Originally Posted By: Astro14
Nick - you don't live near the water, so perhaps this isn't making sense to you. Coastal flooding from a storm surge (hurricane) is several feet. It's the surge of the ocean itself, so the amount of water is basically unlimited. We have flood insurance, because we are required to, because we live in an area that floods. Actually floods.
I just don't see this dam set up working in anything more than minor flooding. Well, for minor flooding, your house, if it's in a flood area, should be built above that level. No worries. No need for the dam.
For major flooding, like a hurricane, or, if the wind direction and tide are right, from just a Nor'easter, the dam is too low to make a difference. We had a seven foot surge in the picture. Seven foot increase in sea level height. That caused four feet of water in our street at high tide. It destroyed the house across the street. Now, that house was razed, and a new house was built, ten feet above the mean high water line, so for future events, they'll be fine.
But when dealing with several feet of water, as coastal areas can experience, or as the Midwest experienced with the Mississippi River going several feet above flood stage, I just don't see what good a 2.5 foot dam can do. It's a pretty limited set of circumstances in which this would make any difference.
A 2.5' dam for flood prevention is like selling a bulletproof vest that works on "all calibers up to .25"... well...um...what about the fact that nearly every gun uses a bigger caliber?
I just see this dam being overwhelmed by every serious flooding event. We've had several in our neighborhood (we are coastal) in the past ten years. This dam wouldn't have done any good in any of them.
You aren't putting your listening ears on.
I said "the odds are".
Once again, this LESSENS the chance of the house flooding in a storm. Of course if this is a huge storm it isn't going to help, but it obviously makes sense since the man who bought it had a dry house right? All of his neighbors had lakes in their houses.
The odds are with a decent storm this can save many houses.
If the flood waters were over 30" every time it rains, then nobody would live there. They'd be stupid to rebuild their house twice a year, every year.