Flint River Flood 1994- Lake Blackshear

Monday, February 28, 2011

Montezuma Georgia Flint River Flood

The Montezuma Georgia Flint River Flood in 1994 was the most detrimental flood recorded in the United States history. The severity of it was due to a variety of natural causes and man induced problems. The flooding was first prompted with the tropical storm Alberto. Alberto brought substantial rain fall to the floodplain in Montezuma, Georgia. In conjunction to the heavy amount of rain pour there were human errors that increased the intensity of the storm. The levee broke at 8 pm on July 7th causing all the water that was previously contained to pour over and flood the region. It first started when the intense water pressure from the storm broke through the damns upstream. After the water travelled from where it was previously contained, it forced its way onto land breaking the levee.  If better precautions were taken to ensure that these dams and levees could withstand higher pressures then the storm would not have been as problematic.  It would be recommended to not put a power station, hospitals, or any other important infrastructures in a floodplain because it is in an area that is going to flood at one point or another.  The flood was so severe because 18 people died because of flooding and the power station was flooded, putting the city out of commission. Overall this storm wasn't the only cause for the deaths of the people in the Montezuma Georgia Flint River Flood of 1994. The combination of natural disasters coupled with human error resulted in loss of life and for the crippling of Montezuma Georgia.

No comments:

Post a Comment