Jason Needham, P.E.

Based in our Sacramento office, Jason is an internationally-recognized consequence expert, specializing in evaluating potential flood impacts, estimating life loss and economic damages, and helping emergency management agencies better prepare for future floods. As our flood consequence practice leader, he collaborates across disciplines to support risk-informed decision-making for dam and levee safety projects. 

Jason has over two decades of experience dedicated to advancing state-of-the-art methods for assessing and reducing flood risk to people and property. During his time as lead consequence specialist and a senior member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Risk Management Center, he played a key role in shaping the USACE dam and levee safety programs by providing technical oversight, creating methodologies and driving risk-informed decision-making for the portfolio of dams and levees under USACE authority. 

His efforts included developing guidance, training and documentation for consequence assessments, as well as coordinating approaches for screening, semi-quantitative and fully quantitative risk assessments to support USACE modification studies. 

Jason’s contributions have been pivotal in advancing tools such as LifeSim, HEC-FIA, and the Dam and Levee Screening Tools, while also shaping industry standards and delivering impactful training programs. He co-authored the consequence assessment chapter of the USACE and United States Bureau of Reclamation joint “Best Practices for Dam and Levee Safety Risk Assessments.” He also co-authored the “ICOLD Bulletin on Dam Breach Flood Consequence Assessment."