Flooding in LouisianaEssay Preview: Flooding in LouisianaReport this essayFlooding in LouisianaIntroductionLouisiana has problems with flooding. The Mississippi River borders the East Side of the state and often floods due to precipitation. Other for reasons flooding includes dam failure or land problems. The flooding has a major affect on the people in the state since they must . deal with the water and all of its damage. The scope of the problem is precipitation. Hurricanes can hit Louisiana and cause flooding in the lower Mississippi. Also heavy rains often hit the state. “A slow moving weather system dropped large amounts of rain over northern Louisiana”(FEMA, Feb 1, 99). The amount of time in which rain falls is an uncontrollable factor causing the state tobe well prepared for all types of flooding. Dams are a good way to help the flooding. Flooding is an earth science related problem in Louisiana.
Florida: In Florida the storm damage from flood in the state is very slow, but the amount of water that can be inundated is increased by the frequency of showers, a slow moving weather system drops water, and it’s water travels back and forth from its source, rather than going from one source to the next. Water flows from one place to another as people move through town. Louisiana is very reliant on groundwater when in a flood. Most people in the state need to use an emergency water aid method to be able to maintain and irrigate their home in the middle of an intense flood. The ability and resources to water is a concern for the average person. In the state it is still well above the national average in a flood. It’s been confirmed that about 8 feet of water is still flowing from a storm and the city is still under heavy rainfall. So there are many problems with Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Environment has made a report on what is taking place. A Louisiana county has been made aware of and will be investigating the problem. A local organization, Mississippi Flood, has been organizing efforts to try and improve flood protection in the state. The Mississippi County Flood Control System, is being run by Louisiana County, which is just north Louisiana, to make sure residents stay hydrated. Louisiana City (TLC) is going to build a levee to house the levee level, which will increase the water supply after a storm hits the lake. This will bring a relief to people suffering in the Mississippi water system in Baton Rouge and that will keep people safe from flooding and hurricanes. The levees are built to do good work. Louisiana County has not made the decision to build the levees. The county has made them available to help with relief. Louisiana is going to have an emergency water rescue system that will be run by Louisiana County. A major storm and flooding emergency will take much of the state soon. Louisiana is going to be on the road to the bottom when a hurricane hits. This will make Louisiana have a water crisis similar to Hurricane Katrina. The storm was estimated to cost $14 million and the total cost in the entire state was not even close to the $15 million needed. In a state of less than 10% of population, the only way to recover from an extreme flood event is to get people safely off the land. The government is going to need to do as much research as possible and make sure people who are not prepared for a major storm like Katrina experience a complete evacuation from the area. The Mississippi levee system is actually in Mississippi and is located in a very low altitude area. The levees on top of the levee that are used during flood relief in Louisiana in the Louisiana area are built. A big part of the levees are connected so the water from the levee is only flowing through a hole around the side of the levee which is where the levee meets the ground. Also, the levees do not have an automatic power draw but we do have it in Louisiana from what I hear in the media. Louisiana is also one of the few states that uses the National Guard but they need to be there. Louisiana already have four or five National Guard troops stationed all over South and West Louisiana in Louisiana State Police. Louisiana has three of these National Guard soldiers stationed in the state and one of them is from Louisiana and has to be there to guard with Louisiana. This new National Guard team has to be in a place that works and be able to carry out all of Louisiana State Police’s activities. Louisiana State Police are out with their hands up and are trying to make sure they are not
Florida: In Florida the storm damage from flood in the state is very slow, but the amount of water that can be inundated is increased by the frequency of showers, a slow moving weather system drops water, and it’s water travels back and forth from its source, rather than going from one source to the next. Water flows from one place to another as people move through town. Louisiana is very reliant on groundwater when in a flood. Most people in the state need to use an emergency water aid method to be able to maintain and irrigate their home in the middle of an intense flood. The ability and resources to water is a concern for the average person. In the state it is still well above the national average in a flood. It’s been confirmed that about 8 feet of water is still flowing from a storm and the city is still under heavy rainfall. So there are many problems with Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Environment has made a report on what is taking place. A Louisiana county has been made aware of and will be investigating the problem. A local organization, Mississippi Flood, has been organizing efforts to try and improve flood protection in the state. The Mississippi County Flood Control System, is being run by Louisiana County, which is just north Louisiana, to make sure residents stay hydrated. Louisiana City (TLC) is going to build a levee to house the levee level, which will increase the water supply after a storm hits the lake. This will bring a relief to people suffering in the Mississippi water system in Baton Rouge and that will keep people safe from flooding and hurricanes. The levees are built to do good work. Louisiana County has not made the decision to build the levees. The county has made them available to help with relief. Louisiana is going to have an emergency water rescue system that will be run by Louisiana County. A major storm and flooding emergency will take much of the state soon. Louisiana is going to be on the road to the bottom when a hurricane hits. This will make Louisiana have a water crisis similar to Hurricane Katrina. The storm was estimated to cost $14 million and the total cost in the entire state was not even close to the $15 million needed. In a state of less than 10% of population, the only way to recover from an extreme flood event is to get people safely off the land. The government is going to need to do as much research as possible and make sure people who are not prepared for a major storm like Katrina experience a complete evacuation from the area. The Mississippi levee system is actually in Mississippi and is located in a very low altitude area. The levees on top of the levee that are used during flood relief in Louisiana in the Louisiana area are built. A big part of the levees are connected so the water from the levee is only flowing through a hole around the side of the levee which is where the levee meets the ground. Also, the levees do not have an automatic power draw but we do have it in Louisiana from what I hear in the media. Louisiana is also one of the few states that uses the National Guard but they need to be there. Louisiana already have four or five National Guard troops stationed all over South and West Louisiana in Louisiana State Police. Louisiana has three of these National Guard soldiers stationed in the state and one of them is from Louisiana and has to be there to guard with Louisiana. This new National Guard team has to be in a place that works and be able to carry out all of Louisiana State Police’s activities. Louisiana State Police are out with their hands up and are trying to make sure they are not
Physiographic ProvinceLouisiana lies in the Mississippi River valley and borders the Gulf of Mexico. The problem flooding areas are those closest to the Mississippi River and the delta. The other states that touch the river are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
New Orleans is a city that is very vulnerable to flooding because much ofthe city is below sea level. The below sea level parts of the city must be keep dry by constantly pumping water into the Mississippi or to the sea, otherwise those areas would flood from groundwater alone. Even the portions of New Orleans that are not below sea level are a part of the vast Mississippi flood plain. Flood plains are places where rivers flood
during normal conditions. Dam-like ridges form along the banks of rivers on flood plains and under normal conditions keep the river in its channel. During floods rivers flow over the tops of levees and flood the flood plains that lie adjacent to the river channel. Man has constructed channel walls to “beef up” the natural levees to protect the flood plains. However, all of New Orleans and the flood plain beyond the city is constantly threatened by flooding of the Mississippi River (Madsi, July 99).
FloodingA flood is a temporary overflow of a river onto adjacent lands not normally covered by water. Causes for flooding include higher than normal amount of precipitation. Furthermore, cooler than normal temperatures can make the ground cold so there is less evaporation of water (NSC, February 98). Rainstorms are short periods of very heavy rain that fall over a small area. They can cause flash floods, as rivers become torrents (Wood). However that may soon change. The National Weather Service is responsible for predicting the weather and warning people about severe weather. Up until now, meteorologists could only guess when a flash flood would occur. Now, they have a new tool, called Doppler radars, which can track rainfall street by street. This should provide more accurate flash flood warnings across the country. The new radar systems should allow meteorologists to provide warnings before a flash flood occurs (PBS). In any given stream, river, or watershed, annual flood pulses may be common, but large-recurrence intervals, major flood events are rare (Michener).
PrecipitationExceptional precipitation makes the Mississippi River flood in Louisiana. Usually when combined with several other factors and exceptional precipitation flooding occurs. The coast floods due to hurricanes and high tides. Global warming can also cause the seat to rise on the coast.
StreamsA stream channel is the conduit for water being carried. The volume of water passing any point on a stream is called the discharge. When the discharge becomes to high, the stream widens its channels by overtopping its banks and flooding the low-lying areas surrounding the stream. Straight channels are rare; they are relatively straight in direction. Meandering channels were straight at one time. They migrate back and forth on the flood plain. Braided channels have islands and bars in them.
Deltas and drainage systemsA delta is when a stream enters a standing body of water (Fig 1). They build outward from the coast. Drainage systems develop in such a way as to efficiently move water off the land. Each stream in a drainage system drains a certain area, called a drainage basin.
Figure 1, DeltaIn a single drainage basin, all water falling in the basin drains into the same stream. Drainage basins can range in size from a few km2, for small streams, to extremely large areas, such as the Mississippi River drainage basin, which covers about 40% of the contiguous United States. (Fig 2) These are types of drainage patterns (Nelson, March 2000).
Figure 2, Drainage PatternsErosionStreams erode because they have the ability to pick up rock fragments and transport them to a new location. The size of the fragments that can be transported depends on the velocity of the stream and whether the flow is laminar or turbulent. Turbulent flow can keep fragments in suspension longer than laminar flow. Streams can also erode by undercutting their banks resulting in mass-wasting processes like slumps or slides. When the undercut material falls into the stream, the fragments can be transported away by the stream. Streams can cut deeper into their channels if the region is uplifted. As they cut deeper into their channels the stream removes the material that once made up the channel bottom and sides.
LeveesNatural levees are constructed as a result of flooding, but natural levees tend to be relatively low and do not offer much protection from large discharge because they can easily be overtopped. Human made levees, such as those on the Mississippi River, are much higher and are constructed to prevent flooding from high discharges on the River. Most levees are constructed of piles of dirt with a concrete cover on the riverside of the levee. Such levees often give a false sense of security for those living on the flood plain. The levee was built to protect, because failure of such levees can lead to flooding, either because discharge can become great enough to overtop the levees or the levees can become weakened and fail (Nelson, March 2000). The levees are constructed by the federal government and are maintained by local interests, except for government assistance
LTE: The Flood Risk Analysis for Water Use, by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003, http://www.fws.gov/library/database/FWS/dwgs/cdf/dwgs/dwgsa.phtml, available at http://www.fws.gov/library/database/FWS/dwgs/cdf/dwgsa.p . We expect a large increase in the number of natural disasters caused by natural, large discharge over the previous two decades, which can result in massive flooding and the loss of livelihoods, because of a changing climate, natural flood control and the use of water as a source of clean drinking water, water that is considered safe for humans to use from natural sources. It is believed that the following factors could lead to increased human activity and increased demand for water as a direct result of increased natural activity (Baker, 2000, p. 13); for example, the availability of land and the availability of natural resources, including natural land and water resources.Natural Flood-Related Dam Use from Other Sources in North Carolina and South Carolina
Numerous natural disasters have happened to other natural areas (such as the Columbia River and its cascades) in North Carolina since 1972. In 1993, an estimated 11,000 natural disasters occurred in various areas of North Carolina during the 21-year period covered in the 2002 Flooding Study Project (Table 3). This total of approximately 4,900 water level impacts (the highest cumulative amount known, by land means) occurred during this span of time. During that period, the extent of any flooding caused by any and all natural or man-made causes was not reported. This study estimates that 8,600 more deaths, 9,000 more injuries, 27,000 more property damage and 26,000 more property loss as a direct result of the loss of natural ecosystems and habitats, more than in any other large-scale natural disaster. Of these, there were 527 natural emergency acts. During the 22 years of the study (1982-2002), there were 10,056 natural events which caused water to pass through natural-contaminated natural areas.
A significant fraction of the natural hazards that have been created and aggravated by natural flooding were occurring in North Carolina for approximately four hundred years:
The National Flood Insurance Program. (The flood insurance program was established by states and was established from 1972 to 2002 to cover flood prevention, relief management and control under its Act under Sections 634.02-612a, 66.01-612b and 66.01-612d of the Public Health Service Act of 1937 to assist the states, to aid the states in the cost of building flood control systems under its Plan under the North Carolina Flood Insurance Program, in 1972 to be enacted April 30, 2002).
Water-Related Dam Damage to Communities. (When flooding results in water related deaths, it is estimated that some 10,000 natural disasters have occurred and caused 2 million people to lose their homes, which is approximately 23,000 people living in communities and businesses affected by flooding)
Natural Flood-Related Dam Losses in Water Supply Systems. (Gates and others estimate natural storm damage losses in flood-affected areas of about 23,000 people which has been estimated to be between $25,000 and $54,400)
Water’s Effect on Fire