A draft report on what went wrong in the response to the flash flood that killed 10 dogs in Northeast D.C. in August includes a number of recommendations, but raises more questions for a local commissioner the ANC.
A draft report on what went wrong in the response to the flash flood that killed 10 dogs in Northeast DC in August last year includes a number of recommendations, but raises more questions for a local ANC commissioner.
The DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency’s draft “after action” report documents events surrounding the August flash flood that occurred along Rhode Island Avenue NE.
During the flood, District Dogs workers and a number of dogs struggled to escape as floodwaters eventually reached six feet inside the business.
The draft document includes the previously reported detail that the flooding at District Dogs was classified by a dispatcher as a “water leak,” leading to a delay in responding to the company.
The report adds that “remedial measures” include training encouraging emergency dispatchers to use the “water rescue” code which “can and should be used in the event of inland flooding, where appropriate.”
Asked about the draft report, Eckington Ward Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Joe Bishop-Henchman told WTOP his first reaction was: “It contains a lot of embarrassing things (as initially) miscategorizing the report. emergency, which led to a very long delay in the intervention. first responders arrive at District Dogs.
The report notes that the dispatcher’s first communication calling the incident a “water leak” came at 5:10 p.m. The report continues: “The dispatcher provided additional details about the individuals and dogs trapped in District Dogs by radio at 5:22 p.m.” when the fire and emergency services commander “observed individuals swimming out of the building and began rescue operations.”
The report also notes that the stretch of Rhode Island Avenue NE has experienced “several flash floods in recent years” but is not in a federally designated flood zone, “and therefore special planning and construction considerations.” zoning do not currently apply.
This intrigued Bishop-Henchman, who said, “Everyone who lives here knew it was a possibility, but we couldn’t convince anyone. »
Another recommendation in the report states that the building that housed the District Dogs should remain vacant until the Washington, D.C. government, the building’s owner, engineers and insurance company determine that the building no longer poses a risk flooding.
Bishop-Henchman said the fact that the building was ever allowed to be occupied is curious.
“People just thought, ‘Oh, they must have had a staircase in the back to get up to or a back door or something.’ No, they didn’t,” he said.
He added that the district’s buildings department “should explain why it is acceptable to have only two underground exits to a flood-prone area.”
The report notes that the flooding occurred as DC Water was close to completing a five-year, $585 million project – the Northeast Boundary Tunnel – which it said would “mitigate the impact of flooding in several areas , including the NE corridor of Rhode Island Avenue.”
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