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The U.S. Needs to Address Its Crumbling Levee System
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
48 kbps |
96 kbps
(93 seconds)
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
(OPEN):
THE UNITED STATES HAS MORE THAN 30-THOUSAND MILES OF LEVEES; THEY
EXIST IN EVERY STATE. SOME ARE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR
CONCRETE SYSTEMS; OTHERS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN PILES OF SAND AND DIRT,
CREATED BY FARMERS AS BARRICADES AGAINST RISING WATERS THAT CYCLICALLY
DESTROY THEIR CROPS. AFTER MORE THAN 100 YEARS, IT BECOMES
DIFFICULT TO GUESS WHAT IS HOLDING THESE HOMEMADE STRUCTURES TOGETHER--A
MIRACLE OF PHYSICS, OR JUST PLAIN LUCK. AS H-N-T-B'S
NATIONAL LEADER FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, ROB VINING [AS IN
"VINE"], EXPLAINS, THE NATION CANNOT AFFORD TO IGNORE THIS RISK...
(VINING):
"WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA STRUCK, I WONDERED IF IT WOULD BE THE
WAKE-UP CALL OUR COUNTRY NEEDED TO ADDRESS ITS CRUMBLING LEVEE SYSTEM.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WASN'T: WE HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON, ONLY TO HAVE
THE ALARM GO OFF AGAIN, THIS WEEKEND IN NEVADA. AND, THIS IS ONLY
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG: OUR NATION HAS MORE THAN 30-THOUSAND MILES
OF LEVEES--AND, IN 2005, OUR NATION'S LEVEE SYSTEMS RECEIVED A GRADE OF
'D' BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS' '2005 REPORT
CARD'. IN FEBRUARY 2007, THE U-S ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
RELEASED THE LOCATIONS OF LEVEES IN MORE THAN 80 U-S CITIES DETERMINED
TO HAVE ONE OR MORE DEFICIENT CONDITIONS--INCLUDING ANIMAL BURROWS,
EROSION, TREE GROWTH, FLOODWALL MOVEMENT, OR FAULTY CULVERTS--ANY OF
WHICH COULD PREVENT THE STRUCTURE FROM FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED."
(CLOSE):
VINING ADDS THAT THE SOLUTION REQUIRES BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS,
WORKING TOGETHER, TO IDENTIFY PRIORITIES, PRODUCE A PLAN, AND DEVELOP A
FUNDING STRATEGY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, AND TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU
CAN DO, VISIT
W-W-W-DOT-"H-N-T-B"-DOT-COM.
