Category Archives: Floods

Heated Discussion at Congressional Hearing on Baton Rouge Flooding

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Louisiana flood response blasted by Congress after state, FEMA ‘fell on its face,’ lawmaker says.

Tension over Louisiana’s recovery from last year’s catastrophic floods became the focus of a Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, with Republican congressmen repeatedly taking aim at Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The committee chairman from Utah asked Edwards if he was “clueless;” a representative from Georgia repeatedly asked Edwards why he didn’t call for an evacuation ahead of the floods; a North Carolina congressman demanded more information about the state’s process of finding an administrator to oversee upcoming housing recovery programs.

The hearing was billed as a deep-dive into the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to the floods nearly eight months into the recovery process, but most of the heat came down on the state.

Flood Risk Changes Likely by Region

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From Homeland Security Newswire: Flood risks changing across U.S.

The risk of flooding in the United States is changing regionally, and the reasons could be shifting rainfall patterns and the amount of water in the ground. Engineers determined that, in general, the threat of flooding is growing in the northern half of the U.S. and declining in the southern half. The American Southwest and West, meanwhile, are experiencing decreasing flood risk.

In a new study, University of Iowa engineers determined that, in general, the threat of flooding is growing in the northern half of the U.S. and declining in the southern half. The American Southwest and West, meanwhile, are experiencing decreasing flood risk.

Flooding Expected in NYC Due to Climate Change

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This is not the first, but just the latest on this topic. See: Flooding in NYC Due to Climate Change.  Even locals who believe climate change is real have a hard time grasping that their city will almost certainly be flooded beyond recognition.

Here is another article on the same topic: By 2050, storms like Hurricane Sandy could flood nearly a quarter of New York City

Flooding in LA is Setting Records

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Recent news clips have indicated that roughly half of the counties in Louisiana are included in the Presidential Disaster Declaration for the severe flooding there. Here are some of the first indicators of how serious and unusual those floods are.

Disasters like Louisiana floods will worsen as planet warms, scientists warn. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to classify disaster as the eighth flood considered to be a once in every 500-year event in the US in a year

On Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is set to classify the Louisiana disaster as the eighth flood considered to be a once in every 500-year event to have taken place in the US in little over 12 months.

Since May of last year, dozens of people have been killed and thousands of homes have been swamped with water in extreme events in Oklahoma, Texas, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland. NOAA considers these floods extreme because, based on historical rainfall records, they should be expected to occur only once every 500 years.

The Louisiana flooding has been so exceptional that some places in the state experienced storm conditions considered once-every-1,000-year events. Close to two feet of rain fell over a 48-hour period in parts of southern Louisiana, causing residents to scramble to safety from flooded homes and cars.

Another possible record setter is the number of people needing shelter. See: Red Cross Sheltering Thousands Affected by Unprecedented Flooding in Louisiana

Update:  One more take from the Washington Post on 6/16