Flood Barrier USA

Flood protection lessons from the 2011 Mississippi flood

Author: Flood Expert Mick Lopez

May 15, 2011 – The Mississippi River crested to almost 48 feet on May 10, 2011. Even though it created much damage, it still fell short of a record. There was much damage across Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi as tributaries and creeks swollen from the flooded waterway spilled over their banks into residential, business and farming areas.

Early on a Tuesday morning, the water level reached 47 feet as the coffee-colored river cut through Memphis, swallowing much of the riverfront recreation area with several feet of water. It should remain at that level for two to three days, provided there are no more of the rains that have pounded the Mississippi Valley recently. After Memphis, other cities downstream on the Mississippi will have to be very concerned, especially New Orleans. It is anticipated that it takes three days for water to traverse from Memphis to the Delta.

There were many lessons to be learned from this disaster. The first example we would like to discuss involves resort and casino properties on the very edge of the Mississippi. The entrance to the largest casino in Mississippi (let’s call it Casino A), is under seven feet of water. If you look at the picture at right (please click image to enlarge), you can see that the river has extended almost one mile inland and has totally flooded the property. While damage recovery for the parking lot area is to be expected, it will take much time and considerable resources to dig out the mud and debris from the lobby, casino and hotel areas. We cannot imagine the extent of the damage if the flood got into the casino itself and destroyed all of the decorations, slot machines and gambling equipment.

An example of better planning would be the adjacent Casino B, pictured above (please click image to enlarge). The property got completely flooded by several feet as it sits directly adjacent to the Mississippi River. However, the main casino and hotel buildings remained water-free as they were built on elevated  ground. Although there was greater initial cost to add soil to raise the main structures, it will certainly pay off quickly as the hotel and casino will be operational much faster, and the damages will be much lesser than in Casino A. Although the parking structure does remain completely under water, it will be easier to clean of mud and debris. To be totally safe, the hotel owners should have installed flood barriers and panels across the key equipment areas.

We would recommend that the computer rooms, camera security equipment, air conditioning, engine boilers and main casino areas be made floodproof for an additional height above the flood plain. Commercial property owners and hotel operators should consider floodproofing key areas for just a fraction of the cost of critical key equipment. If you also consider the revenue losses from extended recovery, the cost of flood panels, barriers and elevation engineering will pay for itself very quickly. Some of the properties in the Southern Delta will also have to deal with the long-term effects of negative publicity from having mold, snakes and other pests in the buildings.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Flood Protection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.