Wednesday Week Ten

...some questions...

1. How variable is the flooding history of the James River Watershed? What are the biggest storms in the instrumental record for this watershed? Why was the flooding from Agnes the largest Flood at the James River in Richmond? Why was the flooding from Camile the largest flood at Buena Vista?

2. How do the flooding mitigation challenges differ between Lexington, Buena Vista, and Glasgow? Which city has traditionally had the greatest collective challenge? What are some of the things that Lexington has done to manage its flood risk? What are some of the things that BV has done to mange its flood risk? What are some of the things that Glasgow has done to manage its flood risk? What role has FEMA and USACE played in managing our local flood risks?

3. How does a floodwall work? How does a flood control-dam/reservoir work? Why does this prevent some additional reservoir/dam uses? How many flood-control dams are there in the lower 48? Where are they located? Are there any flood-control dams currently protecting us here in Lexington? If so, where are they?

4. What do the hydrographs upstream and downstream of a flood-control reservoir like like during a large storm event?

5.  Mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. What are flood mitigation steps that can be taken before, during, and after a flood? What are some of the major barriers to effective flood mitigation in the USA?

Slides from today are on Sakai.