Posted on 09/02/2005 9:59:10 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
The horrific flooding of New Orleans this week, as levees collapsed under pressure from Hurricane Katrina, should be a wake-up call for California. As the Legislature churns toward adjournment next week, however, it is ignoring even the most rudimentary steps to shore up the deteriorating levees that protect hundreds of thousands of Californians from floodwaters.
California may not be in the Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane belt, but we occasionally feel the impact of hurricanelike Pacific storms, and when we do - especially when they are tropical storms that suddenly melt mountain snowpacks - those who live in low-lying flood plains are utterly dependent on levees to contain storm surges.
California has experienced serious storms of that nature every decade or two, and when one of its major levees fails, the danger to humans and the property loss can be severe. A 1986 levee break in Yuba County flooded dozens of homes. Nearly two decades later, the courts declared that the state must pay residents nearly a half-billion dollars because it was responsible for maintaining the levee that failed.
The Yuba County decision was a shock to the flood-control community, prompting the state Department of Water Resources to warn that California's major levee system "is deteriorating and, in some places, literally washing away." Even as flood protection diminishes and money for maintaining and enhancing levees dries up, however, "growing population is pushing new housing developments and job centers into areas that are particularly vulnerable to flooding."
If those words sound familiar, it's because they appeared in this space just two weeks ago, reporting that the DWR was asking the Legislature to approve what DWR director Lester Snow called "a couple of slices" of the whole loaf of levee rehabilitation and maintenance.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
No mention of how they almost couldn't repair the levees because of some endangered goffer.
Re: The Title
Of course. Our state legislature is dominated BY LIBERAL LEFTISTS. Nothing will be done. Revenues are used only for actions WHICH GENERATE VOTES AND POWER for liberals. Just like in New Orleans.
I listened to that POS that the NO people dare to call a mayor this morning -- blaming ALL OF HIS, AND THE GOVERNOR'S INCOMPETENCE AND CORRUPTION on Bush and the Federal government. Someone should put this POS and the Governor in a corner and ask them what happened to all the FEMA money that has been pumped into his city and state for the very purpose of disaster protection??? Hmmm??
No different really in California. Politics is far more important than the people and the state...ever since liberals were given the overriding power in our legislature by intellectually-challenged voters...
Why did the government approve these building permits and who is going to pay when these home inevitably get submerged?
It begs the question of when the Big One hits on the San
Andreas or Hayward, who will be there to point fingers and who will have been prepared to go it on their own.
Relying on local and state gubamints is a 'risky' deal if ya ask me.
A good lesson learned for N O is that a lot of people no matter what you tell them will not be smart enough to be prepare to help themselfs.
It is shocking to see thousands and thousands of homes being built south of Marysville on former farmland that was 10 feet under water just a few years ago, during the last big flood of 1997.
Why did the government approve these building permits and who is going to pay when these home inevitably get submerged?
--
Look in the mirror.
Matters not who you voted for or if you even voted at all.
I recently moved from Sacramento. The entire area between the airport and downtown is being built up with thousands of homes and businesses. The whole darn area was under water less than 15 years ago. The only reason this land so close to downtown was not already built on was that people in the past weren't dumb enough to build there. This will result in billions of dollars in property damage, sooner or later.
We tried. We had a dam half built to protect the city but no, white water rafting was more important.
Relying on local and state gubamints is a 'risky' deal if ya ask me.
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Yes it is. People have to prepare too, on the individual level. And earthquakes, as opposed to hurricanes, represt types of damage that can only be protected against in the construction process ---
We certainly remember the Loma Prieta disaster. I lost two friends in the bridge collapse in Oakland..very ugly. California is doing a better job of "quake proofing" all its new contstruction. The other major problem with quakes is that the nature of the quake cannot be predicted, the direction of the energy, or the TIMING. Much different scenario than a hurricane for which we can provide plenty of warning and time to prepare via satellite technology.
We can only hope the big one never hits...
Indeed. San Joaquin county has essentially approved a new TOWN alongside Lathrop on I-5 that will sit on reclaimed Delta farmland, some of which is at or below sea level. I've seen this land under water at least five times in my life, and in the last big one it was a good 15-20 feet deep. There have been NO upgrades to the levees in the area and the Army Corps of Engineers has recommended against EVER building there, but the developers and their greasy palmed government allies are allowing it anyway.
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid
BTTT
Endangered golfer?
Where is that edit feature when you need it. How about gofer? Will that work?
Didja see the latest? The phony baloney, plastic banana, raise Folsom Dam 7 feet and make bigger holes in the dam project that was used by the deceased CONgressman Matsui, to thwart Doolittle's 20 year effort to complete Auburn Dam has had "cost over-runs" so huge that Doolittle is pushing the Auburn dam as way more "bang for the buck" that this little peanut whistle effort to make Sacramento just a little safer.
Auburn Dam provides full safety on the steepest/fastest watershed in CA. The two dams, Folsom and Auburn, working in tandem will eliminate the need of helicopters rescuing state legislators from CA's Crapitol building from a future "Pineapple Express" in an up-coming Janurary/February or March!!!
Oh! And just when we desperately need more CLEAN energy and water storage. The people with boats in Folsom wouldn't have to pull their boats out each season and beach goers wouldn't have to walk a mile for a dip on Labor Day, either!!!
But Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... Commercial Whitewater rafting on the lesser used North Fork American is somehow more important to the people of CA and America. I just don't get it!!!
Some how I just knew you would have something to say on this subject.
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