Search

A letter to the editor is presented concerning factors behind flooding in southern Louisiana on August 11, 2016 including the marginal condition of the majority of earthen levees in the United States and anomalously high temperatures which contributed to record-high moisture int he atmosphere.

The article discusses the threat to California's levees as a result of a drought as of August 2015, noting problems such as soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition, land subsidence, and future flooding risks in relation to similar situations in Australia, the Netherlands, and Texas.