Bagnell Dam at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks and Harry S. Truman Dam at Truman Reservoir will conduct a joint preparedness exercise Sept. 17 to test procedures, communications and coordination among government and non-government entities in the event of a catastrophic incident that could impact two individual dams on the same river basin. The 2008 Dam Security Exercise Series - Bagnell/Truman will take place at facilities in Jefferson City, the two dams, certain county emergency operations centers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) District Headquarters in Kansas City, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USACE facilities in Washington, D.C.
Participating in the exercise will be representatives of:
• AmerenUE, owner and operator of Bagnell Dam and the Osage Power Plant at the Lake of the Ozarks;
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, owner and operator of Harry S. Truman Dam at Truman Reservoir;
• Public officials and emergency response personnel from the counties surrounding the Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Reservoir;
• Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other state agencies;
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sector Specific Agency Executive Management Office.
“All participants in this exercise take the safety and security of the nation’s infrastructure, including dams, very seriously,” said Bill Empson, Chief of Civil Works Project Management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Kansas City. “In addition to the daily vigilance, we’re constantly developing and updating plans and procedures that minimize the risk associated with possible emergency situations.”
“To help ensure that emergency plans and procedures are effective, they must be tested, and that’s what this exercise is intended to do,” said Warren Witt, AmerenUE manager of Hydro Operations. “It will also give all participants valuable experience in working together under crisis conditions, so if a real emergency involving these facilities ever occurred, we could draw upon that experience as we all work to protect the public.”
“State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and downstream county emergency management officials will test our communications and emergency operations to protect our citizens,” said Ronald M. Reynolds, SEMA Director.
Planning for the exercise began more than a year ago. On Aug. 7, 2008, two workshops and a “tabletop” exercise were conducted to prepare participants for the functional exercise on Sept. 17.
During the Sept. 17 exercise, all emergency conditions will be simulated, and the public will not be affected.
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CONTACTS: Mike Cleary, 573.681.7137, of AmerenUE; Susie Stonner, 573.526.9136, of Missouri State Emergency Management Agency; David Kolarik, 816.389.3072, of US Army Corps of Engineers