Hesco barrier levee breaks-Downtown Davenport flooded

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BoxsterCy

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Yes, it tells you that the values for a 1% flood that were calculated in the 1960's may need to be adjusted due to a number of reasons that have been mentioned above, including the building of levees, tiling of fields, increased impervious cover of land, etc.

Plus the 1% designation for insurance and regulatory control is now seeming a little arbitrary. Too many folks just outside a mapped risk zone think they are safe from flooding without even referencing elevations. You could be on the edge and be 10 feet elevated above the 1% or maybe just a few inches higher depending on the topography.

One big improvement is you can access so many of the floodplain maps online now. When I first started with the Corps of Engineers it was a big deal to have the printed maps available to us (by the hundreds in huge library bookshelves folders). If people are paying attention FEMA is also attempting to put things into language that helps more with assessing risk and not just insurance requirements for lenders. Even the Corps terms in my career went from "flood control" to "flood damage reduction" to "flood risk management".
 

Gunnerclone

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And such meaning things like people who are prominent figures being recorded in Roman records as having lived when the Bible says they lived in the places it says they lived and events like the flood and Noah’s Ark having been proven archeologically to have occurred.

But I’m sure it’s nothing more than a fiction story. ;)

Two of every animal on that ark? Zebras, Giraffes, Lions...just hundreds of years after dinosaurs and fully developed humans lived together! Amazing TRUTH BOMBS
 

CtownCyclone

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Plus the 1% designation for insurance and regulatory control is now seeming a little arbitrary. Too many folks just outside a mapped risk zone think they are safe from flooding without even referencing elevations. You could be on the edge and be 10 feet elevated above the 1% or maybe just a few inches higher depending on the topography.

One big improvement is you can access so many of the floodplain maps online now. When I first started with the Corps of Engineers it was a big deal to have the printed maps available to us (by the hundreds in huge library bookshelves folders). If people are paying attention FEMA is also attempting to put things into language that helps more with assessing risk and not just insurance requirements for lenders. Even the Corps terms in my career went from "flood control" to "flood damage reduction" to "flood risk management".

Exactly. When I lived in Houston, I was very far away from even the 500 foot flood elevation. In reality, it was like maybe a foot higher. Being generous there. If it had rained even an hour more during Harvey, the house would have had water coming in.
 
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CtownCyclone

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So how was I wrong? And do you mean that the actions of humans are able to affect the environment? I'm really not certain what you're arguing here. Are you saying that this is entirely due to landscape changes and not climate changes?

I'm saying you don't understand what the numbers mean. I'm saying calling it a 100 year flood is misleading. I'm saying statistics don't always make immediate sense.

Let's talk about coin flips. If you flip a coin 100 times, statistically, you'd have 50 heads and 50 tails. How often does this actually happen? What if you get 60 heads and 40 tails? Is the coin unbalanced? Or is it a nuance of statistics?

I'm not saying anything about a topic that belongs in the cave one way or another. I am saying that there are a lot of things that have changed in the 50+ years that the original numbers have been calculated. If you can't agree with that, I don't know what to tell you.
 

BoxsterCy

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I'm saying you don't understand what the numbers mean. I'm saying calling it a 100 year flood is misleading. I'm saying statistics don't always make immediate sense.

Let's talk about coin flips. If you flip a coin 100 times, statistically, you'd have 50 heads and 50 tails. How often does this actually happen? What if you get 60 heads and 40 tails? Is the coin unbalanced? Or is it a nuance of statistics?

I'm not saying anything about a topic that belongs in the cave one way or another. I am saying that there are a lot of things that have changed in the 50+ years that the original numbers have been calculated. If you can't agree with that, I don't know what to tell you.

This. FEMA isn't even calling them 100 year flood ones but 1% probability zones now. It's 1% chance in any given year, not 1 in 100 years. In determining flood elevations and possible damage over a projects life cycle the economists I used to work with would run huge monte carlo simulations of odds and probabilities. Back in the day they'd have to run it all weekend on our old low power P/C's and hope they didn't crash over the weekend!
 
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madguy30

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And such meaning things like people who are prominent figures being recorded in Roman records as having lived when the Bible says they lived in the places it says they lived and events like the flood and Noah’s Ark having been proven archeologically to have occurred.

But I’m sure it’s nothing more than a fiction story. ;)

Isn't it believed that Noah was like 500 years old?

...and God's word?
 

alarson

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And such meaning things like people who are prominent figures being recorded in Roman records as having lived when the Bible says they lived in the places it says they lived and events like the flood and Noah’s Ark having been proven archeologically to have occurred.

But I’m sure it’s nothing more than a fiction story. ;)

The worldwide flood described by genesis most certainly has not been 'proven archaeologically to have occurred', in fact the consensus is generally against it. Also, roman records wouldnt really be relevant to Genesis though.
 

Mtowncyclone13

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The worldwide flood described by genesis most certainly has not been 'proven archaeologically to have occurred', in fact the consensus is generally against it. Also, roman records wouldnt really be relevant to Genesis though.

I'm a practicing Catholic and we were taught the flood was mostly a carry-over from the Epic of Gilgamesh and that while there is no evidence of a worldwide flood there are instances of localized or regional flooding, that to an ancient person, could be understand as their "whole world".

But anyway, is Davenport getting back to normal or is it getting worse?
 
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harimad

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Even if it's just a story. The story is from 2000 years ago. Right?
Wait. You’re serious? You said you don’t post insane stuff.

And wow. The flood, if it were real, was more like 4000 years ago.

And, while we’re discussing historical facts, don’t forget the Kessel Run (less than 12 parsecs) happened around 9.7 billion years ago. I bring it up because it proves that when it seems there’s no way out, it only seems that way. Visionaries like Han Solo can show us the way. We can beat climate change.
 
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Wait.
And wow. The flood, if it were real, was more like 4000 years ago.
I saw an episode on History or some channel on this theory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_deluge_hypothesis

Basically states that around 8,400 BC the Mediterranean Sea had a rapid rise and spilled over and flooded the Black Sea. "Civilization" that was around that region at the time was severely impacted, the event was orally retold over the years as the great flood. They estimate that the Med Sea waters poured inland for approx one year before equalized/stopped.
 

TruClone

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I'm a practicing Catholic and we were taught the flood was mostly a carry-over from the Epic of Gilgamesh and that while there is no evidence of a worldwide flood there are instances of localized or regional flooding, that to an ancient person, could be understand as their "whole world".

But anyway, is Davenport getting back to normal or is it getting worse?
Normal is a long ways off. We are now at around 50 days of above major flood stage (18 feet), river is supposed to crest today at 22.4', which is a few inches from an all time record. More rain coming and could delay crest with a new record high. Really don't see much relief any time soon.
 

CtownCyclone

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Well, they've got a close up view now. I'm wondering if there are retractable options (kind of like Saylorville has to raise the dam a bit)? I guess it depends on how long of low spot they have there as to whether that would be feasible.

Yeah, that's not going to work. The whole riverfront floods on the Iowa side.
 
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BoxsterCy

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Well, they've got a close up view now. I'm wondering if there are retractable options (kind of like Saylorville has to raise the dam a bit)? I guess it depends on how long of low spot they have there as to whether that would be feasible.

Bettendorf has some sections of floodwall that folds up that goes along with their levee system. It folds down into a walkway. There are other versions of take down barriers, like Flood Control Americas, which was used for a short section in East Grand Forks. Their system was Euro company based but did need modification to meet Corps standards. It requires posts and beams to be assembled for each flood. Expensive, labor intensive and you have to have storage for a LOT of pieces when it is not in use. Original design contained a fracture critical element that Corps engineers no likied. FEMA is not keen on certifying projects that make extensive use of these systems, it's mostly for short sections or for road closures and such. The St. Paul Downtown airport has extensive sections of it but that project is not FEMA certified. It provides protection from flood damage but it's considered low risk enough to get the airport mapped out of the 1% flood one.
 

Boxerdaddy

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I'm saying you don't understand what the numbers mean. I'm saying calling it a 100 year flood is misleading. I'm saying statistics don't always make immediate sense.

Let's talk about coin flips. If you flip a coin 100 times, statistically, you'd have 50 heads and 50 tails. How often does this actually happen? What if you get 60 heads and 40 tails? Is the coin unbalanced? Or is it a nuance of statistics?

I'm not saying anything about a topic that belongs in the cave one way or another. I am saying that there are a lot of things that have changed in the 50+ years that the original numbers have been calculated. If you can't agree with that, I don't know what to tell you.

AGAIN, you're saying things i never said...i do understand how statistics work...i never said that it only happens once per 100 years. You're trying to take a small sample size and say that's what i'm saying. No no and explicitly no. I feel like i'm taking crazy pills here. A 1% chance over the long run will give you one out of every hundred...not necessarily this hundred but when you average them all out. If i have to explain what an average is to you, then I don't think I can continue this conversation.

But since you won't agree that the document you even cited states them as 100 year floods or 500 year floods or that the terminology is THE SAME F%$CKING THING...lets move on from that.

Lets call them .2% or 1% floods then. You don't think the fact we've had 7 of these in the last 26 years is concerning? That .2% chance has been happening an awful lot. To hit that .2%...if it doesn't hit that mark again...you'd need 3500 years. So over 1000 years before Jesus was born. You can argue the terminology all you want but these are statistically significantly high.

This. FEMA isn't even calling them 100 year flood ones but 1% probability zones now. It's 1% chance in any given year, not 1 in 100 years. In determining flood elevations and possible damage over a projects life cycle the economists I used to work with would run huge monte carlo simulations of odds and probabilities. Back in the day they'd have to run it all weekend on our old low power P/C's and hope they didn't crash over the weekend!

100 year flood and a 1% chance are the same thing. It's only different if you're misinterpreting the definition. They both occur..on average...once every 100 years.
 

madguy30

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The worldwide flood described by genesis most certainly has not been 'proven archaeologically to have occurred', in fact the consensus is generally against it. Also, roman records wouldnt really be relevant to Genesis though.

I checked on it and only Christian websites have the info.

I refuse to believe someone lived for more than 400 years (or really like age 40 at that time) and that a virgin had a kid.

My Maury watching days have me guessing Joseph totally knocked her up, and there should be a spoofed movie or skit about it.

I think he tried to divorce her too. The first deadbeat dad?