Should Americans even be building Levees, given their track record with these things ?

Question

I've never seen any other developed country have problems with Levees like the US does.

Answer 1

That's because we spend all our money on weapons and wars, not infrastructure. Not just the levees, but the roads, bridges, dams, rails, and just about everything else in America's infrastructure is critically in need of maintenance and upgrading:

http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/page...

We're spending billions to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan while our own country is falling apart? It's nuts.

Answer 2

Yes the US should build levees.  It is frustrating that they keep failing.  Practice makes perfect.

Answer 3

I have a great idea to cut down the need for levees. Stop building in the middle of swamps and on flood plains. The greatest nation in the world and they don't have the sense to stay out of the water. Even a ten year old knows that an earthen dam can't hold against moving water. Watch kids building a dam. The smart ones use rocks and bricks.

But then they are not the ones doling out your tax dollars to the cheapest bidder either; are they? Levees do a great job of keeping out rising lakes but they just don't work when there's a current undermining them.

Answer 4

No, they should not rebuild the levee's. A river, any river especially the Mississippi, is going to claim its own one day or another. If you build in the flood plain the river will come calling sooner or later. Why can't they back off to some elavated area. It doesn't have to be a mountain but an area that will provide a natural barrier and naturally designed to keep flooding waters out. I have sympathy for these people and their losses but like I said, the river will claim what's hers.