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Frequent 1,000-Year Floods

Rebuilding today is like tossing the dice on climate change.

People can say what they want, but frequent flooding can be expected in the future. Will the floods be as large and significant as this event, Do you return?’ After another 1,000-year flood? We don't know.

It is a sad story repeated many times over all across the United States. There is a significant flood event. Declaring, "We are resilient!" people rebuild right where the damages occurred. Then, there is another devastating flood, as bad as the last one. What do you do then? Ellicott City's downtown business owners are facing that dilemma now. 

I suppose that decision may hinge on a number of factors. Do they own the building? Where are they in their business career — ready to retire? Maybe they can walk away. Then there are sentimental reasons of being born in the town, shopping on that street as a kid, etc.

I'm glad it is not me having to make the decision. However, the only thing I can promise is that there will be more floods, just look at the list of eight flood events detailed in the linked article — going back 100 years. Will it be two years or over 30 years before the next flood? I'm guessing it will not be 30, due to the urban development upstream from the town.

Claire Rubin shared the link above. 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.
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