forward to sitting down and getting a full update next week."

http://matsui.house.gov/Newsroom.asp?ARTICLE2939=5601