Levee Do, Levee Don’t

It’s simply my ignorance about levees that’s prompting this long post, which only reflects that. .  BUT please read my rant; then advise & educate me so that I’m no longer ignorant on this subject.  ;-0

I admit prior to Hurricane Katrina’s devastation to New Orleans in August 2005, levees, dams, dikes, I knew what they were and their part in our industrialized civilization but it just never ‘hit home’.   I grew up in Washington State on an Island AND  in various parts of SoCAL— from the Mojave desert to the coast.

I’ve seen the santa ana fires, felt the effects of the Northridge quake of ‘94, as well as mud slides destroying homes but in all my time of LIVING by the water, I don’t think I’ve ever run across the devastation that followed Katrina and NOW other levee breaches along the mississippi. WHAT is going on?  I mean, can’t these LEVEE breaks be avoided with better preparation?  Shouldn’t these agencies be like ‘Beyonce’ and “UPGRADE”  the height or length of the levees that don’t fit policy?  Why wait until a ‘break’ , hurricane or flood happens before something is or isn’t done? I’m not saying ‘nothing at all’ is being done, just nothing I’ve heard or seen in the media.

I know some levees have areas of the Mississippi river that reach between 24-50 feet high but I’m assuming this flooding is happening in the areas where the height of the levee is shorter? I know I don’t know ANYTHING about it, but when you read it in the paper, you wonder… if we can send rockets into outer space,  Land on AND THINK about building a friggin’ colony on the moon, why can’t their be better levees?

Is there a process of something to get approval, lobbying or something add to the height? And how do they determine…. which levees get the additional construction?  Is it not in our budget as ‘education’ and youth prosperity don’t seem to be? I mean you can only stack so many sandbags… Of course all of this is going through my mind as I’m reading the details of the 1.5 billion in damages in IOWA alone regarding the Mississippi levee breaks.

It’s also sad when the AMERICAN RED CROSS doesn’t have enough funding to provide flood relief.   SADLY the recent reportings about the Mississippi levee breaks are not the end.  It’s believed that the Mississippi River is expected to crest to the same height to match or exceed it’s record of 15 years ago during the GREAT FLOOD, June 1993. 

PLUS New Orleans is expected to be affected  -YET AGAIN! When they are STILL rebuilding from Katrina.  In fact it’s reported in the Star Tribune that the feds indicate 26 levees along the Mississippi could be affected.   If anyone has any more information about it or sites where people can volunteer or donate to help our fellow Americans, please post them. For now here are some:

The Great Mississippi Flood of ‘93

More about LEVEES
AMERICAN RED CROSS
www.LEVEES.ORG
levee definition
Star Tribune Article

I would mention ‘FEMA’ but I think it’s safe to say to leave that notion alone.