American National Red Cross-Upper Mississippi Valley flood of 1952, summary of flood damage in 8 Minnesota counties

1 About 400 of these families were evacuated by the Red Cross. Many others found shelter outside their homes without applying for assistance.

American National Red Cross Statistical summary of flood relief operations in

MY DEAR REPRESENTATIVE O'HARA: In reply to your request for information in regard to flood damage in Minnesota counties included in your congressional district, we are glad to furnish the attached summarized statistical statement. I regret exceedingly that we are unable to break down these figures by the individual communities within these counties because our data are not compiled on this basis and we did not have sufficient time at our disposal to resurvey the area in order to make the requested analysis.

In addition to the summary by counties, we are also including a summarized statement of flood relief operations in the State of Minnesota (1951 and 1952). In 1951, the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries flooded 18 counties.

Our present relief operations in Minnesota cover counties in the upper Mississippi Valley. Headquarters for this operation has been established in the Globe

Building at St. Paul under the general direction of Mr. Ralph Brandt, who is the Director of Disaster Services for the Eastern Area. Latest reports from the field indicate that at the present 1,048 families have applied to the Red Cross for rehabilitation aid. Over 500 cases have already been closed and we have expended in excess of $100,000 of the more than $244,000 that we anticipate will be required. Very sincerely yours, R. T. SCHAEFFER, National Director, Disaster Services.

Chairman MCKELLAR. There will be placed in the record at this point testimony with respect to the Rio Grande flood-control project in New Mexico.

STATEMENT OF BRIG. GEN. C. A. CHORPENING, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF ENGINEERS FOR CIVIL WORKS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY

FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS

General CHORPENING. I am Brig. Gen. C. A. Chorpening, Assistant Chief of Engineers for Civil Works.

As has been brought out so well by Senator Chavez and Congressman Dempsey, and other witnesses, the project on the Rio Grande is a comprehensive project developed between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army engineers and authorized by the Congress in the Flood Control Acts of 1948 and 1950.

FLOOD DAMS

The parts of that project to be performed by the Corps of Engineers are four, as authorized. They are the Chamita Reservoir, the Jemez Canyon Reservoir, the Bluewater floodway, and the Rio Grande floodway.

The Chamita Reservoir and the Jemez Canyon Reservoir each includes flood control storage, and also, and very importantly, silt storage. I mention the silt storage particularly because it is so closely related to the work that has been discussed here this morning by the representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation.

CHANNELIZATION PROJECT.

To clean out the channel so that the water will flow down and still have the silt from upstream come down is just going to greatly increase the extent of maintenance of any work that is done on the channel.

The reservoirs are very important in that respect. Also keeping floodwaters out of the channel will protect that work.

I believe that it would be interesting to the committee, sir, to very briefly indicate the progress that has been made to date on those portions of the project that we have underway.

Senator CHAVEZ. I wish you would, for this reason: I do not want to bring these poor people up here again from New Mexico. We will use this evidence at the time that we consider the Army engineers items.

Senator HAYDEN. I think that would be entirely proper.

JEMEZ DAM EXPENDITURES AND BUDGET REQUEST

General CHORPENING. For the Jemez Canyon Reservoir Congress has appropriated $2,150,000 up to this time. The Corps of Engineers asked the Bureau of the Budget for $2,310,000 for fiscal year 1953, which was approved by the Bureau of the Budget and which if appropriated will complete that very essential unit of the over-all project. Senator CHAVEZ. You will get through with it?

General CHORPENING. Yes, sir.

However, the House allowed $2 million or $310,000 short of what is required. That $310,000 is very badly needed to protect the Santa Ana Indian Pueblo.

Senator CHAVEZ. And to finish the job?

General CHORPENING. Yes, and to finish the job.

Unless we are able to put in that protection we would not be able to fully utilize the reservoir and get the benefits for funds that have been expended by the Federal Government.

We, therefore, strongly urge that that cut be restored by the Senate committee.

Representative DEMPSEY. General, I take it that you do not feel that it was the economic thing to do to make that cut?

General CHORPENING. No, sir, I do not.

Representative DEMPSEY. I agree with you, sir.

PLANNING FUNDS

General CHORPENING. We have had some planning funds for the Chamita Reservoir, and we have had a small amount of planning funds on the Rio Grande floodway. For fiscal year 1953, we have asked for $85,000 additional planning funds for the Chamita Reservoir, and $10,000 for the Rio Grande floodway.

Senator CHAVEZ. What did the Bureau of the Budget do on that? General CHORPENING. That was allowed by the Bureau of the Budget, sir. All planning funds that were requested by us were eliminated, however, by the action of the House.

Senator CHAVEZ. Notwithstanding the Bureau of the Budget's approval?

General CHORPENING. That is correct, sir.

I may say further that as has been mentioned here we have a great potential flood threat on the Rio Grande this year.

Senator CHAVEZ. I wish you would tell us about that.

General CHORPENING. There is a heavier snow cover in the mountains now than perhaps has ever existed there-certainly one of the heaviest snowfalls of record.

Senator CHAVEZ. My information from the Weather Bureau is that it is a little better than twice the reports of the snows in the past up in northern New Mexico.

Senator HAYDEN. And those reports run back for quite a few years. Senator CHAVEZ. I understand that at Cumbres Pass they have possibly twice as much snow and more than the records of the past show.

General CHORPENING. Yes, sir; and that is of great concern to us. Senator HAYDEN. A warm rain would bring it off.

General CHORPENING. A warm rain would bring it off in a hurry and there would be very serious flood damage. There is no way to get around that.

Senator CHAVEZ. At that point, suppose that happens and we do not go through with the money to complete the channelization, what would the flood hazard be under those conditions?

If we had the channelization completed, would not the water go into the lake instead of spreading out as a flood hazard?

General CHORPENING. The water will have an opportunity to get away faster and therefore reduce the flood heights.

We have been working very closely with local officials so that our organization will be able to do everything possible in the event a flood happens.

Senator CHAVEZ. You are getting ready for an emergency of doing something to avoid the emergency?

General CHORPENING. That is correct, sir.

KANSAS AND MISSOURI FLOODS

Senator CHAVEZ. We all feel sorry for the people in Missouri and in Kansas who last year suffered as a result of the floods there. Yet they feel the thing to have done would have been to have avoided the flood. General CHORPENING. That is absolutely correct.

Senator CHAVEZ. Is not the situation so far as the Jemez Reservoir and the Chamita Reservoir are concerned more or less like the situation with respect to Garrison Dam and Fort Randall Dam in Missouri?

General CHORPENING. It is exactly parallel, sir.

Senator CHAVEZ. Professional people in Missouri have told me that if they had been able to close the Fort Randall and the Garrison Dams, the gaps that are not finished, they would not have had that flood which probably meant $350 million of losses in Missouri.

General CHORPENING. I can make this statement, that if the dams now under construction had been completed on the Missouri River there would have been no flood on the Missouri River.

Senator HAYDEN. That is how much of the peak would have been taken off?

General CHORPENING. At Omaha where the flood reached a stage of 30% feet, it would have been reduced to about 17 feet, which is about 2 feet below bank full stage.

Senator CHAVEZ. That is the story. And that can happen in the Rio Grande?

General CHORPENING. It can happen just as well there unless this work is gone ahead with and completed.

Senator CHAVEZ. Thank you, General Chorpening.

Senator, did you want to ask the general any questions?

Senator HAYDEN. No; I think the general has made the situation perfectly clear.

Senator CHAVEZ. Congressman Dempsey, do you have any questions?

Representative Dempsey. No.

Senator HAYDEN. General Chorpening's testimony ought to be available to the committee on the civil functions bill

Senator CHAVEZ. I have asked that when the proper time comes the record of today with respect to the flood end of it be made available to the other subcommittee.

General CHORPENING. Will you wish anything further of me, Senator?

Senator CHAVEZ. No; thank you, General. I appreciate it very, very much. If you care to insert anything else in the record that may be of advantage to the committee, we will appreciate it.

General CHORPENING. Yes, sir.

Senator CHAVEZ. The record will not be closed for some time.
General CHORPENING. Yes, sir.

STATEMENT OF ANGUS EVANS, ESPANOLA, N. MEX., REPRESENTING THE ESPANOLA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

CHAMITA DAM, N. MEX.

Senator CHAVEZ. Our next witness is Mr. Evans.

Mr. EVANS. My name is Angus Evans of Espanola, N. Mex. Senator CHAVEZ. Will you more or less describe where Espanola is located with reference to the Rio Grande, the geographical location? Mr. EVANS. Yes, sir.

FLOOD DANGER AT ESPANOLA, N. MEX.

Espanola lies just below the junction of the Chama River and the Rio Grande. It is a little community serving approximately an area which takes in perhaps some 35,000 people.

Senator CHAVEZ. And includes Los Alamos?

Mr. EVANS. Including Los Alamos.

Having been born and raised in New Mexico and in Espanola, I have seen these past floods, the floods of 1912, of 1929, and of 1941, and I have seen the devastation that they have created.

We at Espanola at the present time are preparing for what we hope does not happen.

Senator CHAVEZ. Mr. Evans, in order to get oriented up here with reference to Espanola, this is Santa Fe, the State capital, and this is Buckman. Across the river from there is the area that is now composed of the Los Alamos Atomic Energy Commission plant.

This is Espanola which is the distributing point for that area?
Mr. EVANS. That is correct.

Senator CHAVEZ. Within a few miles of Espanola on the Chama River is the Chamita Dam site. You feel that the Chamita Dam would be of some protection for floods as far as Espanola is concerned? Mr. EVANS. We feel that if Chamita Dam is built our flood hazard would be over.

Senator CHAVEZ. North of Espanola is it not a fact that all along the river, both the Rio Grande and the Chama, there are little villages which are rather heavily populated?