NYT: In Europe (and Asia), High-Tech Flood Control, With Nature's Help

[DeepModem Mom]

Guess we're too poor a country to afford projects like these?


In Europe, High-Tech Flood Control, With Nature's Help


Corbis/Bettman
Flood barriers on the Thames River.

....at a cost of some $8 billion over a quarter century, (the Netherlands) erected a futuristic system of coastal defenses that is admired around the world today as one of the best barriers against the sea's fury - one that could withstand the kind of storm that happens only once in 10,000 years.

The Dutch case is one of many in which low-lying cities and countries with long histories of flooding have turned science, technology and raw determination into ways of forestalling disaster.

London has built floodgates on the Thames River. Venice is doing the same on the Adriatic.

Japan is erecting superlevees. Even Bangladesh has built concrete shelters on stilts as emergency havens for flood victims.

Experts in the United States say the foreign projects are worth studying for inspiration about how to rebuild New Orleans once the deadly waters of Hurricane Katrina recede into history....

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/science/06tech.html

[TrueAmerican]

1. But how many HURRICANES hit Holland or England

the last 2000 years?

[DemExpat]

2. We do get bad storms here - bad enough to have defences.

You would think that with such vulnerability to hurricanes there they would be the top experts in water defense along with having state-of-the-art projects to protect large urban areas.



Last huge storm here was in 1999:

http://archives.cnn.com/1999/WEATHER/12/28/europe.storm.02/
Europe recoils from worst winter storm in 50 years...............

Winds in France on Tuesday reached 150 km/h (93 mph) along the southwest Atlantic coast. Hurricane force is reached at 128 km/h (74 mph).


See this thread on flood control in The Netherlands:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4635181

[jean]

3. Exactly. The US should be the pre-eminent specialist in high tech

hurricane mitigation by now. Louisiana officials have long known what is needed. Surely a competent president would NOW assign top scientists the task of securing our gulf coast. This should be the first step taken before rebuilding can commence.


edit: your term "water defense" is perfect. Under bush's watch, the US is defenseless against the water. Or, as Keith Olbermann put it, bush cannot save citizens from a biological weapon called standing water. ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8514671/ )