As more communities are ravaged by
floods, more may seek ways to take higher ground.
Waters are rising in the Midwest again and Bill
Becker has this message for people living in the massive Mississippi
watershed who don't believe the worst could happen again.
Move to higher ground -- permanently.
Becker, a community consultant for the Department
of Energy, advocates moving entire towns to higher locations
where floodwaters can't reach.
Community relocation is a tough sell, even when
residents are watching entire neighborhoods being swept downstream.
Already this year, parts of northern Illinois are under water
as rivers leave their banks.
"There's a strong psychological force at work.
People want to restore their lives as quickly as they can,"
Becker said. "There's a window of opportunity when we can help
them change their relationship with natural disasters and move
to higher ground."
Becker is the director of the Center of Excellence
for Sustainable Development. It's a national program run out
of DOE's field office in Golden. The center works with communities
that have sustained significant damage from floods, earthquakes
and other natural disasters to prevent the damage from recurring.
When communities move, Becker said, it provides
opportunities for planners, utilities and homeowners to incorporate
new technologies. The center offers how-to kits for relocating
people ranging from a family to a city.
Last year, a University of Colorado study showed
the United States spends $250 million a week on damage from
floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters.
In 1993, flooding along the Mississippi killed
48 people, caused $12 billion in damage and ruined 20 million
acres of cropland. In flood-prone places such as Valmeyer, Ill.,
Becker is helping relocate the entire community.
In 1973, Becker was instrumental in moving his
hometown of Soldiers Grove, Wis., rather than have the Army
Corp of Engineers surround the village with a higher levee.
The job took 10 years but resulted in Soldiers Grove developing
the nation's first solar-heated business district.
About 25 miles south of St. Louis, the village
of Valmeyer has moved 400 feet uphill. DOE contributed $100,000
for planning, with other state and federal agencies contributing
more for the actual relocation.
The new town administration center uses skylights
and energy-absorbing windows to reduce its reliance on the local
utility. Lots are zoned to take full advantage of the sun's
rays for solar power arrays and other systems.
Valmeyer carried over a few buildings and street
names, but otherwise it is a new town. But whether it's better
remains to be seen.
"I don't think anything will replace what we
had before, but we're all happy to still be together," Town
Manager Dennis Knobloch said. "It's the next best thing, but
it's not the same."
