Flooding Prevention
The City of Pittsburgh built a downtown parking garage on the banks
of the Monongahela River. When the river floods, they simply close the garage
until the water recedes. Since downstream floods on a major river are predictable,
there is plenty of time to move the vehicles out. (Photo: Pittsburgh Parking Authority.) The best way to prevent flooding is to prevent people from building within the 100 year flood plain of any stream, no matter its size. Usually these areas make the best park space; so little infrastructure is damaged during a flood event.
If a city must use the flood plain for structures, the best policy is to build buildings that won’t be significantly damaged by a flood. Parking garages, parking lots, athletic fields, agriculture, nurseries are all compatible uses.
If you do build your house in a 100 year flood plain, all mortgage lenders require you purchase flood insurance from the federal government. Even if you don’t live in a flood plain and your house or apartment is damaged by flooding for any reason (a water main breaking, a blocked storm drain, etc.) no private insurance company will cover your losses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a detailed website on assessing your flood risk and purchasing flood insurance. Twenty-five percent of flood loss claims are filed in low to moderate risk areas.
This is the end of the lecture. Please continue on to the Global View, and then the Assessment.