The rain came down and the floods came up...

When I was a child, I learned the song about the foolish man and the wise man. The foolish man built his house on sand, while the wise man built his house on a rock. In due course, the rains came, and the flood waters rose, and the house on the sandy foundation washed away, while the house on the rock stood strong.

This, of course, is a metaphor for being strong in the face of adversity. But there are also some interesting implications for our world.

I recently attended a conference at Texas A&M University at Galveston. There, people from various disciplines discussed how global climate change will affect natural disasters, including excessive rainfalls, drought, and rising sea levels. Whether or not you agree that the impacts of the industrial revolution are contributing to the cycles of warmer temperatures, the effect of this global climate change are real and have significant impact on those of us who live close to water and the attendant climate conditions.

Hurricane Sandy (or Super Storm Sandy, if you prefer) had a significant impact on the way people think about disaster mitigation. This is in part due to the sheer numbers of people affected by the storm. But it also sheds light on what planners can do to help their communities remain robust and resilient in the face of the unknown and unpredictable.

This morning, I heard this story:

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/10/166858481/sandy-forces-questions-about-waterfront-rebuilding

This fitted very well with things I'd heard on Thursday regarding the way we look at building in and around the flood plain. The flood plain is designated by the federal government at a "base flood elevation (BFE)" that shows where in an extreme event - such as a 100 year flood, or, better said, a storm which in any given year has a 1% chance of happening - will impact the ground. Property and houses built in this area will have 1 foot of coverage. It is thus a good idea to either not build in the 100 year flood plain, or to build in such a way that the impact of the water is mitigated. Since it's not really practical in our area to force people not to build in a flood plain, there are things we can do to make sure that the flood waters do not impact property/structures.

Among the things we discussed at the conference was the need to elevate structures out of the flood plain. There are two ways to do that - either build a small, elevated mound on which to construct, or to build one's house on piers above the ground. The first method seems to be more popular of late, because it is what the market seems to want. We build structures high enough that the water gets pushed off to either side and out to an extensive system of drainage channels which take the water to the natural drainage ways. This has a big impact on the natural systems, and although engineers try to mitigate the impact, it is unclear how that impact affects the overall ecosystem. The second method, of course, has a lesser impact on the natural drainage system, but for whatever reason it's less desirable. Interestingly, building on piers was the traditional mode of construction in the south for a long time. Building above grade helps with circulation, and using piers that are treated or made of concrete/steel reduces the potential for termites/mold/rot associated with being at ground level. This is the only acceptable mode of construction in many coastal areas, and could have a resurgence in more inland areas as well. Regardless of method, though, it was generally agreed that it is important to require that structures be built out of the flood plain - 18" to 24" higher than BFE.

It was also highlighted how important it is to build structures to be resilient to structural damage in high winds or flood waters. While we don't build on stone/bedrock like they did in the song I noted above, we pour strong foundations and/or use strong piers to make our structures sound and strong. They are built according to industry standards and are inspected for integrity and strength. We are in a hurricane prone area, and we should be assured that our homes and businesses are able to withstand the storms that come.

The effects of global climate change are yet to be fully realized. There will be impacts on all of us, and we should plan our communities now with both active and passive steps taken to provide resilience. This should come in social, environmental, and economic ways. These three legs of sustainability are not only good for our community in the short term, but provide a foundation for strength in perpetuity.