June 29, 2006
TO: Col. Robert M. Carpenter, District Commander
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Jacksonville District
701 San Marco Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32207-8175
FAX: (904) 232-2237
Stephen C. Duba, Engineering Chief
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
701 San Marco Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32207-8175
Lt. General Carl A. Strock
Commander and Chief of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
441 G. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20314-1000
FAX: (202) 761-1683
RE: Open access to flood maps
Dear Col. Carpenter,
On behalf of our more than 1,450 members, the Society of Environmental Journalists is writing to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release maps showing in detail the potential impact of failures at the Herbert Hoover Dike.
The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) is the world's largest and oldest organization of individual working journalists covering environmental issues. Founded in 1990, SEJ consists of journalists, educators, and students dedicated to improving the quality, accuracy, and visibility of environmental reporting. Working through its First Amendment Task Force and WatchDog Program, SEJ addresses freedom of information, right-to-know, and other news-gathering issues of concern to journalists reporting on environmental topics.
Aside from being in the public interest, the release of the maps showing who might be affected by failures of the dike at Lake Okeechobee is required by federal Freedom of Information statutes — which include no exemption for unclassified "national security" or "terrorism concerns." The Mississippi Valley division of the corps at first attempted to restrict information about weaknesses in the New Orleans levees immediately after Hurricane Katrina, citing terrorism concerns. After being challenged, it quickly admitted the information was public and released it. This sets a clear precedent for how the corps should handle levee information nationally.
The failure of a levee containing Lake Okeechobee during the 1928 hurricane resulted in an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 deaths; today as many as 60,000 people live near enough to the dike to be evacuated if a failure were eminent. A panel convened by the South Florida Water Management District has indicated that the 140-mile-long dike is in poor shape. Structural weaknesses have been documented with regularity since 1995.
The Herbert Hoover Dike faces far more frequent and reliable threats from hurricanes than from terrorists. Fortunately, it should be far easier for residents and local officials to plan for a hurricane than a terrorist attack — if they are provided with enough information to do so. Given what we have all learned from the unfortunate loss of life and property during Hurricane Katrina last year, it seems clear that informing people within the vulnerable zone is crucial to helping them make good decisions about preparation and evacuation.
It is the clear duty of the corps, both under the law and in the interest of public safety, to release the maps to the public, both directly and via the media.
Signed,
Perry Beeman
SEJ President
Ken Ward Jr.
Chair
SEJ First Amendment Task Force
CC:
Rep. Henry Waxman
2204 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-4099 (fax)
Rep. Tom Davis
U.S. House of Representatives
2348 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4611
Fax: (202) 225-3071
U.S. Rep. Mark Foley
104 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Fax: (202) 225-3132 (fax)
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings
2353 Rayburn Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Fax: (202) 225-1171
Sen. Mel Martinez
1650 Prudential Drive, Suite 220
Jacksonville, FL 32207
Fax: (904) 398-8591
or
Hart 317 Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 228-5171
Sen. Bill Nelson
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: (202) 228-2183
Sen. Susan Collins
461 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 224-2693
Sen. Joseph Lieberman
706 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-9750 Fax
Gov. Jeb Bush
The Capitol, 400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
FAX: (850) 487-0801
jeb.bush@myflorida.com