Some see human link in severity of U.S. floods

[Neil D]

Ok, Redwood,

this is what happens when you travel back to Iowa and flush the toilet a few too many times. At least, could you, would you make a better effort to conserve the water over there? Shane is at the end of one of those rivers, and I think he would appreciate it if you would stop wasting the water.....

CHICAGO, June 19 (Reuters) - Natural disasters like floods are normally blamed on nature, but some experts believe humans are at least partly responsible for this month's massive flooding in Iowa and elsewhere in the U.S. farm belt.

Human re-engineering of landscapes came into question as rivers overran their banks and more than 20 levees along the Mississippi River failed, inundating thousands of acres of prime farmland and displacing nearly 40,000 people.

Iowa's natural grassy wetlands have been replaced by highly efficient industrial agriculture, a machine that churns out more corn and soybeans than any other U.S. state. However this change has also compromised the ecosystem's ability to absorb large volumes of rain.

Several areas of the state have received more that three times normal rainfall since the beginning of the month.

"Pre-settlement, most of Iowa was under water, a shallow wetland type of system. That landscape has been altered for production purposes so the hydrology of the area has changed radically in the last century-and-a-half," said Kevin Baskins, spokesman with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Farms have installed underground drainage systems and rerouted streams and creeks to protect crops, speeding the rate of water run-off to rivers, he said.

The shallow root systems of corn and soybeans planted annually throughout much of the state do little to slow the speed of water run-off, prompting calls for more farmland to be converted back to native grasslands.

Baskins said: "With civilization, there come trade-offs. There are cases like this when you realize that the river is much more powerful than we humans are and there are some places that we have to give back to nature."

CLIMATE CHANGE LINK?

Concerns about global climate change have also popped up after record snowfall in parts of the Midwest were followed by abnormally heavy spring rains.

Many are calling this year's flood a 500-year-flood, meaning there is only a 0.2 percent chance every year for flooding of such magnitude, although the last such flood was just 15 years ago.

Iowa State meteorologist Elwynn Taylor said a cyclical weather pattern has soaked the region for the past 30 years and drier weather will eventually return.

Others, like Iowa State University agricultural meteorology professor Gene Takle, disagree.

"There has been in the last 30 years a tendency toward more heavy rainfall events in the central U.S. We have a past trend and our models, based on increased greenhouse gasses produced by humans, indicate that the trend will continue."

But he cautioned: "Was this particular event linked to global warming? No, I can't say that with any certainty."

Still, some argue the flood was more a case of bad luck.

"We had 15 inches of rain in a week. That's a whole lot of water. We're looking for someone to pin this on, but floods are a natural phenomenon." (Additional reporting by Andrew Stern, editing by Alan Elsner and Peter Bohan)

[Dr. Shane]

Floods are naturally occurring and are good for the land in the long term. In the short term it is bad because we lose this year's crops. In the long term the land will be more productive. The big problem is property damage. I am a firm believer that homes built in flood plains should be required to be two story with the first story being built of concrete or masonry without any carbon-based materials which are subject to mold. That type of design would decrease the property damage a flood does dramatically and make clean up much easier.

[there buster]

you may not be aware of this flooding is going on around me. Right now. Vinton, the little town where I buy my groceries and gas, experienced flooding 9 feet above flood stage. Getting from here to Cedar Rapids/Marion, where our church and many business opportunities are, always depends on crossing the Cedar River.

This last Tuesday, for example, we had to go to Cedar Rapids for a chiropractor appointment. From Waterloo 35 miles to the north of us to Iowa city, 50 miles to the south and east, there was exactly 1 bridge over the Cedar. That was the I-380 bridge. It was also the only bridge from one part of Cedar Rapids to another. At rush hour, the traffic in the southbound I-380 lanes was bumper-to-bumper, stationary, and backed up for 10 miles from the city center.

My younger daughter and her husband live in the Vinton. They lost power a week ago Wednesday morning, and only had a partially restored by Friday. Throughout the entire town, people are on partial power generated by portable generators from out-of-state. The local bank sign keeps flashing mentions is about the flooding, including that use of air conditioning is prohibited.

One of my wife's coworkers lives in the flooded area of Cedar Rapids. Floodwaters came into the first story of his house to a depth of 22 inches.ordinarily, his house is about a half-mile from the river. A friend of mine owns a piano and organ store, and we're afraid the floodwatersmust have reached a height of 3 feet or more in his store. That would make all the pianos into a showroom a total loss. Worse, he has a home along the shores of the Cedar River. Given its location, the waters probably cover the roof.

Slowly, one by one, bridges are opening in neighborhoods are being re-inhabited. But the main road north out of Vinton suffered washouts for about 2 miles. Another State Highway that one of our church member chooses to come to church as washouts that stretch for a great distance.

So far, we have been blessed, in that there have been few fatalities. But many square miles of houses are filled with noxious mud and the stench of death and decay. Quite a number of houses have been damaged beyond repair.

Probably just as many people have been dislocated here as were in Katrina. But Iowans are resourceful lot. We don't sit around and whine and blame others. We roll up our sleeves and work. Thousands upon thousands of sandbags are filled and stacked by volunteers. And now is the floods are passed volunteers are cleaning up those same sandbags.

At one point, nine rivers in Iowa were floating at the same time.

Most won't remember, but in late February had an ice storm here that left many without power, some for as long as two weeks in very cold weather. Then this last winter was the snow is on record. We were snowed in at least part of a day until late March. Just this spring, power companies completed repairs to the scores of power poles broken in the ice storm. So it's been a pretty rocky 18 months. And now it will be years before the flood damage has been repaired.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I've been worried about how you were faring...

[there buster]

My family-- and church family are merely inconvenienced. Many others have severe losses.

[Woody]

Neil .... All I can say is that I do not accept responsibility for the flooding. I know NOTHING about it. The flooding IS terrible. But it depends upon the meaning of 'is'. Therefore ... It could not be MY fault. So, I will continue to flush my toliet thank you.

[Neil D]

Neil .... All I can say is that I do not accept responsibility for the flooding. I know NOTHING about it. The flooding IS terrible. But it depends upon the meaning of 'is'. Therefore ... It could not be MY fault. So, I will continue to flush my toliet thank you.

Just like a conservative redneck....Refusing to take responsibility is like sticking your head in the sand [mud]and hope you don't drown [shaking head]...what to do with you, Red....what to do....

[Woody]

I may be 'Red' and I may have a 'neck' ... but I am not a 'redneck'. And there just may be some present on this highly esteemed forum .... that may object to you callin me 'conservative'. Now ... I clearly would accept that label. I started an entire long winded thread on that topic. But, there were many of whom objected.

Now ... of Flooding.

[olger]

[Woody]

Olger .... the topic is the flooding of water in the US ... not the flooding and floating of words as you presented.