ARLINGTON, Va., - The National Guard Bureau has organized a joint planning team to prepare for possible severe flooding in several Midwest states this spring as a result of heavy winter snowfall.
While the individual states affected generate their own plans for battling flood waters, the JPT provides a big picture, national-level viewpoint to work from, said Army Maj. Lori Sessano, the team chief.
"We take strategic-level plans and make them into actionable objectives," she said.
The coordinated planning effort is intended to augment the response plans developed by the states that may be affected.
"We're in support mode to the states," said Sessano. "We don't tell the states what they can and cannot do. The bottom line is, the states are aware, and they have begun their planning."
The states that are expected to be the hardest hit by flooding include Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota.
Last year, North Dakota and Minnesota saw record flooding from the Red River, and according to the National Weather Service, similar water levels may develop this year.
For the JPT, that means making sure that equipment and personnel are in place should the Guard be asked to respond.
One way that can be accomplished is by using the Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS), which provides a real-time view of the readiness level based on personnel and equipment of any given unit or organization within the military.
"We'll use the system at every stage of our planning, so we won't just get (the information) a week in advance or a month in advance," said Sessano. "We'll be able to have real-time (information) of what is going on in the states and what is on the ground at any particular moment."
Using that real-time information will provide for a more coordinated flood response.
"We will have the overall picture, the big view," said Sessano. "… we can (then) look through the system and see what the readiness level is of bordering states. We can then use those capabilities to ensure a good response to any flooding."
Those working and planning for the flood response in the state joint force headquarters also have access to DRRS, but the JPT brings a broader view to the planning and response picture.
"Our job is to provide that collaboration and war gaming, so we can develop plans and courses of action," said Sessano, adding that the JPT is able to help fill in any gaps in the states' response plans.
Filling in those gaps may be as simple as the JPT coordinating with other states to provide additional sandbags to the affected states, said Sessano.
The JPT can also coordinate other Guard capabilities should they be needed.
"We have engineering capabilities that we can use to build various types of barriers and berms to prevent flooding from going into businesses and homes," said Sessano. "Also, we bring a huge transportation, security, medical and communications capability."
Communication is key, since the Guard would be working with local first responders and other agencies, many of which don't operate on the same radio frequencies.
The Joint Incident Site Communication Capability (JISCC) allows those bridges to be gapped between the Guard and other first responders.
"What it will do is sync the frequencies (and) convert frequencies so that the various first responders and the military can communicate on the same network," said Sessano. "That means that the JISCC system can provide communication to first responders, to any emergency responders, to the local, state and federal to include the military."
For now, the JISCC is just one of the capabilities the JPT will add into plans for the possibility of flooding in the Midwest.
"This is a known surprise," said Sessano. "We know it's coming up. We have time to prepare."