levees News

Born After Superstorm Sandy’s Destruction, 2 Big Flood Control Projects Get Underway in New Jersey

HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP) — A decade after they were first envisioned in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy ‘s destruction, two of the largest flood control projects designed to protect the densely populated cities of New Jersey that lie just outside …

Rising Mississippi River Tests Iowa, Illinois Flood Barriers

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The rising Mississippi River tested flood defenses in southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois as it neared forecast crests in the area Monday, driven by a spring surge of water from melting snow. The peak water levels …

Federal Agency to Help Pay for Mississippi Flood Control

JACKSON, Miss (AP) — A federal agency has set aside money to help guard Mississippi’s capital city and surrounding areas against flood damage following two deluges in three years. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced Monday that it has …

Gulf Coast, Mississippi River Cities Eager for Flood Funding

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When Hurricane Ida hit last summer, a storm surge overwhelmed a levee and gushed into Ted Falgout’s coastal Louisiana home, destroying his furniture and the beloved framed photos of his twin sons kissing him on their …

Corps of Engineers Considers Nature-Based Flood Control

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is known for damming rivers and building levees to keep waterways at bay. But a new initiative seeks natural flood control solutions as climate change brings increasingly frequent and severe weather events that test …

Ida v. Katrina in New Orleans: Fewer People, Better Levees, Smaller Storm Surge

Hurricane Ida and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 made landfall within 50 miles of one other and each carried 150 mph winds at one point, but the amount of death and destruction caused by the two storms was vastly different because …

Lincoln Considers Steps to Avoid Flooding

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln’s defenses against Salt Creek flooding will face a stiffer test against heavier rains in the future, a study commissioned by the city found. The city installed the Salt Creek levee system in the 1960s to …

After Floods, Eureka, Region Rethink River Management

EUREKA, Mo. (AP) — Kathy Butler now keeps waders, rubber boots and water pumps in her law office. The old brick building on South Central Avenue wasn’t in the flood plain in the 1980s. But it is now. In 2015, …

Analysis: Louisiana Weighs Hefty Borrowing to Pay Levee Debt

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — After Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana delayed paying its debts for improvements to the federal flood protection system stretching across five parishes in the New Orleans area. The massive bill totaling as much as $3 billion is …

Her Car Was Crushed In Hurricane Zeta, Days After She Moved

NEW ORLEANS, La. — Looking back, there’s always that fateful moment. Coming home with hurricane supplies a few hours before Hurricane Zeta struck, Kimberly Laque parked her 1997 Honda CRV in front of Z’otz Cafe, about 30 feet back from …