There Will Be Flood

2024/12/6

Planet Money

People

希

希思·琼斯

温

温德尔·库罗尔

Topics

温德尔·库罗尔：路易斯安那州南部沿海地区面临着海平面上升和飓风等自然灾害的严重威胁。几十年来，他与联邦政府合作，参与了当地防洪堤坝的建设。然而，卡特里娜飓风后，他意识到联邦政府的风险评估和工程标准过于保守，难以有效应对日益严峻的自然灾害。因此，他不顾联邦政府的许可，自行加高堤坝，以保护当地社区。他认为，联邦政府的成本效益分析忽视了人员生命安全，而他更关注的是如何以最快速度、最低成本，有效提高堤坝高度，最大限度地保护居民生命和财产安全。他通过说服当地居民增加销售税筹集资金，并最终成功地加高了堤坝，在艾达飓风中保护了社区免受洪灾。 Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi 和 Mary Childs：他们讲述了温德尔·库罗尔的故事，展现了联邦政府在自然灾害风险管理中的局限性，以及地方社区在面对自然灾害时的困境与努力。希思·琼斯：作为陆军工程兵团的紧急情况经理，他代表联邦政府的立场，解释了陆军工程兵团的风险评估体系和工程标准。他承认温德尔·库罗尔的努力，但也强调了遵守联邦政府的工程标准的重要性，以确保堤坝的长期安全性和稳定性。他指出，联邦政府的风险评估体系考虑了更广泛的因素，并需要在有限的资源下，平衡不同地区的防洪需求。虽然温德尔·库罗尔的行为违反了规定，但其结果是积极的，陆军工程兵团也愿意重新考虑将他的堤坝纳入联邦项目。温德尔·库罗尔：他认为，联邦政府的风险评估体系过于保守，难以有效应对日益严峻的自然灾害。他强调，加高堤坝是应对飓风的关键，即使这意味着承担更高的维修成本，也必须优先考虑保护社区。他认为，联邦政府的成本效益分析忽视了人员生命安全，而他更关注的是如何以最快速度、最低成本，有效提高堤坝高度，最大限度地保护居民生命和财产安全。他通过说服当地居民增加销售税筹集资金，并最终成功地加高了堤坝，在艾达飓风中保护了社区免受洪灾。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did Windell Curole decide to build his levees higher without federal permission?

Windell Curole decided to build his levees higher without federal permission because he believed that adhering to the Army Corps of Engineers' standards would be too slow and costly, leaving his community vulnerable to hurricanes. He opted to build as high as possible, as quickly as possible, to protect his community from potential flooding.

What role does the Army Corps of Engineers play in flood protection?

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for building and maintaining levees, flood walls, and pump stations to protect communities from natural disasters. They conduct economic assessments to determine the feasibility of flood protection projects and collaborate with local communities to implement these solutions.

How did Hurricane Katrina impact the Army Corps of Engineers' approach to levee construction?

Hurricane Katrina led to a major rethink of levee construction requirements, focusing on enhancing structural integrity. The Army Corps of Engineers changed their specifications to ensure levees were built with more robust materials, often at higher costs, to prevent failures like those seen during Katrina.

What was the outcome of Windell Curole's decision to build higher levees during Hurricane Ida?

Windell Curole's decision to build higher levees proved successful during Hurricane Ida. The levees managed to keep floodwaters out, preventing major flooding and likely saving lives. The storm surge reached within a foot of spilling over the levees, highlighting the critical need for elevation.

How did the local community react to Windell Curole's efforts after Hurricane Ida?

After Hurricane Ida, the local community expressed gratitude to Windell Curole for his efforts. People gathered and clapped, thanking him for the successful protection of their homes and lives. This moment was unexpected and deeply moving for Curole.

What is the Army Corps of Engineers' stance on Windell Curole's rogue levee construction?

The Army Corps of Engineers acknowledges the success of Windell Curole's levees during Hurricane Ida but cannot officially sanction his methods due to legal and financial constraints. They emphasize the importance of adhering to their standards for the broader safety of all communities they protect.

What long-term challenges does southern Louisiana face in terms of flood protection?

Southern Louisiana faces the long-term challenge of land subsidence due to changes in the Mississippi River's sediment flow, which is causing the land to sink back into the Gulf of Mexico. This exacerbates the risk from rising sea levels and more powerful storms, making effective flood protection increasingly difficult.

Chapters

Windell Curole, a local leader in southern Louisiana, explains the existential crisis his community faces due to rising sea levels and the importance of building levees to protect against hurricanes.

Southern Louisiana is sinking due to reduced sediment from the Mississippi River.
Windell Curole has spent 40 years working with the federal government to build levees.
The community is in a race against time to protect itself from increasingly powerful hurricanes.

Shownotes Transcript

Windell Curole spent decades working to protect his community in southern Louisiana from the destructive flooding caused by hurricanes. His local office in South Lafourche partnered with the federal government's Army Corps of Engineers to build a massive ring of earthen mounds – also known as levees – to keep the floodwaters at bay.But after Hurricane Katrina called into question the integrity of those levees, Windell decided to take a gamble that put him at odds with his partners in the Army Corps. He decided that the best thing he could do to protect his community was to go rogue and build his levees as tall as possible as quickly as possible, without federal permission.On today's show, what the story of Windell's levee can teach us about how the federal government calculates and manages the risk of natural disasters, and how those calculations can look a lot different to the people staring straight into the eye of the storm.*This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and Mary Childs. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Valentine Rodriguez Sanchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts) or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney).*Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)

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