Including Beachfront Areas Week 3 Discussion

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Including Beachfront Areas Week 3 Discussion

New Orleans Levees and Coastal Stabilization

Initial Posting

The use of structural controls as a mitigation tool can be contentious. These mitigation controls are used to protect existing developments. They are used to control the hazard and not reduce it. On pages 102 – 103, the textbook states: “For a city like New Orleans, however, which is built below sea level and where relocation is impractical, levees can be used effectively to protect flood-prone areas.” It further states: “Other structural controls are intended to protect coastal areas. Seawalls, bulkheads, breakwaters, groins, and jetties are intended to stabilize the beach and reduce the impacts of wave actions.” Hurricane Sandy reignited the controversies surrounding the use of resources to stabilize and replenish coastal areas (including beachfront areas).

Provide discussion on the following questions:

  • Given the limited resources that may be available under the mitigation process is it economically feasible to restore these coastal areas and the levees with public funds?
  • Does the use of levees and coastal restoration provide effective mitigation to a region? In other words, does the use of these tools provide solutions to the problems associated with flooding, storm damage, and destruction?
  • Do you agree or disagree with these textbook statements? Explain your response.
  • Research a government and/or a private-sector report on the Internet to support your response. Everyone is required to post to my original question, support your response an explanation and provide the website URL of the research report you found. Cross-posts to the original question do not need to be supported with a website unless to you think it necessary.

Title of book: Introduction to Emergency Management (6th Edition) Author of book: George D. Haddow, Jane A. Bullock, Damon P. Coppola Chapter Title: Chapter 2 Natural and Technological Hazards and Risk Assessment Author of Chapter: George D. Haddow, Jane A. Bullock, Damon P. Coppola Year: 2017 Publisher: Elsevier Inc.