IS IT TRUE PART 2: April 27, 2011: Commissioners to Declare State of Emergency

16

IS IT TRUE that Mole #3 predicts that the Vanderburgh County Commissioners will approve a Declaration of a State of Emergency for all of Vanderburgh County tonight?…that Mole #113 states that the gates to the entrances to the city have not been tested for nearly 10 years?

Flooding at the 1st Avenue Bridge

IS IT TRUE that the water level at the intersection of Pigeon Creek and First Avenue is only 22 inches below the road just after the bridge and next to Kleymeyer Park?…that the combination of the water level, today’s rains, the even heavier rains upstream from Evansville, and the blockages at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi could make for a rapidly rising situation for our water levels?…that we are sure that the Army Corps of Engineers will do their best to make sure that urban areas with low populations are used to hold water to the fullest extent before allowing the levels to really get out of hand in populated areas like Evansville?…that the people of Evansville may just owe a debt of gratitude to Newburgh and Shawneetown where flood levels are over 10 feet above flood stage?

IS IT TRUE that the place where the flood gates are to be inserted if needed do not appear to be poised for use as the brand spanking new gate supports down by Casino Aztar are?…that the gates that need to be located and tested are not the brand new gates down by Aztar?…that the gates that need to be tested and poised for deployment are the 1942 gates that were designed and built as a result of the 1937 flood that our questions are regarding?…that there are over 20 such sets of gates at the entrances to the City of Evansville where floodwall breaches were needed for transportation purposes?…that a tour of a good number of these levee breach locations did not yield even one single location where any apparent gate deployment has been done?…that we have been warned that the Ohio River at Evansville could rise as much as 6 additional feet?…that this is a lot more than 22 inches and that the gates will most certainly be needed if this occurs?…that we had all best hope that the river does not rise any more and that the gates will be located and placed in a maintenance program for future needs?

IS IT TRUE that Memphis Minnie and Joe McCoy wrote a song called “When the Levee Breaks” that was the inspiration for the Led Zeppelin classic by the same name?…that you can hear the original version by Memphis Minnie below?

IS IT TRUE that the version most of you have familiarity with is below:

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

16 COMMENTS

  2. Okay, so what is CCO conveying here? What are you saying the crest will be? 46.9 or 47 feet? Let’s see. That would be 377.0 + or – above sea level. So, what is the sill plate elevation in those gates? Come on, let’s not deal in generalities. Get down to brass tacks here.

  3. Oh, by the way, river got to 47.52 in 1997. Remember that? Let’s not cause a panic unless USCOE predicts something in excess of 48 feet.

  4. Why has no one in any of the media, that is in the Evansville area has produced a “flood map” or a projected flood map?
    Hydroligists have that map. Do they think they are protecting us from panic?

    • Flood maps are highly variable depending on the degree of backwater flooding versus headwater flooding, as well as the interrelationship of both plus the duration and intensity of storm systems within the larger watersheds and subwatersheds.

      For example, in a purely backwater flood, such a “flood map” would be easy to generate by simply following the contour line marking the highest vertical depth of the Ohio River as it falls across the county from east to west. For example, at 6:00 p.m. this evening (4/27), the river achieved 45.83 feet on the river gauge at Evansville. Since “0” on the gauge = 329.18 feet above sea level, then 45.83 = 375.01 feet above sea level that the Ohio River achieved across Dress Plaza.

      So, if this were a purely backwater flood, you could generate a flood map for the south half of the county, including all of the city, by simply tracing along the 375.0 countour lines where land is connected by adjacency or by pipes and channels. But if while the river stands at 375.0 at the mouth of Pigeon Creek, and there were say a 3 – 5 day period of heavy downpours, like 6 inches of rainfall, throughout the Pigeon Creek watershed all the way up to Princeton, then Katie bar the door! There would be a headwater flood at or above the 100-year level even though the river stage was not nearly at its 100-year elevation.

      So, each combination generates a different localized “flood zone” in real time while the “flood maps” published by FEMA hydrologists are conceptually based on computer models using “best available data” rather than real time data. Bottom line, no way to produce a 100% accurate flood map for this year’s flood. Each flood establishes it own real time flood zone.

  5. Thank you Soon2b for explaining in detail the issues with flooding. The CCO is being totally irresponsible and trying to panic people during an already stressful time.

    • Actually what we did is call for reassurances that the gates and all associated hardware are in working order and immediately deployable if needed. Those reassurances have not been announced by any public official. The silence is deafening given the state of our parks, fire engines, etc. Gates take maintenance too and this administration is not exactly known for having functional maintenance programs.

    • I think valid questions have been asked as to how long has it been since these flood walls have been tested, do the responsible parties know where everything is in order to install these walls and do they have the know-how to install them? Now is the time to ask such questions, not a couple hours before they have to be used. The Army Corps of Engineer designed levees and flood walls in New Orleans failed when Mother Nature put them to the test due to years of neglect and changes that were made after they were installed. Canals were dredged to be made deeper, which lessened the amount of footing that the flood walls were sitting in making them weaker. What changes have been made in Evansville around the levees and flood walls since their initial design/construction that could impact their effectiveness?

  7. National Weather Service has lowered its Ohio River crest prediction from 46.9 to 46.8 feet at Evansville. The river stood at 46.0 feet at 6:00a CDT, 4/28. Moderate flood stage = 48.0 feet, and major flood stage = 52.0 feet.

    Still, this flood is cause enough for caution and thoughtful outreach to your neighbor and community. There is a staging area for sandbagging on the Northside in the church parking lot at St. George Road and Oak Hill, and there are volunteer activities other than filling and delivering sandbags associated with that effort.

    Remember also that wild animals are seeking high ground and may end up on the roadways at night. Drive slowly at night and be on the lookout, because you have a high likelihood of suddenly encountering animals, high water across the road, flood debris, emergency workers, stalled vehicles, or other road hazards especially when traveling on roadways through the floodplain … stuff you might not usually encountered at other times.

    And don’t get all impatient or downright stupid and drive through high water. That stuff is cold, my friend, and hypothermia is not something you want to risk.

  8. “that we have been warned that the Ohio River at Evansville could rise as much as 6 additional feet?”

    Aw, come on! By whom? Anyone credible? Most certainly, NOT the Corps of Engineers or NOAA. They are NOT predicting anything remotely close to that. Who is such a genius that they can accurately proclaim these organizations are missing the mark by 4 or 5 feet? I’m afraid that once again you are sounding like FOX. Please don’t do that. You’ve got a good thing going here. Don’t screw it up with blatant sensationalism. Your value as a news outlet depends directly on your credibility.

    • Right on!

      Chicken Little alarmism is not needed or appreciated.

      For example, if today the river is at 46.0 feet, give or take a few inches, then 800,000 cubic feet of water is flowing past Evansville every second of every minute of every day that the river stands that high.

      If the river were to rise 4 feet above that level (to 50.0), then 1,101,700 cubic feet per second would flow past Evansville, or roughly 38% more water than today. Imagine that!

      And if the river rose that rumored “5 feet higher” than today, we would be at 51 feet with 1,170,000 cubic feet per second flowing past Evansville. That would take nearly a 46% higher volume of flood water to achieve. Quite a radical volume to achieve in three days.

      I’d like to think instead, like Magic Man, that the USCOE and the NWS has a better grasp of reality, and has forecast correctly that we should anticipate instead a crest of 46.8 feet on Saturday, April 30 … or roughly 11% more volume of flow than today. Sounds so much more comforting, doesn’t it?

  9. Where are the aerial photographs of the flooding? Why do the media limit themselves to photos of sandbagging and reporters standing at “Road Closed” signs?

Comments are closed.