2011 Flood Exercise

Exercise Background and Scenario

Imagine a major hurricane that tracks inland through North Carolina and finally stalls over the Boone area for several days, resulting in the most rainfall ever recorded within six consecutive days. The torrential rainfall and flooding from the stalled hurricane results in extensive damages to Appalachian State University's campus. In addition to an immediate response to the critical life safety concerns, the University must also restore services and recover from the storm.

As part of App State's continued commitment to improving safety, security, and preparedness, the University will conduct an emergency management exercise on May, 11 2011 that simulates a major flood in the High Country. The exercise will include participants from across campus, the Town of Boone, and Watauga County.

The exercise itself will only last one day, although the research, collaboration, and reports from the exercise will benefit both App State and the surrounding community for many years. This year, the Office of Emergency Plans and Operations is utilizing a practitioner-academic model to develop both a beneficial training exercise for the University and academic service project with a final report.

Note: The images on this page are for illustrative purposes only. The flooding depicted in the photo is not based on GIS or flood modeling data, however, as the design progresses, we will post modeling images, maps, and other information.

Simulated photo of flooded Appalchian campus

Exercise Timeline

  • September - December, 2010 - Teams assembled, scenario development, research, flood modeling, and outreach (Complete)
  • January, 2011 - Scenario finalized (Complete)
  • February - March, 2011 - Exercise presentation materials developed and finalized. Invitations sent out (Complete)
  • April, 2011 - Final exercise planning documents printed and published (In Progress)
  • May 11, 2011 - Conduct exercise
  • June, 2011 - Final report and improvement plan published

Team Members

  • Scenario Design Team
    Emergency Management Task Force
  • Lead Planner - Mr. Seth Norris
    Director, Emergency Plans & Operations
  • Facilitator - Dr. John Pine
    Director, Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics
    Adjunct Faculty, Department of Geography and Planning
  • Evaluator - Dr. Marvin Hoffman
    Professor, Department of Government and Justice Studies
  • Controller - Mr. Jason Marshburn
    Emergency Management Coordinator, University of North Carolina Greensboro
  • Controller - Dr. Gregrey Taylor
    Assistant Director, Physical Plant
  • Flood Designer - Dr. Chris Badurek
    Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Planning
  • Flood Designer - Ms. Ashleigh Turner
    Graduate Assistant, Department of Geography and Planning