[StBernard] Levee Design

[Westley Annis]

 Great! I seem to be coming in when the "where's the beef" gets juicy <G>..

Actually, what many of us are worrying about is a repeat of history. The
greatest minds, thus far, in levee building and meteorology haven't come up
with solutions that has stopped what has happened. It could be augued by
some that on a perfect scenario (many would say Katrina was perfect--as it
slipped by humankind's effort to stop its trek), with enough storms hitting
the shores, fewer defenses to help curtail erosion and Cat "50" type
storm/surges <smile>..and little funds to help fulfil our needs, and other
variables, it's a matter of WHEN not IF.

I'm not either of above, so I'm wondering from a layman's perspective: What
guarantee would I have if simply ALL of the above mentioned scenarios were
in place as it seems the experts had confidence it would. In harm's way,
what can we expect this year, or next, etc..in a situation that makes my
goosebumps pop when in hurricane season and a powerful storm has reached the
Carribbean or Gulf? Should we be concerned or are we too negative because we
elect to protect whatever we cherish will again be in the line of fire?
Again, no criticism for any expertise the writers have, but once bitten,
twice shy can be a blessing or psychological disadvantage, depending upon
how we view any possibility/probability of reoccurance. (Lightning striking
the same tree?)..

=Jer=

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Deborah Keller wrote:
 
Also a factor in levee height is wave run up. In some geographic areas the
Corps assumes that the water will be still, such as an inland canal, and in
other areas there would be a wind driven wave running up the bankline or
shoreline, so the levee protection has to be a little higher to take that
into account and stronger to take the force of impact from a wave.

As a civil engineer, I'd prefer if we would all stop talking about
categories of Saffir-Simpson and be specific about the actual design central
pressure, max. sustained wind speed, storm surge, wind pressure, STORM PATH,
and SPEED OF THE STORM ACROSS THE AREA.

Also, the creators of Saffir-Simpson said after Katrina, that these were
approximations and that perhaps they need to re-think the numbers that fall
in each category. In other words, maybe a Cat 3 storm produces storm surges
greater t han 18 feet.