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| Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) |
Upper Mississippi River Basin Flooding
Upper Mississippi River Basin - July 17, 1992
Upper Mississippi River Basin - July 12, 1993
During the summer of 1993, the upper Mississippi River basin experienced severe flooding that caused an unprecedented amount of destruction to many communities, homes, businesses, and natural ecosystems. Since the flood, many local, State, and Federal agencies have been involved in various aspects of flood recovery. Late in 1993, representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the White House Office of Environmental Policy issued a White House directive establishing an interagency Scientific Assessment and Strategy Team (SAST) to provide scientific advice and assistance to officials responsible for making decisions about flood recovery in the upper Mississippi River basin. The team developed and provided information to support the decision making process regarding both non-structural (natural floodplains) and structural (levees, dams, dikes) approaches to river basin management.
Specifically, the team compiled and organized information in existing data bases from a host of Federal, State and local agencies to identify broad areas of the upper Mississippi River and lower Missouri River floodplains, that, from a scientific perspective, are most suitable for assessing alternative flood control approaches. It is anticipated that the data base developed also will be useful to states, as well as other Federal agencies to address their specific flood recovery problems and to develop an integrated flood plain management plan for long-term protection and use of resources within the flood plains. The team also produced a series of maps and overlays that show base resource information and vulnerability to flooding. In addition, the team is preparing a report documenting the SAST data base, the products, and the methods used to produce them.
The SAST, comprised of representatives from the Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Biological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Federal Emergency Management Agency, carried out its activities at the EROS Data Center.
The EROS Data Center was chosen to "host" this study because of their unique experience in data management, image processing, geographic information systems technology, and application of "geo-spatial" data to resource management problems. EDC provided considerable technical assistance to this study with support coming from the Science and Applications Branch, the Data Services Branch, and the Computer Services Branch.
The Scientific Assessment and Strategy Team continues to collect data and produce products in support of the interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee. These data will be placed in the public domain and made available to other scientists who require them for research and long-term floodplain monitoring and management.
For more Information about the SAST program contact the EROS Data Center at the following address:
U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center Mundt Federal Building Sioux Falls, SD 57198 (605) 594-6551
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