Thank You Army Corps. of Engineers...

[trailrider894]

I would like to personally like to say, to the army corps of engineers that today, while driving up on a now flooded town, that i saw a sign that said " the destruction of this town is presented to you by: The Army Corps. Of Engineers....". I think they should all go move into the flood plane and then see how they like it... I think that nature it run its course and the shouldn't get involved... Its like the people that they are saving are worth more than us... I know the arguement goes both ways, but they shouldn't have touched a damn thing....

[rbgnwa45]

So.... what happened?

[Fred55]

When you go to college for over four years for civil engineering then I think you can make the judgement on whether or not they should have done anything. The floods would be magnitudes worse if it weren't for what they do in controlling the rivers.

[smr]

some people will never be happy.

Why are you blaming the Corps of Eng? The people of nashville didn't blame them when thier town was destroyed last May.

Believe me, if it wasn't for them managing the rivers not only would you be living in the dark but flooding would be much worse.

[derekhonda]

Originally posted by Fred55
When you go to college for over four years for civil engineering then I think you can make the judgement on whether or not they should have done anything. The floods would be magnitudes worse if it weren't for what they do in controlling the rivers.

I don't hold a degree in engineering, but I can still think what they did is wrong.

To me, you get all these people that have it both ways, and that isnt fair. If you want to build your house in a flood plain and live on or near a river, so be it. Just know, WHEN THE FLOOD COMES, your house will be destroyed....

...That is, unless the Army Corp of Engineers deems it is better to flood out the smaller village or all the farmers and their land and livelyhood that do not live on a flood plain or near where the river would flood too, in order to save the bigger village that does.

No, that is the true defination of not fair.

[Fred55]

Originally posted by smr
some people will never be happy.

Why are you blaming the Corps of Eng? The people of nashville didn't blame them when thier town was destroyed last May.

Believe me, if it wasn't for them managing the rivers not only would you be living in the dark but flooding would be much worse.

Not only would the flooding be much worse, it would also happen each and every year and without much warning as well.

I believe, and I think most would agree that the monetary losses of flooding farmland, fields, pastures etc are much much less those of flooding a town.

[derekhonda]

Well then, I'm sure you would be first to volunteer your small town if they ever needed a place to drain lake michigan too in order to save all the million dollar houses on the gold coast in Chicago.

[kbnorth99]

I understand that you are angry and I can't imagine how much it must hurt to see your community go through something like that. But.... The Army Corp of Engineers did not decide to build the levee systems. The State and Federal governments decided that it was needed for flood control, to reclaim residential and agricultural land, etc. The government contracted the Engineers to build and maintain the systems. The Engineers didn't just get up one day, develop a god complex and start screwing with mother nature. If you want to voice your anger and frustration, do it at the people responsible not the hard working people that people that did what they are charged to do.

It is all about money. More land means more real estate taxes and more production of goods to be taxed and more places for the residents to live. The Army Corp of Engineers didn't get any of that money. The State and the residents of that area got that money. If you remove the levees and hundreds of thousands of acres of land become unusable, then the State loses and the residents lose. It's a numbers game. Is the probable damage acceptable when weighed against the benefits? But of course that doesn't account for the human toll. The toll it takes on the people who get flooded out and lose everything.

Unfortunately those folks who own property there should be aware of the fact that they were in a flood plane. It's in the paperwork when you buy the property. It has to be disclosed by law and the homeowner's insurance will make them aware as well. I live in an area where earthquakes and raging wildfires is a very real danger. I realize this and it is a risk I willingly accept because I like other things about where I live. If my home is destroyed by an earthquake I would be hurt and angry but I made the decision to live here.

Blaming the Engineers for this is like blaming the a match for starting a fire instead of the arsonist that struck the match.

I don't want to add to your frustration and I don't mean to sound like I am criticizing you, but I also don't want to see hard working innocent people get bashed for something that is not their fault. Write to your Congressman and voice your anger if you like but bashing innocent people will not get you anywhere.

[derekhonda]

Hes not mad at the engineers for building the levee system, he's mad at them for relieving stress on the levees by blowing them up and flooding areas that are not at all at risk for flooding from the mississipi river, in order to save the areas that are at risk for flooding (even with the levee system in place)

[derekhonda]

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[kbnorth99]

Originally posted by derekhonda
Hes not mad at the engineers for building the levee system, he's mad at them for relieving stress on the levees by blowing them up and flooding areas that are not at all at risk for flooding from the mississipi river, in order to save the areas that are at risk for flooding (even with the levee system in place)

AH! Thanks for straightening me out.

[79400ex]

what he's mad about is the corp. hold to much water behiend the dams during the winter knowing that record snow fall has to melt and not thinking about heavy rain fall in the spring in the same area. They held the water afraid if they let to much out and no snow melt the governor in them state would be mad for no tourism dollars from low water levels in them lake. This not the first the corp. has cause flooding due to poor magement.

[rundrave]

Originally posted by 79400ex
what he's mad about is the corp. hold to much water behiend the dams during the winter knowing that record snow fall has to melt and not thinking about heavy rain fall in the spring in the same area. They held the water afraid if they let to much out and no snow melt the governor in them state would be mad for no tourism dollars from low water levels in them lake. This not the first the corp. has cause flooding due to poor magement.
first off let me state that I am by no means supporting the core and their decisions.

up here we are obviously having issues with the Missouri river and its system of dams etc. Letting too much water out during the winter when there is ice on the river will cause ice jams and significant flooding (happend to Bismarck, ND 2 yrs ago) so the CORE is basically in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

not to mention the river basin in Montana recently had more rain in a 30day period than they normally see in a an entire average year. To top it off alot of snowpack in mountains is just now starting to melt.

I dont think anyone on here is an engineer and can logically predict what the CORE should or shouldnt have done. There is lots of variables to figure out. Bottom line is that mother nature is the determining factor and there is a $hit load of water heading south. To top it off its not going to be a over night deal this high water is going to be around for months.

[atvracin74]

I live in southeast missouri and i feel for the people who lost here homes... we have all kinds of people from a ways away coming to my church none the less it sucks

[honda400ex2003]

I have a good idea here too check this out: no offense to any engineers, they just do what they are told, the people are the idiots...

New Orleans~ Brilliant Idea: lets build a city that is below the level of the sea! WOW that sounds great! lets build here in this low lying area that needs a dam to keep the water out.

Dam breaks, its the engineers fault, not the idiots that live there... what the heck is that? I know im not living there, I like my stuff dry. Guess where i live~ on a hill that will only see water if the oceans rise 50 feet. Some are smarter than others i suppose...

natural selection at its finest...



On a serious note, that sucks but you cant blame the engineers all the time... its def a sucky deal to lose eveything, thats for sure. I cant even imagine the problems associated with something like that.

God bless all who have lost anything from any of the recent tornadoes, floods, or other storms.

steve

[trailrider894]

Originally posted by honda400ex2003
I have a good idea here too check this out: no offense to any engineers, they just do what they are told, the people are the idiots...

New Orleans~ Brilliant Idea: lets build a city that is below the level of the sea! WOW that sounds great! lets build here in this low lying area that needs a dam to keep the water out.

Dam breaks, its the engineers fault, not the idiots that live there... what the heck is that? I know im not living there, I like my stuff dry. Guess where i live~ on a hill that will only see water if the oceans rise 50 feet. Some are smarter than others i suppose...

natural selection at its finest...



On a serious note, that sucks but you cant blame the engineers all the time... its def a sucky deal to lose eveything, thats for sure. I cant even imagine the problems associated with something like that.

God bless all who have lost anything from any of the recent tornadoes, floods, or other storms.

steve

I am watching the waters rise in my hometown... Buisnesses are preparing all of there stuff to move out... All of this for one town...

Wipe out 10 Cities on the River to save one city... 10=1??? You do the math...

[honda400ex2003]

dont get your panties in a bundle...

that blows man, you can send the foot of water i lost out of my lake into the mississippi over the past couple of days back to me if you wish. yes, my water goes into there from the wisconsin river.

tomahawk wi 54487 is the town and zip you will need.

thank the canoe races they had in wausau this weekend for helping out some more of your flooding a bit. :D cheers to that! 6000 + acres of water dropping a foot in 3 days really makes the resort customers happy. the kayak races will be coming soon, the lake will go down 6" a day for a week during those. enjoy it down there for me would you?

steve

[honda400ex2003]

contact WVIC- wisconsin valley improvement company with your issues also. thank them for opening the dams in northern wi to let the water head south bound. Rice reservoir is the one i am on, willow flowage, lake nokomis(i live on nokomis)

im sure that they would be happy to hear from you. please tell them your displeasure and see what their response is.

we were 3" over full capacity until thursday night. friday, saturday, and sunday we lost 4" a day down river.

http://www.wvic.com/

staff@wvic.com is a email to get something started. Maybe a petition would be a good starting point signed electronically by people from your town and surrounding towns. Send it to every county and agency in every state all the way down the mississippi. thats my suggestion at least. we dont seem to get anywhere with them up here, maybe flood victims would be better to have contact them.

:(

steve

[honda400ex2003]

hows the petition coming along or the emails to wvic?

steve

[honda400ex2003]

http://www.smilieshq.com/smilies/sign0163.gif (http://www.smilieshq.com)

lets hear some more ideas for how to make sure this doesnt happen again.

steve

[derekhonda]

I believe they've already set the presedence that bigger towns down river are more important that small farming villages. So, I'm not sure what writing wisconsin would have anything to do with it, since the corp of engineers did all their damage in missouri. On top of that, your posts are very hard to read and don't really add anything to the conversation we were having, but I'm glad your guy's rice crop was save from being 3 inches over flooding...and that you are having fun with your canoe races...:confused:

[fastredrider44]

Originally posted by derekhonda
I believe they've already set the presedence that bigger towns down river are more important that small farming villages. So, I'm not sure what writing wisconsin would have anything to do with it, since the corp of engineers did all their damage in missouri. On top of that, your posts are very hard to read and don't really add anything to the conversation we were having, but I'm glad your guy's rice crop was save from being 3 inches over flooding...and that you are having fun with your canoe races...:confused:

x2:o

[trailrider894]

Originally posted by fastredrider44
x2:o

Agreed... just got down filling sandbads from 4 this morning till now... The water is coming... the flood of 1993, if anyone remembers that..... :eek2: was at 34' feet river depth and 32' is what is projected... It takes 27' to get into most of our small buisnesses.

[honda400ex2003]

if i had the time i would protest kayak races and canoe races. id even drill holes in their boats lol.

Derek, you havent been to northern wi or know what kind of terrain we have here, nothing like the southern part of the state with many farm areas. at least judging by your post it sounds like you havent. ill help you out a bit more with your comment on not adding to the conversation. my comments contribute in a way as to help stop this from happening again by not letting un-needed water head south.

my point was a rebuttal to the flooding at hand. we are losing water rapidly yet people in the south have too much water. Why would people here want to send it down stream when its flooding? That was my reasoning for stating to contact not only WI, but the rest of the states along the mississippi also. The main contacts are the people who run the dam system for the river itself and the tributaries of it, thus the reason for the contact of WVIC. they control all of the dams in the wisconsin valley, from the rice reservoir in northern WI to well past wausau and south which is hours away.

i hope i got it down to a level that you can understand. cause and effect at its finest... open the dams for useless stuff to have it flood south.

good luck with the sand bags, they will help for a bit anyway.

steve