I throw this out for discussion.
While I sympathize with Irene's vicitims , the aftermath raises some interesting questions :
1. Should there be Federal Flood Insurance ? Doesn't it encourage people to live in flood prone areas ? Why are we building in flood zones ? If people want to build too close to a river or the ocean shouldn't THEY bear the risks of storm damage and/or flooding ?
2. Shouldn't there be a serious re-think about our land use policies ? A BIG share of the blame for Katrina goes to the Army Corps of Engineers for decades of trying to mess with the natural flow of the Mississippi , futzing around with wetlands, building levees and canals in the wrong places etc. etc. A similar argument was made about the Forest Service policies which ended up increasing the severity of Western forest fires a few years ago.
3. Why aren't we imitating the Dutch who have avoided the kind of flooding problems that we deal with on a regular basis ?
4. Why aren't we expanding and deepening river beds in the Northeast so they can handle more water ?
5. Why are many Third World countries doing a better job of land and water management than we are ? Canada never seems to get this kind of flooding and they have a LOT fewer dams than we do ? Is there a connection ? They also don't have National Flood Insurance afaik.
I would argue for an overall policy more in harmony with things like naturally flowing waters and historical flood plains.



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