People change the way water moves around them in many different ways. Reclaiming land from rising ocean tides requires levees and seawalls, but few of us know how these amazing engineering tasks are actually carried out. This exciting title takes a look at famous levees on rivers and seawalls on oceans around the world, including the series of projects protecting New Orleans, Louisiana. It also explores what happens when these projects fail, and how engineers today are working to make better levees to battle the growing threat of climate change and rising water levels around the globe.

It's the year 2165. Six years ago, the sea flooded the valley where Dana lived with her parents and their old dog, Silas. Dana's father died trying to fight the floods, and a giant seawall was built to hold back the powerful water. But what happens when Dana discovers a break in the wall?

Front Cover -- Title Page -- Half Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword by Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic, The New York Times -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1. Designing for Coastal Resiliency -- Chapter 2. Visualizing the Coast -- Chapter 3. Reimagining the Floodplain -- Chapter 4. Mapping Coastal Futures -- Chapter 5. Centennial Projections -- Afterword by Jeffrey P. Hebert, vice-president for adaptation and resilience, The Water Institute of the Gulf -- Endnotes -- Glossary -- Index

“Anyone who is interested in Hurricane Katrina, and in America’s failing infrastructure, will want to read this book . . . a fast-paced narrative.” —Scott G. Knowles, Drexel University 2020 Nautilus Silver Winner In the aftermath of one of the worst disasters in US history, Words Whispered in Water tells the story of one woman’s fight, against all odds, to expose a mammoth federal agency—and win. In 2005, the entire world watched as a major US city was nearly wiped off the map. The levees ruptured and New Orleans drowned. But while newscasters attributed the New Orleans flood to “natural catastrophes” and other types of disasters, citizen investigator Sandy Rosenthal set out to expose the true culprit and compel the media and government to tell the truth. This is her story. When the protective steel flood-walls broke, the Army Corps of Engineers—with cooperation from big media—turned the blame elsewhere. In the chaotic aftermath, Rosenthal heroically exposes the federal agency’s egregious design errors and changes the narrative surrounding the New Orleans flood. This engaging and revealing tale of man versus nature and man versus man is a horror story, a mystery, and David and Goliath story all in one. “Reveals what it takes to hold the powerful to account.” —Publishers Weekly “There are only a few civilians that fight like real warriors. Sandy Rosenthal is one of them.” —Russel L. Honoré, Lieutenant General, United States Army (Ret.)

Dikes and levees help protect people from rising floodwaters and hurricanes. Discover the engineering behind dikes and levees.

Seawall Design focuses on all aspects of seawall design, from the broader issues of coastal management and other options for coastal defense and environmental assessment, to problem definition and project planning; data collection and interpretation; conceptual and detailed design; design for construction and maintenance; and materials to be used. The reader is guided with respect to the range of potential problems, their definition, and possible solutions, as well as the key functional requirements of a seawall and the methods of design to take due account of engineering and environmental and economic considerations. Comprised of eight chapters, this book begins with an overview of the principal function of a seawall and the guidelines for seawall design covering all relevant considerations including environmental aspects, construction, and long-term management. The discussion then turns to regular monitoring of coastal management, options for coastal defense, and the impact of phased works on coastal management. Subsequent chapters deal with project planning and environmental aspects of seawall design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; and overall concept and types of seawall structure;. Design considerations for a seawall are described, starting with hydraulic performance, the overall stability of the embankment and coastal cliffs as well as structural loads. The book concludes with an assessment of financial and economic considerations in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of seawalls. This monograph is intended for engineers involved in the planning and design of seawalls.

Although now a growing and respectable research field, crisis management—as a formal area of study—is relatively young, having emerged since the 1980s following a succession of such calamities as the Bhopal gas leak, Chernobyl nuclear accident, Space Shuttle Challenger loss, and Exxon Valdez oil spill. Analysis of organizational failures that caused such events helped drive the emerging field of crisis management. Simultaneously, the world has experienced a number of devastating natural disasters: Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, etc. From such crises, both human-induced and natural, we have learned our modern, tightly interconnected and interdependent society is simply more vulnerable to disruption than in the past. This interconnectedness is made possible in part by crisis management and increases our reliance upon it. As such, crisis management is as beneficial and crucial today as information technology has become over the last few decades. Crisis is varied and unavoidable. While the examples highlighted above were extreme, we see crisis every day within organizations, governments, businesses and the economy. A true crisis differs from a "routine" emergency, such as a water pipe bursting in the kitchen. Per one definition, "it is associated with urgent, high-stakes challenges in which the outcomes can vary widely (and are very negative at one end of the spectrum) and will depend on the actions taken by those involved." Successfully engaging, dealing with, and working through a crisis requires an understanding of options and tools for individual and joint decision making. Our Encyclopedia of Crisis Management comprehensively overviews concepts and techniques for effectively assessing, analyzing, managing, and resolving crises, whether they be organizational, business, community, or political. From general theories and concepts exploring the meaning and causes of crisis to practical strategies and techniques relevant to crises of specific types, crisis management is thoroughly explored. Features & Benefits: A collection of 385 signed entries are organized in A-to-Z fashion in 2 volumes available in both print and electronic formats. Entries conclude with Cross-References and Further Readings to guide students to in-depth resources. Selected entries feature boxed case studies, providing students with "lessons learned" in how various crises were successfully or unsuccessfully managed and why. Although organized A-to-Z, a thematic "Reader′s Guide" in the front matter groups related entries by broad areas (e.g., Agencies & Organizations, Theories & Techniques, Economic Crises, etc.). Also in the front matter, a Chronology provides students with historical perspective on the development of crisis management as a discrete field of study. The work concludes with a comprehensive Index, which—in the electronic version—combines with the Reader′s Guide and Cross-References to provide thorough search-and-browse capabilities. A template for an "All-Hazards Preparedness Plan" is provided the backmatter; the electronic version of this allows students to explore customized response plans for crises of various sorts. Appendices also include a Resource Guide to classic books, journals, and internet resources in the field, a Glossary, and a vetted list of crisis management-related degree programs, crisis management conferences, etc.

Levees are built on many rivers and mountain torrents to protect populations against floods. During medium floods, a well-constructed levee offers sufficient protection without requiring additional hydraulic structures. But this same levee represents a source of danger during high floods, since there is a risk of overtopping. Water that spills over a levee may create a breach that could potentially provoke flash flooding in the area it was supposed to protect, endangering human lives and infrastructure.It is therefore advisable to equip levee systems with spillways, which are common appurtenant structures on dams. Yet spillways on levees play a far more complex role than those on dams, from securing protected areas to flood control. These structures can function as safety spillways or diversion spillways, or both (especially the older ones). This technical handbook, first published in French in 2012, covers different types of spillways on river levees, including their function, hydraulics, river morphology, civil engineering, and flood management.Written by a working group led by INRAE, it is intended for levee managers, control authorities, engineering firms, and hydraulics or civil engineering students. Given increasing international interest in levees and flood protection systems, particularly following ICOLD's creation of a Technical Committee on Levees, INRAE decided to update and translate this guide into English to share the French experience.

"In pursuit of economic growth, the United States and other developed countries are testing the tolerance of the natural world. The results include the loss of valuable ecosystems, global climate change, and the degradation of the planet's ability to support life. Journalist William Becker argues that our mission in the 21st century should be to fix what we have broken in the natural world and to enlist healthy ecosystems in our pursuit of economic and physical security. Becker begins by sounding an alarm about the inability of the dams and levees we built over the last century to handle the severity of sea-level rise and record floods we see today. The Creeks Will Rise delves into some of the historical and philosophical underpinnings that have led to the climate change situation we now find ourselves in. Becker fearlessly takes on the fossil fuel industry, holding it accountable for the enormous contribution it has made to climate change. He also includes recommendations for solutions as well as specific advice and resources for anyone working toward resolving the climate crisis"--Publisher's website.