All articles tagged with #levees
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, the article reflects on the devastating impact of the storm, the lessons learned about levee safety and disaster preparedness, and the ongoing challenges in recovery and resilience efforts in New Orleans, emphasizing the importance of proper infrastructure and federal response to prevent future tragedies.
Climate scientists warn that the recent floods in California caused by atmospheric rivers are just a preview of what's to come in a warmer world, with exponentially worse flooding predicted in future years. With aging levees and a wetter future ahead, some residents question whether this part of California is a viable place to call home. Climate change has already doubled the probability of a megaflood caused by a string of extreme atmospheric rivers, and every degree of new warming increases that likelihood even more. California is taking these predictions seriously and is trying to fund a flood-modeling project to understand the impact of extended series of extreme storms on existing infrastructure.
The town of Pajaro in California has been hit by floods after the levees on the Pajaro River failed, leaving thousands displaced. Emergency response crews are working to secure the water-soaked neighborhoods and provide aid for those still in their homes. The levee breach, which tripled in size between Friday and Monday, now spans 400ft across. The town has been hit by a series of weather-caused catastrophes that have rocked California since last December. The recently drought-stricken state has been drenched, as the deluges chewed into saturated hillsides that sent mud and debris cascading across highways and into homes.
Officials in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are considering emergency measures to prevent further flooding from the Pajaro River, which has already caused massive flooding in the town of Pajaro. Among the possible solutions are cutting through Highway 1 to relieve pressure on the river, opening up the levee downstream of the point, or doing nothing. A decision is likely to be made on Tuesday afternoon.