Engineers: 122 levees at risk of failing

Yahoo News ^ | February 1, 2007 | BEVERLEY LUMPKIN,

[Clintonfatigued]

One hundred twenty-two levees from Maryland to California are at risk of failing, according to a list released Thursday by the Army Corps of Engineers.

There could be danger to people who live in communities near some of the levees as well as a chance that they will have to pay more for insurance, said Butch Kinerney of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's national flood insurance program.

The list was released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by news organizations, including The Associated Press.

If the Corps of Engineers determines a levee to be at risk of failing, homeowners in the area could be required to purchase flood insurance, though exceptions can be made.

Communities near the levees have been notified that they have received an "unacceptable maintenance inspection rating." That means a levee has one or more problems, which can include movement of floodwalls, faulty culverts, animal burrows, erosion or tree growth, according to a statement released by the Corps.

California, with 37 suspect levees, and Washington state, with 19, led the list.

FEMA's Kinerney said he was concerned that the levees present not only a chance of higher insurance costs but a danger to those living nearby. FEMA maps flood plains and helps determine the flood risks that communities face.

Kinerney said people living near the levees should have an evacuation plan, a family emergency plan, and a disaster supply kit, along with flood insurance.

The Corps has been warning communities they need to take care of routine levee maintenance, said Larry Larson, director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. Larson said he was glad the Corps was putting out the word on the levees.

[editor-surveyor]

Last time I drank whiskey and rye I was singing too ;o)

[SierraWasp]

But look at TODAY's headline in the same liberal rag!!!

[Mila]

"I drove my Chevy to the levee and the levee was dry."

Or as they say down here,"Drove my Chevy to the levee and the levee was.....gone."

[leprechaun9]

The title of the list is USACE Levees of Maintenance Concern

It really is a surprising list. States with ZERO Concerns along the East Coast:
Maine, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina.

However, Puerto Rico has 4 listings!

Along the Gulf Coast, states with ZERO Concerns:
Mississippi, LOUISIANA, Texas!

My question is what was the real criteria to have a levee listed?

[Fresh Wind]

Are you saying that it's risky living where a pile of dirt is the only thing between you and a wall of water?