The Emergency Watershed Protection Program offers vital recovery options for local communities that reduce hazards to life and property caused by floodwaters, droughts, wildfires, earthquakes, windstorms, and other natural disasters. Here's how it works. There are four core phases of emergency management that most communities practice.
These phases involve actions to reduce potential damage, plan for emergencies, react during a disaster, and restore the community afterward. Response focuses on immediate lifesaving efforts, while recovery focuses on long term, sustainable rebuilding of both the community and vital natural resources. First responders to a natural disaster are local and state emergency managers.
They include police, EMTs, firefighters, and public utility workers. At the same time, the US Department of Health and Human Services provides medical assistance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more commonly known as FEMA, provides critical supplies to impacted areas, including meals, water, generators, tarps, and other equipment. Once a natural disaster has been declared either by the president or more locally by the USDA, NRCS State Conservationist, NRCS recovery assistance begins when access to the location is determined to be safe and secure.
On day one, the NRCS State Conservationist assigns key staff and works with local partners to efficiently and effectively implement EWP recovery measures and ensure that procedures are in place for swift, coordinated action after a disaster recurs. Not every project is the same. In fact, they rarely are.
In the case of Tropical Storm Debby, NRCS worked with local sponsors who act as fiscal agents and provide project management. In Tioga County, remedial efforts were needed to safeguard lives and property from severe stream bank erosion following catastrophic flash flooding wrought by the tropical storm. After the request for EWP assistance was received, public meetings were held, agreements were prepared, projects were designed, permitted, and other necessary rights obtained, and construction began in June 2025.
Today, 14 of the 15 sites eligible for EWP assistance have been completed.
