Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Attention, Silicon Valley: You Might Return to Sea

Old levees need $1B upgrade to protect Facebook, Google, et al

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 12, 2012 4:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – It might just be the only thing that could take down Facebook and Google in one fell swoop: some good old-fashioned biblical flooding. As the AP explains, a chunk of Silicon Valley sits on land that used to be part of San Francisco Bay. Which is fine except for two things: Sea levels keep rising, and the levees designed to keep the water out are about a century old.

Officials figure they'll need $1 billion to get the levees up to snuff, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein was meeting with a coalition of local business leaders today to talk about funding. (Facebook, of course, throws around that kind of money just to buy nifty apps.) One coalition member estimates that about three-quarters of the money would come from the federal and state government.

This file photo shows the exterior of Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.
This file photo shows the exterior of Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
48%
18%
6%
5%
13%
10%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
HarryBeaver
Apr 13, 2012 9:10 AM CDT
I'd rather put the $1 Billion into that levee than send it to South Carolina or Mississippi
JoeQ
Apr 12, 2012 7:14 PM CDT
I call bullsh*t.  The San Francisco Bay is about 1/3 smaller than it was in the days of Richard Henry Dana, all from "bay fill".  If folks hadn't tried to stop filling it up starting in the 1960's, things would be much worse.  There is no shortage of people wanting to fill it up and use the real estate.
myflap.blow
Apr 12, 2012 5:03 PM CDT
you're talking about companies that throw billions around like careless lotto winners... sure, suck down some more of my tax money for them, but ET and AL can buy their own damn sandbags!
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne