Flood Risk Awareness Through Strategic Communications
Flood Risk Awareness Through Strategic Communications
Engaging Communities on Dam and Levee Safety
As flood events increase in frequency and intensity, communities across the United States are increasingly relying on dams and levees for protection. At the same time, aging infrastructure around the world adds complexity to these challenges. It is more important than ever to increase public understanding and awareness of dam and levee infrastructure, as well as the broader implications of flood-related threats.
Our team of strategic communications professionals is proud to contribute to this effort by providing full-service communication and engagement support to clients working in the dam, levee and flood management space.
Awareness Campaigns and Website Development
We have developed targeted awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of dam and levee infrastructure. These campaigns use creative visuals designed to resonate with public audiences and drive community support. Notable examples include:
- Dam Beautiful
- Love Your Levee
In addition, we have supported the design and development of multiple dam- and levee-related websites that deliver engaging and user-friendly educational content. These include:
Training
We contributed to the development of a training course offered through the USACE Risk Management Center, focused on risk communication. The course — Fundamentals of Risk Management for Dams & Levees: Dam & Levee Safety 101 — is designed for a wide range of stakeholders, including dam and levee owners and operators, emergency managers and floodplain managers. It presents complex information in a clear, compelling format and helps attendees understand risk assessments and how to communicate findings to non-technical audiences.
Communication Support for Whittier Narrows Dam
We are currently developing a Public Outreach Plan and supporting communications materials for the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Project in Los Angeles. This is one of the most urban dam projects operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, protecting approximately 1.25 million people between the dam and the Pacific Ocean. The dam is situated among several highly populated and diverse communities.
Our outreach efforts focus on communicating construction impacts to roads, trails and recreation areas, while also increasing public understanding of potential hazards. This is achieved through a combination of events, meetings and multilingual materials, including both traditional and digital media.
National Levee Safety Guidelines
We supported USACE in the creation of the National Levee Safety Guidelines, a first-of-its-kind national framework to improving public safety, reducing flood risk and promoting consistent practices across the U.S.
In our joint venture with Schnable Engineering, our team provided technical editing, custom graphics and layout support to translate complex engineering content into accessible, action-oriented guidance. These resources equip levee professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to assess, maintain and communicate safety practices throughout a levee’s life cycle.
Levee Review Communication
Our strategic communications team developed two key resources to support the first-ever National Levee Review program:
- Your Guide to Levee Review: A booklet designed for levee sponsors, state agencies and other stakeholders to help them better understand the review process.
- Communication Playbook: A guide to help technical teams communicate more effectively throughout the levee review process.
Handout on Emergency Management for Flood Defences
We also supported USACE in the development of the International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences, a global collaboration led by Rijkswaterstaat. This handbook, created with input from over 70 professionals across more than 20 countries, serves as a foundational resource for dam and levee professionals worldwide, covering preparedness, emergency response and crisis communication.
Our team provided technical graphics support, including the creation of new illustrations, refinement of industry graphics and quality assurance for photos and maps. We worked closely with engineers, authors and international partners to ensure the handbook is both technically accurate and accessible to a broad audience.
