Comments on: Moving People out of Floodplains to Protect Them and Wildlife http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/moving-people-out-of-floodplains-to-protect-them-and-wildlife/ The National Wildlife Federation's blog Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:40:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Alan Gregory http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/moving-people-out-of-floodplains-to-protect-them-and-wildlife/comment-page-1/#comment-13216 Alan Gregory Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:13:00 +0000 http://blog.nwf.org/?p=49969#comment-13216 Reading this spurred memories of the many dozens of homes and businesses that are imperiled every time the north branch of the Susquehanna River floods. I know it well as I lived near the Susky for twenty years. One “solution” that often crops up in media coverage is “dredge the river.”

]]> By: Bryn Fluharty http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/moving-people-out-of-floodplains-to-protect-them-and-wildlife/comment-page-1/#comment-13075 Bryn Fluharty Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:57:26 +0000 http://blog.nwf.org/?p=49969#comment-13075 Thank you for your comment.
It is not that we should stop development it is that we need to develop in ways that are safe for people and wildlife. Flooding is a unique type of natural disaster in that developing in floodplains not only puts people in danger but also takes away area for endangered species (in our case here in the Northwest it harms salmon). Earthquakes, tornadoes and other natural disasters are not critical for the survival of our wildlife like flooding is. That being said it is not that we should completely stop developing in floodplains but that we should develop in a low impact, sustainable way. Programs like the NFIP should ensure that their projects do not negatively impact wildlife and that they are actually safe for the people living there.
Moving people out of certain areas and restoring floodplains is a great way to improve things for people and wildlife. Much of our current infrastructure that is supposed to protect people such as levees are prone to failure. Of the 16 federally declared flood disasters in Puget Sound, 10 have had levees over topped which has cost us $125 million.
We can certainly not avoid developing in areas that are prone to hazards such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes or certain floodplains. We can however be sure in all of these areas that our infrastructure is safe for people. Building earthquake safe buildings is a smart thing to do in areas prone to earthquakes. We must acknowledge that we sometimes live in disaster prone areas and make adjustments in the way that we live and build to help minimize damage to ourselves and the planet.
Please let me know if you have any more questions or comments. You can read more about our work on floodplains here: http://www.nwf.org/Regional-Centers/~/link.aspx?_id=8F3697F98AF240E2B6802E15A29070FF&_z=z

]]> By: BrianCarter http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/moving-people-out-of-floodplains-to-protect-them-and-wildlife/comment-page-1/#comment-13070 BrianCarter Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:52:00 +0000 http://blog.nwf.org/?p=49969#comment-13070 So you are saying that an area likely to flood, a natural and unavoidable cycle, should not be developed for human habitation? Would that also apply to areas prone to hurricanes? for tornadoes? for earthquakes?

Should Los Angeles be prohibited from human settelment because an earthquake may strike?

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