Posted on 05/30/2018 7:11:30 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Climate change is hitting America as rain, and we’re making it worse.
Two years ago, Ellicott City, Maryland, was hit by a debilitating flash flood that turned the town’s historic Main Street into a raging muddy river. Scientists said the July 2016 rainstorm was a once-in-a-thousand-year event.
But on Sunday it happened again: 7 to 9 inches of rain fell in the area, 10 miles west of Baltimore, and another torrent swept cars and trees through town.
It’s a reminder that heavy rain, rather than rising seas, may be the earliest severe consequence of climate change. We’ve prepared for it in the worst way possible.
But climate change isn’t the only reason these disasters aren’t quite natural. Unchecked sprawl has built a concrete funnel around Ellicott City. “All this natural vegetation that would act as sponges is being replaced by concrete and impervious surfaces,” explains Stephen Strader, a professor at Villanova who studies environmental risk.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
> But climate change isn’t the only reason these disasters aren’t quite natural. Unchecked sprawl has built a concrete funnel around Ellicott City. <
What? You mean it’s possible that Global Warming did not cause this flooding? Environmentalists, you must act quickly here. Suppress this “concrete funnel” idea! Fire the guy who said it. Turn him into an unperson.
All bad weather must be due to Global Warming alone.
The bottom end of Ellicott City near the Patapsco River has been flooding since it was established in the early 1800’s. A little creek (called the Tiber) is routed under the city and when the (too small) tunnel gets overwhelmed with rain it scours everything on the low end of Main Street. Nothing new here.
It’s our fault, without us that 10.37” of rain would have been 10.3699” and no harm done.
“It’s a reminder that heavy rain, rather than rising seas, may be the earliest severe consequence of climate change.”
Or it may be heavy snow. Or it may be heavy wind. Or it may be hail. Or it may be cold. Or it may be....
Ok, Slate. Didya ever consider that the scientist may be wrong?
You know, the same jokers that can't accurately predict a hurricane season the year they're actually living in. Or the weather tomorrow?
Mebbe some H1B engineer or "affirmative" city planner jacked the drainage plans for the place? Mebbe it's another democrat controlled area with the usual "deferred maintenance".
Could be any number of contributing factors besides the weather.
Other towns in the area got the same rain but dealt with it ok?
There's always more to a thing than the agenda. d:^)
Heavy rain - running off paved-over watershed. Into a gully. Inside which a city was built.
Yeah no. Not humanity’s problem.
I wish they would stop politicizing weather and natural disasters to push their agenda.
Because there has been a flood prior to now.
This is not “climate change”, it is doing the same thing over and over (rebuilding in a flood-prone zone) and expecting a different result the next time, which IS the definition of insanity.
But maybe more to the point, “climate change” is a sort of insanity in its own right.
Oh Lord, give me the strength to change what I can, and the serenity to accept what I cannot change.
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Tax and spend, tax and spend. But never on the relevant issues.
There are various cities which are built at the bottom of a flood plain, and cities don’t want to admit this and put in massive drainage projects to correct poor planning.
I lived in some German village outside of Kaiserslautern for years. The village was mostly flat, but to the south...there was a massive flat plain (farmers field) which stretched out for around 1,000 acres, and it all sloped toward the village.
One day, I was viewing the weather and there was a particular front coming through at a very slow pace. Over the course of an hour...it probably dumped eight inches of rain in an area of 2 miles by 6 miles. That sloping field got the bulk of it. It flooded out the village and there was no way that the drainage system could handle it. Fair amount of damage to at least sixty houses in the village.
After that, the mayor agreed they needed a drainage system that was made to handle reality.
Maybe after this....Ellicott City will get smart and build a real drainage system.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/bs-ho-flood-insurance-map-20120516-story.html
Interesting link from 2012, discusses changes to Flood Insurance Risk Maps.
LOL! They expect that anyone reading their drivel has no concept of history. I suppose one day they will be right given our educational system.
Yeah, not buying the global warming crap. When we had one of those 1000 yr floods in NC back in...., I believe it was ‘99 [Hurricane Floyd]......anybody who received federal money, in the area I live, from FEMA, could NOT rebuild in the same location since it was a flood plain. We had a friend, apply the money they got to their flooded home, only to be told they had to leave after everything was repaired. But, now that I think back to it, the town of Princeville, which was flooded also, has rebuilt. Hmmm.....was that allowed because Princeville is an African American community?
the best comeback is to just laugh at them.
But on Sunday it happened again
No it didn't. The second one was a 1 in 283 year event. And the one in 1975 was a 1 in 78 year event...
If you build a town in a ravine down by the river this type of stuff happens!
Greedy Yuppies paved the area over.
Last time I checked there was only one probable maximum flood (PMF) in the US. That occurred in West Virginia near Parkersburg in the early 1900s. A PMF is the maximum flood that can happen. It vastly exceeds a 100 year flood.
Hope all those folks who flooded bought flood insurance.
And God bless Sgt. Hermond, a National Guardsman who died while attempting a rescue during the flooding...
National Guardsman's heroism in Ellicott City flood recalled as 'the most Eddie thing ever'
Wonder what the ‘72 flood from Agnes rates? I was around for that one. Looked pretty maximum to me. :-)
I lived in Virginia just across the river from D.C. and torrential Spring and Summer rains with spectacular flooding are the normal there.
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