Tag Archives: adaptation

Guest Blog: Let Them Flood

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By Richard J. Dolesh, Chief of Public Policy for the National Recreation and Policy Association

A pristine lake reflects snow-covered mountains at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

A pristine lake reflects snow-covered mountains at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (AP Images)

The destructive power of floodwater has been on full display in the U.S. this past year. From the damaging floods along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers this spring, to the coastal flooding and widespread storm damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, tens of millions of Americans have been inconvenienced or worse by flooding this year. The costs of damages will run in the tens of billions of dollars.

The U.S. has spent enormous sums to chop, channelize, and straighten rivers as well as to build vast levee systems to protect developed infrastructure built in floodplains. Yet in spite of these efforts, we continue to face grave threats and substantial destruction of property.

Extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other climate change conditions are likely to only make conditions worse and federal funding to address these infrastructure issues is likely to decrease significantly.

There is a better way to coexist with our increasingly flood-prone rivers and waterways and that is to just let them flood– but in a designed, calculated way, allowing rivers and inland waterways to fill natural floodplains that have been set aside as public open space and parks. These floodable parks can then serve multiple purposes as a means of retaining and controlling flood waters and also as areas for active public use and conservation.

The United States must re-think longstanding public policies that allow and even encourage inappropriate development in flood-prone areas, and replace such policies with a strategic vision that combines public land-acquisition with restoration of wetlands and natural floodplains and which will allow our rivers and waterways to become assets and contributors to the health of our nation’s infrastructure, not liabilities that are increasingly expensive to maintain.

One proven method of reducing the impacts of flooding on developed infrastructure is the Dutch model of “Room for the River” in which flood prone areas are set aside for crops, conservation, and recreation. When flooding inevitably occurs on these lands, it does not cause the wrenching disruptions and loss of life and property that occurs annually in the U.S. In a country whose land is 60% below sea level, the Netherlands have adopted a sensible long-term vision that strategically allows flooding to occur, but which produces minimal damage to valuable infrastructure or public safety.

More floodplains and flood prone areas should be strategically set aside as public open space, designed to conserve natural resources and programmed for public use with trails, greenways, blueways, and other outdoor recreation resources that conserve wildlife habitat, improve health, and contribute to livable, sustainable communities.

Parks that allow Room for the River can be a key solution to improving our nation’s infrastructure, reducing property damage and loss, and saving billions in taxpayer’s dollars.

Discussion question: What has your experience with flooding been?

International Innovations in Flood Adaptation and Mitigation

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Pakistani man carrying rope bed across flooded area

Pakistani man carrying rope bed across flooded area (AP Images)

Flooding is something that people have to deal with on a year-long basis. In some parts of the world, like India, there is a specific season of heavy rains and flooding, called the Monsoon Season; agriculture and day-to-day life is specially adapted to the specifics of this season. In other areas, floods are rare, like Hurricane Irene that swept through the Caribbean all the way up to the Northeastern United States in August, catching people by surprise and causing enormous damage. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of these flooding events, people are forced to come up with creative ideas to adapt to the coming floods and try and mitigate their effects. Around the world, people are accepting this challenge and adopting innovative techniques particular to their region.

In parts of Asia, it is well known that Mangrove trees and other vegetation planted along the coast provide protection against tropical storms and tsunamis. Forested wetlands provide a line of defense to coastal populations by reducing the impact of the wind and water of storms that batter homes and buildings, and the roots hold the sediment of the shore in place, reducing coastline erosion. To celebrate Earth Day 2010, the Timberland boot brand sponsored a day of planting mangrove trees in the Kuala Selangor Nature Park in Malaysia. This video shows a Timberland employee – and expert Mangrove planter – explaining the best way to plant the trees.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Local Coping Strategies Database has a case study on “Preparing for Floods in Northeastern Thailand.” The case study explores ways that some Thai fishermen and rice farmers have adapted to the flooding of the Songkhram River, an important branch of the Mekong River.

People who earn their living through fishing have developed a wide range of equipment that is appropriate to the conditions in the rivers and other wetlands. For example, when the water level is high, they use traps or fishing hooks. When it is low, they use mong and uan tap taling, a type of net that is anchored along the riverbank. People have adapted rice farming for different seasons. In years past, people practiced na pree, which is planning during the wet season. After repeated floods, they changed to practive na prang…planting during the dry season.

In the case of these Thai men and women, they have adopted special practices in order to adapt to the flooding they know is going to occur. In Malaysia, the Mangroves were planted as a preventative measure for future flooding.

On Friday, guest blogger Richard Dolesh, Chief of Public Policy for the National Recreation and Park Association, will tell you about one way the Dutch are adapting to floods: through floodable public parks, and his idea that the United States should adopt a similar system.

What has your experience with flooding been? Are there any innovations you and your region are making in adaptation and mitigation techniques?