I can remember when I was a young boy in Florida having to try and make it to school during the hurricane season and our car getting flooded on the way there due to high water levels on the roads.
Now because of that experience I currently drive a Jeep Wrangler and My wife drives a Suburban.
Resilient transportation is a key part of my readiness planning because of that childhood event.
A few years ago, while I was out of town, DC experienced an atypical torrential rainfall. Upon my return, I was greeted with a basement that still had about six inches of standing water in several spots; there wasn't a dry section of the entire floor. In the end, the basement had to be completely remediated given the mold and water damage - an event that cost me just shy of $7,000 since I had no flood insurance. Needless ...more »
After years of working with our emergency management professionals to build mobile tools for responding to flood events; the implications of our neighbors' 1am call to proclaim "we are being flooded" seemed obvious... However, the full appreciation of a flood is achieved while listening to the sounds of air escaping from under your floors and then chasing earthworms from the soaked insulation between your studs after ...more »
We always think of flood events on a macro level -- but effective mitigation can start AT HOME! In the 1990s, just 2-3 years after moving into our Illinois residence, came the historic rains and floods which made for the highest levels of water on the Mississippi in modern history. What it ALSO did was flood our basement -- complete with boxes we hadn't yet unpacked from our move! We discovered only AFTER this occurred ...more »
This YouTube video highlights personal stories from homeowners in the Austin area where home buyouts were offered by the local government in order to mitigate future flood loses.
My husband and I are shrimpers from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, where we have lived for over 40 years. It is the last town on the east bank of the Mississippi River before it hits the Gulf of Mexico. I remember watching the weather news about the approaching storm. I remember packing all the pictures and placing them in garbage bags securing them on top of my dresser and chest of drawers. Also, the fishermen were ...more »
Last night while commuting on metro, I (and everyone else on my train platform) received a wireless emergency alert about flash flooding that could occur in the area. I was preoccupied thinking about the WEA system, and how it was kind of neat to see everyone on the platform get the message, and then two minutes later see everyone on the arriving train receive it as their train came out of the tunnel and they had access ...more »
I have lived in the Austin, Texas are now since 1995. In that time if have witnessed many times why this part of Central Texas is referred to as Flash Flood Alley. For at least 100 miles North and South of Austin along IH 35 the residents have had to adjust to prolonged periods of drought interrupted by torrential rainfall and flash floods. It is a way of life here.
Water Woes are A Popular Subject
While I personally haven't experienced the negative consequences of a major flood, I have encountered several instances of flooded roads that forced me to turn around. The most recent encounter I had was while I was driving along the California coast in search of a restaurant, and came upon a road that was flooded with water. While the thought of driving through the water did cross my mind, I remembered that it doesn't ...more »
On Saturday, July 30, 2016, the small town of Ellicott City experienced a severe flash flood that killed two people and damaged many of the town's historic downtown core and destroyed hundreds of vehicles. The rapid onset of the flood caught many residents and visitors by surprise, and according to several residents, was the worst they had ever seen. The National Weather Service reported that over 6 inches of rain fell ...more »
I HAD to have Flood Ins per my mortgage company (PNC Bank) when I bought my home. Dec 23, 2013 - our area had a flood. the flood water got up to the underside of our floors and stayed that high about 2 weeks once the river receded we still had puddles under our home. the weight of our home caused our foundation to give in the flood water saturated ground when the foundation gave out roof buckled. After the flood we ...more »