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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: levees

levees stories: 24 news summaries

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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(Newser) - Even if the government somehow managed to re-create pre-Katrina New Orleans, it couldn't guarantee the safety of the city and its residents, according to a new report. The Army Corps of Engineers is rebuilding levees in anticipation of a “100-year storm,” but for a city of New Orleans’... More »

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Hurricane Katrina • New Orleans • flooding • reconstruction • Army Corps of Engineers • levees • peer reviews • National Research Council

 Fargo Braces for 
 Snow as Floods Ease 

Winter weather could cause waves to batter sandbag levees

Mar 30, 09 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Just as the Red River began retreating from Fargo's hastily fortified levees, the city's tired residents stared down a winter storm today that's expected to bring up to 14 inches of snow and wind-whipped waves that could worsen the flooding, the AP reports. Engineers aren't worried about the snowfall, but... More »

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severe weather • flooding • waves • Fargo • winter storm • snowstorm • levees • sandbags

(AP) - The bloated Red River briefly breached a dike early today, pouring water into a school campus in Fargo, ND. The mayor called it a "wakeup call" for a city that needs to be vigilant for weaknesses in levees that could give way at any time. "The campus is... More »

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school • flood • North Dakota • natural disaster • Fargo • levees • Midwest floods

 Little Progress on 
 At-Risk Levees: Feds 

State and local governments have done little despite post-Katrina crackdown

Dec 22, 08 10:22 AM CST
(Newser) - More than half the 122 US levees cited for being in disrepair after Hurricane Katrina still need to be fixed, according to Army Corps of Engineers data obtained by USA Today—with 18 states and Puerto Rico having levees considered unreliable in major floods. The worst offenders are Washington and... More »

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flooding • infrastructure • repair • Army Corps of Engineers • levees

 New Orleans 
 Levees Held — 
 but Still Flawed 

 Industrial Canal, 9th Ward still vulnerable

Sep 2, 08 2:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - New Orleans' levee system withstood the power punch delivered yesterday by Hurricane Gustav, but also revealed its continuing vulnerabilities, reports AP. The Industrial Canal flood wall was swamped, flooding again an area devastated by Katrina. The Industrial Canal is considered the system's Achilles' heel. The Army Corps of Engineers is... More »

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Hurricane Katrina • New Orleans • Gulf of Mexico • levees • Hurricane Gustav • Industrial Canal • Ninth Ward • National Audubon Society

 'Ghost Town'
 New Orleans
 Steels for Gustav

3 die in biggest evacuation in Louisiana history

Sep 1, 08 2:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - The last bus out of New Orleans drove off at 3pm yesterday, leaving behind a virtual ghost town, reports the Houston Chronicle. An estimated 10,000 residents are left in the hurricane-threatened city, now subject to a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew. Some 1.9 million Louisianans have fled Hurricane Gustav—the... More »

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Hurricane Katrina • New Orleans • National Guard • Louisiana • National Hurricane Center • evacuation • Mississippi River • Ray Nagin • Army Corps of Engineers • levees • Hurricane Gustav • Superdome

 Big Easy Not Ready 
 for '100-Year Storm' 

Official says city is up to pre-Katrina levels, but unprepared for bigger disaster

Aug 31, 08 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - With Hurricane Gustav set to thrash the Big Easy almost exactly 3 years after Katrina, Newsweek sits down with New Orleans Levee District executive director Stevan Spencer to find out what will change this time around. “We are better than before Katrina —we've raised the levees and strengthened... More »

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Hurricane Katrina • New Orleans • levees • hurricanes • Hurricane Gustav

New Orleans Braces for Gustav With Still-Weak Shield

Governor warns evacuations could start tomorrow

Aug 28, 08 4:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - A nervous New Orleans is bracing for Gustav, well aware that weak spots in the city's hurricane barrier could lead to catastrophic flooding if the storm strikes, reports the Times-Picayune. Some $13 billion in work remains to be done before the city can be considered relatively well-protected. Louisiana Gov. Bobby... More »

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New Orleans • Louisiana • flood • levees • Hurricane Gustav

 Levee Breaks
 Near Eastern 
 Mo. Town 

Sandbags best hope to save homes

Jun 27, 08 12:46 PM CDT
(AP) - A levee failed today in eastern Missouri, but emergency workers say they think an impromptu sandbag levee can save the nearby town. The breach about 5 am in the Pin Oak levee at a spot just south of Winfield slowly began to flood about 3,000 acres. The Army Corps... More »

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Missouri • Amry Corps of Engineers • levees • sandbags

 What to Do With the Sandbags? 

Less adrenaline, more toil ahead for Midwesterners

Jun 24, 08 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sandbags were saviors for many in the Midwest flooding—but as the waters recede, the hefty lumps remain, often weighed down by all the toxins in the water, the Washington Post reports. Bags can weigh 60-80 pounds even when dry, so heaving one after another to the curb for pickup... More »

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flooding • Mississippi River • levees • Midwest floods • sandbags

 Midwest Braces
 for Mississippi Crest 

River expected to hit high point today

Jun 23, 08 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Deluged midwesterners were preparing for tonight’s expected cresting of the Mississippi River, piling up sandbags to support levees, USA Today reports. Some residents have already moved to higher ground, while others are staying home to guard against looters. The river is likely to crest at a number of areas... More »

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flooding • Mississippi River • levees • sandbags

 Ragtag Levees Leave
 Midwest Soaking 

Locals and towns run disorganized barrier system

Jun 22, 08 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - As the Midwest battles massive flooding, the New York Times looks at the region's patchwork of homemade levees—which fail to meet federal standards and tend to spring unexpected leaks. Bill Clinton's White House advised a uniform levy system 15 years ago, but the report was read and forgotten. “... More »

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Iowa • flooding • Illinois • Missouri • levees • disaster • Midwest floods

commentary

 A Sandbagger Reflects 

Iowa man remembers a day at the levee

Jun 21, 08 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Even when it proves futile, sandbagging is an experience with its own unique rewards, writes an Iowa resident in the New York Times. “Passing sandbags is a personal thing,” Joe Blair notes in an essay. “The line may be 300 feet long,” but for you, “... More »

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Iowa • flooding • Iowa City • levees • Midwest floods

Pigs Survive Floods, Still
Buy the Farm

Iowa cops shoot
the porkers as they scramble on levees

Jun 19, 08 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - They managed to survive torrential rains and swam mightily through rising water, but a clutch of feisty midwestern pigs couldn't dodge a sheriff's bullet. At least a dozen porkers were shot dead this week as they scrambled on Iowa levees. "My gosh, it happens every day," snapped a... More »

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Iowa • flood • pig • levees

 Floods May be Linked
 to Development 

Environmentalists, scientists say continued building makes rising waters worse

Jun 19, 08 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Major development along the Mississippi since the last big flood in 1993 may have exacerbated the current crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports. Nearly 30,000 homes have been built around St. Louis on land that was underwater then, forcing the river into a channel half the size it was... More »

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Mississippi River • Army Corps of Engineers • levees • Midwest floods • national disaster relief fund

UPDATED

 19 Levees Now Breached 

More failures in Ill., Mo., swamp farmland

Jun 18, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - More levee breaks in Missouri and Illinois today put at 19 the number that have failed along the cresting Mississippi, Reuters reports, further swamping farmland. "They were lower level agricultural levees," said an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman. "We're also watching another seven levees that may overtop... More »

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flood • flooding • Illinois • Missouri • Mississippi River • Army Corps of Engineers • levees

 Iowa Flood Tide Turns Noxious 

Mix of sewage and chemicals poses danger to residents

Jun 17, 08 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Iowa floodwaters have become a toxic mess of sewage, chemicals, diesel, and animal carcasses, the AP reports, pushing some Iowans attempting to salvage possessions to update tetanus shots. "It bothers me, with everything that's in the water," said one resident. "I probably won't keep anything." Meanwhile,... More »

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Iowa • Mississippi River • sewage • levees • Midwest floods

 Floods Breach
 Des Moines Levee 

Authorities call for mandatory evacuation of area

Jun 14, 08 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Floodwaters breached a levee and a temporary barrier today near a residential neighborhood in Des Moines, forcing authorities to call for a mandatory evacuation of 270 homes, the AP reports. “There’s not anything else we can do,” said a city official. Storms throughout the region have killed... More »

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Iowa • water • Cedar Rapids • flooding • levees • Des Moines

updated

 Floodwaters Engulf
 Iowa's 'Flood-Proof' City 

'500-year flood' swamps Cedar Rapids' defenses

Jun 13, 08 7:05 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Cedar River has burst its banks and deluged Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports. About 9,000 people have been evacuated—including more than 170 from a hospital—and most of the city's downtown is under water. The river is still rising and is expected to... More »

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Iowa • severe weather • flood • Cedar Rapids • flooding • levees

 Levees Crumbling,
 Midwest Struggles
 to Stem Tide 

Aging infrastructure is barely coping with severe weather

Jun 12, 08 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - The worst flooding in 15 years has exposed some serious vulnerabilities in the Midwest's aging infrastructure, the Chicago Tribune reports. Levees, bridges, and dams, some a century old, are barely coping with severe storms—while some are collapsing completely. Dikes and levees broke in several states last week after torrential... More »

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Iowa • Wisconsin • Midwest • severe weather • Indiana • flood • flooding • Illinois • bridge • infrastructure • levees

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