levee

Mike Stone, left, and Andy Sherman in the pumping station for Hannibal, Mo., during a flood in 1993. The city has since constructed a flood wall, and flood managers have built up levees to protect against flooding. But scientists warn those structures are

National
Science
Environment

Levees Make Mississippi River Floods Worse, But We Keep Building Them

11:15am May 21, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

For more than 150 years, scientists have known that levees increase flood risk on the Mississippi River. That hasn't stopped local officials from building up levees in response to more severe floods.

Water spills into New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward through a failed floodwall along the Industrial Canal on Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina tore through the city

National

Billions Spent On Flood Barriers, But New Orleans Still A 'Fishbowl'

7:41pm August 31, 2015

by John Burnett

People in New Orleans say the city finally has the storm defense system it should have had before Hurricane Katrina — at a cost of $14.5 billion. Now someone needs to cover the cost to keep it strong.

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