A new $9.6 million project will soon be under way to erect a levee on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. City planners feel it is necessary in the event of a major flooding event. The city has been under threat of severe flooding multiple in the past and apparently engineers have been working on this project for several years and are set to kick off the building at the end of this month. After a detailed review following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, city planners carefully evaluated the antiquated 70-year old drainage system and resolved to improve it. According to logistical FEMA reports, the area surrounding the riverbanks and several major monuments could be under as much as ten feet of water if the drainage systems failed in a major storm. At present sandbags are used to reinforce the narrow barrier and prevent flooding down Constitutional Avenue.
Obviously this is a very important project to ensure the safety of our nation’s history and a very large metropolitan city. The article mentioned that there was flood damage in the National Archives building in 2006. This seems very irresponsible to me that city officials wouldn’t have already taken large strides to protect such invaluable material. Given what we have learned in meteorology, it seems that Washington D.C. being such a coastal city and along the path of weakening hurricanes, they would be extremely susceptible to large-scale flooding. With this in mind, it surprises me that city planners did not take action on this matter sooner. The article also stated that in regards to the FEMA report’s estimations, flooding insurance drastically rose on account of the city’s old insufficient flooding procedures. However I do find that this article is comforting in that we now possess the technology and awareness to better equip our cities for potential disasters. We’ve obviously learned from Katrina’s damage and are making headway in ensuring such devastation is better handled and prevented.
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