A flood here puts us all in a disaster zone and the only sound protection that we should be reaching for is that shared by all other major river cities in the country, a 500 year level. For an excellent graphic showing this, go to the Department of Water resources webpage at http://www.levees.water.ca.gov/history/floodprotect.cfm
Address on high ground no assurance
Even top spots on flood map would face disaster.
By Deb Kollars - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, March 13, 2007
A little knoll here. A sharp crest of land there. A chunk of town wrapped by a railroad embankment.
They pop up like islands on local flood maps -- spots expected to stay dry even as the rest of Sacramento goes under water in a severe flood.
Some, such as the hills of South Land Park, come courtesy of Mother Nature. Others are the result of engineering feats from days gone by. One, the city landfill, grew taller with time but is hardly a safe haven.
"In a flood, you have an overland flow of water," said Stein Buer, executive director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA). "The water is flowing across the landscape. And the features of that landscape very much come into play."
Many who live in "micro-topographies," as Buer calls them, are grateful for an address on high ground.
But don't count them as smug. If a major flood hit, they know they would be surrounded by water and devastation.
