From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Flooding at Fort Irwin

Description: Flooding at Fort Irwin Damaged Department of Defense
Infrastructure

Related GAO Work: GAO-14-446: Climate Change Adaptation: DOD Can Improve
Infrastructure Planning and Processes to Better Account for Potential
Impacts

Released: June 2014

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[ Screen 1 ]
Welcome sign for Fort Irwin

[ Screen 2 ]
Training building filled with mud due to flooding

>> On August 25, 2013, Fort Irwin and its adjacent National Training
Center was hit with an extreme rain event, in which approximately one
year's worth of rain fell in a very short period of time.

[ Screen 3 ]
Col. Jon Braga describing flooding

>> And we got up to three inches of rain in about 80 minutes.

[ Screen 4 ]
Damage to infrastructure at Fort Irwin and the National Training Center

>> The flooding caused by the storm damaged more than 160 facilities. In
this barracks building, the flood water reached 15 feet high in the
basement, damaging the boiler and electric system for the entire
building. Eight roads, one bridge, and 11,000 linear feet of fencing
were also damaged by flooding. The storm also caused damage at the
National Training Center, which is used to prepare troops for
deployment. Overall, the extreme rain event resulted in an estimated 64
million dollars in damage. With bases like Fort Irwin, and training
ranges across all regions of the United States, the Department of
Defense is vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change. While
it is not possible to link any individual weather event to climate
change, these events provide insight into the potential climate-related
vulnerabilities.

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[ Screen 5 ]
GAO-14-446

[ Screen 6 ]
www.GAO.gov with GAO headquarters building in the background

>>To learn more about DOD's actions to adapt its U.S. infrastructure to
the challenges of climate change, see GAO-14-446, which you can find on
our website, GAO.gov.

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LOS ANGELES DISTRICT
US Army Corps of Engineers Icon
Us Army Corps of Engineers

>>Video and images were provided courtesy of the United States Army
Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District.