Flood Managment

Flood Management

Floods and flood damage have become an increasingly concerned topic for many locations across the United States. From Minot Air Force Base, ND late last year - to the damage suffered by those who live on the East Coast by Hurricane Sandy. However, as terrible as these were nothing compares to the destruction and damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Why was the flooding so bad? Was it preventable? And what is being done now, to prevent such a terrible disaster from happening again?

Flooding has been a part of history for many years, and we as the United States have been dealing with the challenges of preventing them for just as long. Some of the more common ways to prevent floods are by building dams, floodways, and levees like the ones found in New Orleans. But are these enough? The recent flooding has proved the answer is no, and has forced states to take a step back to reevaluate what precautions are being taken to prevent future floods.

“The failure of several levees in New Orleans raised questions as to why the levees had failed and brought immediate attention to the conditions of flood damage reduction throughout the country”. (Galloway, 2008) Shortly after Hurricane Katrina it became apparently clear that there wasn’t really one levee that hadn’t been breached or broken after the flood. And the damage that occurred was astounding! Loss of life, business, and property was worse in New Orleans, simply because of the levees separating the city from the surrounding lakes. Over 75% of the city was under water because of the levee breach!

While still its early stages, flood management is still on the scope of people in the United States. However it isn’t something that will happen overnight, or sooner than most would like. Time, effort, and cost will definitely be needed; but when it finally happens I think that despite how long it is taken, it will be well worth the wait!