If the United States wants to avoid future catastrophes caused by breached and broken levees, it must act immediately to implement a national safety program, according to a recently released report from the National Committee on Levee Safety.

The committee stated that it could not “overemphasize the urgency” with which action needs to be taken on the 20 recommendations contained in the draft report presented to Congress on January 15. Among the actions the committee wants to see in the first phase of the safety plan are a complete inspection and inventory of all U.S. levees and mandatory purchase of flood insurance in levee areas. Other suggestions include developing a nationwide safety training program, classifying levee hazard potential, establishing a national levee safety commission and standards, conducting public awareness and education campaigns, and creating a grant program to help smaller communities pay for their share of the overhaul.

The 104-page report is the result of a year of technical, regulatory and policy evaluation by the committee, which is made up of 23 members that include representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Association of State Floodplain Managers, and government and private sector representatives. For more on the committee and the making of the report, including minutes of committee meetings, visit the National Committee on Levee Safety website.