Lets avert our attention off from all the news that has shocked the world with many different views, and look back to the U.S. for a period of time. In Memphis, Tennessee there has been a downpour of rain, creating a very high flood, which officials have said had to evacuate 1,300 residents near the flood area. The city has had as much as 48 ft- a outstanding record which had not been accomplished since the 1930's.Many officials,and policemen say that there is nothing to worry about when it comes to the Levees, that they will not break down, but with so much water washing into town, that seems too much for levees to handle.20,000 bags are at the ready if the collapse of the levees were to happen, but is that enough to save the city?
So do you think this is normal flooding for that part of the country, or is it more about some mysterious global warming everyone is experiencing? Do you think the levees will hold and protect the town from such water, and can 20,000 bags really be the life saver of this situation?
5 comments:
Unfortunately, man and nature have to put up with one another in this world, and a yearly flood is no exception. Much like the people in the Bay Area live here and accept the risk of an earthquake, so too do residents on the banks of the Mississippi accept the risk of a flood. Sure, these swells are larger than normal, but hey, the people who built the levees say they'll hold just fine, so why should we have any reason to doubt them? Plus, Graceland is safe, according to the article, so why get all worked up over nothing in the first place?
Now I don't know much about environmental science, but I'm pretty sure that the Mississippi floods every year. One year of overflooding doesn't correlate to a "mysterious global warming" effect. On the other hand, I believe if the levees break, the city will flood. The bags seem like a half-hearted backup plan, but that's just be.
On a side note, Grizzles all the way!
-Ryan Yu
Mississippi is in an area where weather is at its extremes. The flood was bound to happen, but yes, the intensity of the flood may be global warming related. As far as the levees go, who knows. The thing that we should be worrying about it evacuating people from nearby cities, just as a precaution. This flood wont last forever so at least keeping everyone safe until its settled would be beneficial.
It's really bad that Tennessee has to face things like this on a yearly basis while we Californians barely ever think about our own neighborhoods being flooded.
Here's something really interesting. The 2010 Tennessee floods from last year were called "1000-year floods". What this means is that a flood of the same magnitude only devastates that region once every 1,000 years. So after experiencing impossibly bad luck, the people of Tennessee have to go through the same ordeal once again-only a year later. I don't think it is global warming that is causing the flooding in Nashville because flooding happens very often in that state. But the people of the state are indeed very unfortunate, unfortunate enough to being stricken by massive floods for two consecutive years.
In addition, 20,000 sandbags might prevent the town from being destroyed in its entirety, but the damage will still happen. The level of the water that was generated by the rain will exceed the height of most barriers that could be created. With only 20,000 sandbags, only part of the city could possibly be saved.
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