By Angela Hatton
Nashville, TN – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials are asking for public comment on a draft report of the May flooding in Tennessee. Commander of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Major General John Peabody says the unprecedented rainfall revealed some inefficiency in the Corps. Of the 18 areas listed for improvement, Peabody emphasized communication.
"Corps was in communication and coordination with the National Weather Service and state and local emergency management officials before, during, and after this event. However, our previous standard coordination efforts with the National Weather Service in particular, proved to be inadequate to the scale and intensity of this flood."
Peabody says typical communication with the NWS is twice daily, but rain fell too quickly for officials to keep pace. Peabody praised the response of Corps employees who kept all eight dams from overflowing, preventing further water damage. A finalized version of the report will be out in two months.