Had to move around the article and cut unimportant crap out. A classic "who do you sacrifice" problem.

http://www.newspressnow.com/localnews/27720463/detail.html

Quote :

"CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — As the state of Missouri continued its failing legal fight to avoid an intentional levee break along the Mississippi River, residents in the flood zone below the earthen barrier cleared out Friday and hoped the cresting waterway would fall and spare their homes. The Army Corps of Engineers is considering a plan to use explosives to blow a 2-mile-wide hole through the levee in southeast Missouri’s Mississippi County, arguably to ease waters rising around the upstream town of Cairo, Ill., near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. A federal judge on Friday gave the corps the go-ahead to break the Birds Point levee, deeming it appropriate to ensure navigation and flood-control along the still-rising Mississippi. Missouri is fighting the plan out of fears that a levee break would unleash a torrent of water that would carve a channel through prime farmland, flood about 90 homes and displace residents. The rush of water also stood to cause an environmental catastrophe, the state argued, sweeping away everything from fertilizer to diesel fuel, propane tanks, pesticides and other toxins. Attorneys for the corps and the state of Illinois countered that the farmers already have land that’s flooded and have been given ample notice to clear their properties of anything toxic. Cairo’s mayor says the well-being of his 2,800 residents outweighs farmland that would be swallowed up by the rush. ... Even as Missouri appealed, residents in the flood plain appeared resigned to leaving. They had little choice Friday afternoon when authorities announced that power to the area would be cut off and National Guard troops would canvas the area to clear out stragglers. “They were told this probably ain’t their first rodeo. You know what’s happening,” said Mississippi County sheriff’s deputy Janice McCameron. Some of the residents have large farming operations, creating logistical headaches in moving large numbers of livestock, farm equipment and other possessions. ... The river’s crest at the Cairo flood wall could reach 60.5 feet — a foot above its record high — as early as Sunday and stay at that level before slowly retreating by Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Ky. Cairo’s wall protects the town up to 64 feet, but there is concern the lingering crest could put extra pressure on it and earthen levees protecting other parts of the city. ... As the legal fight pressed on, the corps gave a handful of reporters a first-hand look at the upper section of the levee Friday afternoon. The gravel-topped levee, next to a closed river bridge linking Missouri to Cairo, Ill., snaked its way along the river’s western bank. Two manholes were carved out by corps crews using backhoes and shovels, exposing embedded pipes into which a liquid mix of explosives would be injected to burst the levee. The river lapped at one side of the levee, edging its way to within two or three feet of the top."

4/30/2011 12:50:06 PM

when the levee breaks mama you got to move

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

4/30/2011 12:51:34 PM

I know of at least two towns in PA, that now live at the bottom of a lake, shit happens.

4/30/2011 12:53:19 PM

gunzz has packpride
tree has charlotte.com
peter has drudge

4/30/2011 12:57:40 PM

gotta have my niche

gotta have my cereal

4/30/2011 1:00:55 PM

hooksaw-style thread

4/30/2011 1:00:55 PM

I've been bolding article passages all along...get called out if you don't

4/30/2011 1:02:35 PM

you will see a cow

on top of a

cotton house

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 1:03 PM. Reason : fad]

4/30/2011 1:03:06 PM

Chandra approves of the blowout.

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 1:53 PM. Reason : i remember a time when hotlinking block didn't exist]

4/30/2011 1:45:45 PM

picture fail

4/30/2011 1:52:04 PM

the area that they would be flooding is part of the new madrid fault line by the way. that could turn into a huge disaster if they're not careful.

4/30/2011 2:15:49 PM

Quote :

"gotta have my cereal"

you son of a bitch, you couldnt resist, could you

4/30/2011 2:31:00 PM

Quote :

"A classic "who do you sacrifice" problem."

The Army Corps own the levee and they own the land that's going to be flooded downstream in the form of an easement. Flood plain maps show this easement owned by the Army Corps. The farmers who own/tend the land were informed about the easement before purchasing/tending and were told that if needed, the land would be flooded in case of an emergency. This should be a non issue. Blow the levee and save the townsfolk.

4/30/2011 3:03:55 PM

Quote :

"A classic "who do you sacrifice" problem."

we all know the answer to this question: poor people, duh. I'm willing to bet that if you look a little ways upstream or downstream, you'll find an area of rich people who will be spared by this action

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 4:01 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2011 3:57:51 PM

Quote :

"The Army Corps own the levee and they own the land that's going to be flooded downstream in the form of an easement."

So they own the 90 some peoples homes who are going to be flooded as a result of this as well?

I'm sure the govt. owns some of the land that will be flooded, but i doubt they own all of it. If they flooded my land that I made my livelihood off of, I would sue their asses off.

4/30/2011 4:02:44 PM

Won't the silt deposits from the flooding leave the land super fertile?

4/30/2011 4:32:39 PM

Yes, while destroying livestock, homes, and farm equipment that could not be relocated.

I do agree that flooding the flood plains is the correct and legal decision, its just interesting to see scenarios like this in real life

4/30/2011 5:59:18 PM

Fuck Cairo.

Cairo is so insignificant that Jim missed it, even though it was his gateway to freedom.

4/30/2011 6:15:54 PM

Quote :

"I'm sure the govt. owns some of the land that will be flooded, but i doubt they own all of it. If they flooded my land that I made my livelihood off of, I would sue their asses off."

Its not like they are springing this idea on them at the last minute... They knew the flood plain of the area before purchasing the lands and were told of the plan, giving farmers at least some bit of time to move out. You are talking about the logistics of moving only 90 homes vs. 2400+ town. Granted, they have large machinery to move, but I bet you that most of the people who live in that area have some of flood insurance. Plus the government would probably say its a disaster zone and give them some money too.

4/30/2011 7:40:13 PM

Quote :

"So they own the 90 some peoples homes who are going to be flooded as a result of this as well? I'm sure the govt. owns some of the land that will be flooded, but i doubt they own all of it. If they flooded my land that I made my livelihood off of, I would sue their asses off."

The government owns an easement that they can flood. Homeowners are informed when they purchase/develop land within the easement. My roommate does FEMA floodplain mapping at work and most of the it includes the majority of the mid west and the particular rive in question. This isn't just limited to this one river though. There are hundreds of other rivers and levees that the Army does this same thing for.

4/30/2011 7:42:54 PM

dammit get out of here with your facts and common sense. you're supposed to feel sorry for them!

4/30/2011 7:48:24 PM

^^^^ haha

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 7:49 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2011 7:49:22 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQjqjhHAip0

this guy doesnt like Cairo either

4/30/2011 8:17:54 PM

FUCK EGYPT! ALL OF IT!

4/30/2011 8:33:09 PM

They did it, but there aren't any pics. Article focuses on other flooding dangers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42873438/ns/weather/

Quote :

"By Tuesday, sunny skies and dry conditions gave residents and government officials their clearest view of the inundation triggered after the Army Corps blew a massive hold in the Birds Point levee late Monday. A staccato series of explosions lit up the night with orange flashes and opened a massive hole in the levee, sending a wall of water onto 200 square miles of corn, soybean and wheat fields. The deluge ruined crop prospects for this year and damaged or destroyed about 100 homes. A group of 25 farmers sued the federal government Tuesday, arguing that their land had been taken without adequate compensation. "In the process of breaching the levee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also destroyed or is in the process of destroying 90 households and more than 100,000 acres of the country's richest farmland," said J. Michael Ponder, the attorney from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, who filed the suit. "What these property owners and farmers are seeking is just compensation for the land and livelihood they have lost — possibly forever or for decades." "

5/4/2011 1:32:02 PM

Quote :

"we all know the answer to this question: poor people, duh. I'm willing to bet that if you look a little ways upstream or downstream, you'll find an area of rich people who will be spared by this action"

wait, aaronburro posted this??

5/4/2011 1:37:14 PM

Quote :

"the area that they would be flooding is part of the new madrid fault line by the way. that could turn into a huge disaster if they're not careful."

agreed - i dont think a lot of people know about that faultline or the earthquakes that occurred between 1811 and 1812.

5/4/2011 1:42:01 PM

Quote :

"EMINENT DOMAIN NIGGA"

5/4/2011 7:34:07 PM

Quote :

"The government owns an easement that they can flood."

I'm sure they do, but these farmers that have filed a class action lawsuit claim the Corp of Engineers did NOT have an easement on their land.

Quote :

""In the process of breaching the levee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also destroyed, or is in the process of destroying, 90 households and more than 100,000 acres of the country's richest farmland," said attorney J. Michael Ponder of Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. "This occurred despite the fact that the Corps lacked the easement over the affected property in the floodway. What these property owners and farmers are seeking is just compensation for the land and livelihood they have lost -- possibly forever or for decades.""

The government is going to pay out a lot of money because of this. Way to go guys.

Also, this flood won't help this land, it will probably make it a lot less fertile.

5/5/2011 11:36:46 AM