In this article from the Sacramento Bee rightfully lauding the increase in our flood protection resulting from witnessing what happened in New Orleans, what is neglected is the fact that Sacramento has only increased our protection to 200 year protection—from the 100 year protection we had—which is still below the 250 year protection that New Orleans had when Katrina hit.
The gold standard is 500 year protection and the only way to obtain that for Sacramento is to build the Auburn Dam (which we support) and as a 2008 report to the American River Authority notes (page 19).
An excerpt from the Sacramento Bee article.
“Katrina was both a natural and a man-made disaster, and in California, it had special resonance.
“Many communities here – from Sacramento to Stockton to canyon neighborhoods in Southern California – face a threat of deep flooding. Katrina served a reminder of perils that can arrive with a single Pacific storm.
“Californians responded. On Nov. 7, 2006, voters approved a $4.1 billion bond measure for flood control. Proposition 1E was the largest single investment Californians had ever approved for upgrading the state's flood defenses, and it was remarkable for several reasons.”
