sicilian cowboy, post: 386674, member: 705 wrote: I am also wondering about Dan McCabe....I though he was in a pretty low lying area.
Hope all is OK.
Angelo
I don't know about Dan.
There was some flooding in his area along the Tangipahoa River. There was some road flooding in his town too.
His Parish was one of the four placed on the Fed. Emergency Aid List but then again our governor is from
that parish. There were 2 deaths in his parish that occured much farther north of his town. Someone caught in car by overbank flooding and another who drove into a flooded ditch and was found when some of the water receded.
There used to be surveyor from Livingston Parish area but I don't think that he has posted in years.
I don't see how you can prepare for 15"+ of rain...Nothing around here is designed for that...I'd just send up a white flag.
Most city's design for maybe a 100-year storm..usually it's a 25 or 50- year.
I wish it was only ~15" of rain. I live in Watson, LA. As you can see by this Weather Channel graphic, we got over 31" in less than 3 days. More than the other LA has gotten in 4 years!
The thing that really caused huge issues is that none of the gage readings made sense compared to previous floods. For example, my employee had 6" in his house in 1983 (previous record of 41.5'). This time he got 6-8" with a crest of 46.2'). So he got 6 more feet of water with a crest only 4.7' higher. Where did the other 1.3' go? Same thing at my office. Water was 14" below the slab in 83 and we got 4.3' inside the building this time. Seems like there is over a foot missing somewhere. And down here 1 foot could mean thousands of homes. I suppose new construction built higher reduced the surface area and caused higher flooding.
I spoke with the owner of the building next door. Newer construction less than 10 yrs old. He said he built higher than the BFE (I don't know by how much). He still got over 2 feet in his office.
This event threw out all the record books and past history. If you look at all the previous records for the Amite River in Denham Springs, you'll see the previous top five events were all separated by less than 3'. Then this event shattered the record by 4.7'. How do you even plan for such an event???
On the plus side, since my entire subdivision was high and dry, I bet my property value just went up! Not many people around here can claim their house survived the great flood of 2016.
Historic crests for the Amite River at Denham Springs. This crest is just off the chart.
Robert Hill, post: 386648, member: 378 wrote: Why do you think the indigenous tribes of the SE and MS River flood way area were called the Moundbuilders? From Cahokia,IL, Poverty Point, La, Moundville,Al, Emerald Mound,MS and etc etc. They always picked up and moved to higher ground. Human Civilization was developed to combat flooding since the dawn of man.
That's a new theory to me. If you look at the Cahokia mounds you will see that a large number of mounds of various sizes were not designed to be the most efficient means of having local high ground. If you put two small mounds into one you get more height or area on top. And a great many mounds were on bluffs above a river, already high ground.
Bill93, post: 386733, member: 87 wrote: That's a new theory to me. If you look at the Cahokia mounds you will see that a large number of mounds of various sizes were not designed to be the most efficient means of having local high ground. If you put two small mounds into one you get more height or area on top. And a great many mounds were on bluffs above a river, already high ground.
major mounds were ceremonial in nature. Many were part of trade networks. But here in the South, Bill, many were along tributaries of rivers and bayous. Some were on lake shores where trade also occured. I have visited as many in LA,MS,AL and Fl. Most are near some body of water and trade route.
Which ones were on bluffs above a river? Let's recall that these earthworks were first built by primitive groups.
In my locale, I have noticed that quite a few mounds were used by early colonial
settlers as cemeteries.
I just sent a text to Dan McCabe, saying the surveying forum was asking about him. His response "We are good, waterlogged, but no flooding."
Lee D, post: 386643, member: 7971 wrote: It also happened in about 1995; I was living in an apartment in Kenner, west of New Orleans. We had an overnight storm that dropped 14" in a couple of hours; I awoke to discover that I lived on a rather small island. The sun came out, the pump stations came on, and the water went back down, but the damage was done.
I remember that flood, I was in Kenner back then also.
sicilian cowboy, post: 386674, member: 705 wrote: I am also wondering about Dan McCabe....I though he was in a pretty low lying area.
Hope all is OK.
Angelo
Thanks, we are good, our little town got hammered, flood waters got higher than the BFE in many areas, and non flood zones were also flooded.
We were told that the March flood was one of the worst in history, this flood was about a foot higher, lots of people were just getting back into their houses and now are flooded again. It is all very sad.
andrewm, post: 386720, member: 10888 wrote: I wish it was only ~15" of rain. I live in Watson, LA. As you can see by this Weather Channel graphic, we got over 31" in less than 3 days. More than the other LA has gotten in 4 years!
I thought the other LA was Lower Alabama! 🙂
The thing that really caused huge issues is that none of the gage readings made sense compared to previous floods.
I know absolutely nothing about the 83 flood but from the outside looking in, (arm chair quarterbacking) I would think that maybe the 83 flood was river water spilling the banks and flooding the low lying areas. This flood is from local rainfall that can't get into the river. It didn't come down the river and spread outward.
One would slope downhill from the riverbank out and the other would slope from the outermost areas toward the river.
James
JaRo, post: 386752, member: 292 wrote: I thought the other LA was Lower Alabama! 🙂
I know absolutely nothing about the 83 flood but from the outside looking in, (arm chair quarterbacking) I would think that maybe the 83 flood was river water spilling the banks and flooding the low lying areas. This flood is from local rainfall that can't get into the river. It didn't come down the river and spread outward.
One would slope downhill from the riverbank out and the other would slope from the outermost areas toward the river.
James
What I remember, the 83 flood was very widespread from Lower Louisiana to Arkansas. I drive from Fayetteville AR to New Orleans during it. Normally the ride would take 10+hrs, it took a day and half. Had to find a lot of back roads and I-20 flooded sending travellers everywhere,
The bridge into our town now flooded and was replaced shortly afterward.
One of the nice stories that I heard about this flood was about a trucker who helped a lot of people.
People/cars were stranded on I-12 in various small areas trapped by the water for 18-24 hrs. They banded like castaways on islands. One trucker who had a refrigerated truck made it available to moms with kids and elderly folk or anyone else that needed heat relief.
Robert Hill, post: 386757, member: 378 wrote: What I remember, the 83 flood was very widespread from Lower Louisiana to Arkansas.
That would confirm what I thought. This is a different kind of flood. It didn't come from upstream like the 83 flood did.
James
andrewm, post: 386720, member: 10888 wrote: I wish it was only ~15" of rain. I live in Watson, LA. As you can see by this Weather Channel graphic, we got over 31" in less than 3 days. More than the other LA has gotten in 4 years!
The thing that really caused huge issues is that none of the gage readings made sense compared to previous floods. For example, my employee had 6" in his house in 1983 (previous record of 41.5'). This time he got 6-8" with a crest of 46.2'). So he got 6 more feet of water with a crest only 4.7' higher. Where did the other 1.3' go? Same thing at my office. Water was 14" below the slab in 83 and we got 4.3' inside the building this time. Seems like there is over a foot missing somewhere. And down here 1 foot could mean thousands of homes. I suppose new construction built higher reduced the surface area and caused higher flooding.
I spoke with the owner of the building next door. Newer construction less than 10 yrs old. He said he built higher than the BFE (I don't know by how much). He still got over 2 feet in his office.
This event threw out all the record books and past history. If you look at all the previous records for the Amite River in Denham Springs, you'll see the previous top five events were all separated by less than 3'. Then this event shattered the record by 4.7'. How do you even plan for such an event???
On the plus side, since my entire subdivision was high and dry, I bet my property value just went up! Not many people around here can claim their house survived the great flood of 2016.
"How do you even plan for such an event???"
You don't. It puzzles me that most humans don't understand that they cannot control ALL naturally occuring events...
It's all about the dollars involved. Do it right once or relive the agony on a repeat basis for the rest of your life.
That's the message I share with foolish clients who insist on building as cheaply as possible.
This whole thread has gotten me thinking about climate change. Whether it's influenced by humans or not seems a bit irrelevant to someone whose been flooded out of their home and lost everything. Up here we've set a new record for the warmest seasonal temperatures this year, ever, averaged above freezing for the first time since records were kept. I'm not a scientist nor do I claim to be of any superior intellect than the next guy, but my basic understanding of climate is that it's an extremely complicated and dynamic heat engine. The more heat you pump in, the more extreme the fluctuations. The warmer the air, the more water it can hold. Louisiana has two big things going against it. It's proximity the Gulf of Mexico and the disappearance of marshlands and the subsidence of lands cut off from the silt deposits that historically replenish them from periodic flooding. Put it all together and I can only hope that what happened here doesn't foreshadow the new normal.
Holy Cow, post: 386781, member: 50 wrote: Do it right once or relive the agony on a repeat basis for the rest of your life.
The problem is deciding how high you have to go to avoid a future event. Those houses that weren't in identified flood zones yet had water up the eaves wouldn't have been helped much had their floors been built a foot, two feet, or even five feet higher -- they'd still have gotten flooded.
Jim Frame, post: 386871, member: 10 wrote: The problem is deciding how high you have to go to avoid a future event. Those houses that weren't in identified flood zones yet had water up the eaves wouldn't have been helped much had their floors been built a foot, two feet, or even five feet higher -- they'd still have gotten flooded.
That's the 'roll of the dice' we all take as homeowners. Most folks around here only purchase flood insurance if their mortgage company requires it. That usually means they are either in or adjacent to FEMA floodplains. Homes with 7' of water in them when they're not in a designated FP and 4 or 5 feet above the BFE is a head scratcher...but it happened.
Saw this today on FB. Be careful on "good deals" you find on motorsickles (or any vehicle) over the next 6 months. 😉
How high is an excellent question. Noah landed atop a mountain, I have been told. Being 170 feet higher than the nearest river and a quarter mile from the top of the watershed is a good place to start if one wishes to avoid flood conditions. The location may be considered mediocre by some, however.
When I started this thread, little did I know that in 24-36hrs time that there would be a flood of historic measure. I had a sense. So I would like to close this thread with these thoughts.
One of the constant redeeming attributes resulting from these events is the personal and collective concerns for neighbors and community. Everyone has experienced the consequences of these natural disasters that people suffer though here. So they are quick to step up with offering aid by various volunteer actions, fund drives and donations. Persons, families, schools, churches,businesses and other civic groups lead the way and this practice is taught to the young, showing them that this is way of life. Everyone has a realization of the urgency of oneÛªs actions to help others who need help.
ÛÏPeople on the river are happy to giveÛ -CCR
We live close to a river. Our young teen had a wonderful summer exploring the river with friends. Fishing, swimming, kayaking and swinging from a very nice rope swing into a nice pool of the river on hot summer days. We felt it was a wonderful way for him to experience his coming of age.
IÛªm not a meteorologist but maybe I could play one on TV. Here is a link to an article ( http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/08/louisiana_flood_of_2016_result.html ) that explains what happened to produce the rainfall..these are the NWS experts in Slidell Louisiana I thought that happened. We have had tropical depressions form in the gulf before in August. They are usually small systems with sub-hurricane winds. This system developed on land but was sucking in gulf moisture without the cyclonic effect to move it away or dissipate.
