CUVA Flood Response Plan 031212 - Summit County

1 Flood Response plan Cuyahoga Valley National Park /s/ 3/9/2012 Recommended by: Arrye Rosser Date Chair, Safety Advisory Council /s/ 3/12/2012 Concurred by: Paul Stoehr Date Deputy Superintendent /s/ 3/12/2012 Approved by: Stan Austin Date Superintendent Table of Contents Table of Contents.

2 2 Proclamation .. 3 Declaration of a Flood Emergency .. 4 Preparedness .. 5 General Orders and Command Post .. 5 IC Command Staff Position Roles and Responsibilities .. 6 Field Assessment SOP .. 7 Post- Flood and After-Action Review .. 7 Appendix A Towpath Closure Guide .. 8 Appendix B Trails and Grounds Checklist for Flood Response .. 10 Appendix C Railroad Checklist for Flood Response .. 15 Appendix D Structures and Facilities .. 21 Appendix F Flood Impacts Based on Historical Data .. 37 Appendix G Toolbox Resources & Incident Command Lists .. 38 CUVA All Risk Incident Commander Call Down List 2012 .. 38 Incident Commander (IC) Checklist and High Priority Areas.

3 39 Flood Response Safety Message .. 40 Example Press Release (fax version) .. 41 Example Press Release (e mail version)* .. 42 Media SOP .. 43 CVNP Risk Management Pocket Guide February 2011 .. 44 Canal Visitor Center Flood SOP .. 46 Cuyahoga Valley Status of Park Resources .. 48 Website Resources .. 52 3 Proclamation Park resources are park resources and ALL employees shall be expected to respond to the level of their training and ability. NO employee shall be put in harm s way. Deputy Superintendent Paul J. Stoehr ALWAYS USE OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO MANAGE RISK Accept no unnecessary risks. Make risk decisions at the appropriate level.

4 Accept risks when benefits outweigh costs. Integrate into planning at all levels. 4 Declaration of a Flood Emergency The Communications Center (Comm Center) has specific responsibility for monitoring the National Weather Service (NWS) and US Geologic Survey (USGS) websites to ascertain current weather conditions and the status of river gages in the park. Comm Center staff shall be particularly alert at action Flood stages (listed above) AND when any of the following conditions are present or expected to occur: Additional rain or snowmelt is forecast. Water levels are rising and/or ground conditions are saturated. If NWS or USGS indicate the river has not crested.

5 If NWS or USGS predict water will crest at Old Portage over 10 feet and/or Independence over 16 feet. Comm Center shall contact the Incident Commander (IC) listed in the on call rotational calendar when the gages reach the action Flood stage. The IC shall then decide whether or not to declare a Flood EMERGENCY. Upon the declaration of a Flood EMERGENCY, the Flood Response plan shall go into effect which activates an Incident Command System (ICS) Response . The IC shall build the command structure and notify the Deputy Superintendent, based upon the complexity of the event. Comm Center shall also notify Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) Director of Operations Dennis Varian (740) 610-1435.

6 Comm Center staff shall include any known Flood -related information in the radio-dispatched Morning Reports broadcast at 07:30 and 09:00. This information shall be the first message of the broadcast and shall consist of notice that the park has begun an Incident Command-structured Response and identify the current Incident Commander. An electronic message shall also be issued to all staff and park partners. Action Stage Minor Flood Stage Old Portage (Bath) 6 feet Old Portage (Bath) 10 feet Independence 14 feet Independence 16 feet Old Portage Gage # 04206000 Independence Gage # 04208000 5 Preparedness In preparation for a Flood Response , park staff shall assist the IC by initially reporting information to the Comm Center regarding the conditions of NPS-occupied and/or administrative buildings.

7 Staff shall also complete the following step-up procedures as applicable to their specific duty station or work area: First in, First Report: The first employee to arrive at each building shall safely report if basement and/or lower floors have flooded. Do not walk in Flood waters. Canal Visitor Center (CVC) staff should refer to the SOP in Appendix G. Initiate established protocols for starting sump pumps, etc. Shuttle government-owned vehicles and equipment to higher ground. Move and secure sensitive items that may be affected by Flood waters. General Orders and Command Post All employees are subject to the following General Orders upon declaration of a Flood EMERGENCY: FIRST PRIORITY Protection of life and the physical well-being of employees, volunteers, partners, and visitors.

8 SECOND PRIORITY Protection of park resources and government property. THIRD PRIORITY Assist park neighbors (adjacent land owners) with protection of their property. The Command Post is generally located at Coonrad Ranger Station, but may be relocated at any time. All employees are subject to being called to report for emergency work at any time. Upon declaration of a Flood EMERGENCY, the IC shall establish a Command Post as the focal point for briefings and planning sessions and for dissemination of information about Flood activities and actions. The Command Post shall remain operational until the Flood EMERGENCY is over and normal park operations resume.

9 6 IC Command Staff Position Roles and Responsibilities Incident Commander (IC) The IC is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic decisions and for approving the ordering and releasing of resources. The IC assesses the situation, conducts briefings, activates elements of the Flood Response plan , coordinates staff activity, manages incident operations, and approves requests for additional resources and the release of resources. Public Information Officer (PIO) The PIO is a direct report to the IC and is responsible for the formulation and release of information about the incident to the media and other agencies and organizations. Safety Officer (SO) The SO is a direct report to the IC and is responsible for assessing hazardous and unsafe situations related to the Flood event and implements measures for assuring employee and visitor safety.

10 The SO determines the frequency of safety messages broadcast by the Comm Center. Operations Section Chief (OPS) The OPS is a direct report to the IC and is responsible for the management of all operations directly applicable to the primary mission. OPS activates and supervises organization elements and directs its execution. OPS also requests releases of resources, makes expedient field changes to the Flood Response plan as necessary, and reports such changes to the IC. Planning Section Chief ( plan ) The plan is a direct report to the IC and is responsible for the collection, evaluation, dissemination, and use of information about the development of the incident and the status of available resources.