AP: Thousands face life-threatening floods from aging dams

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house.

Just a little over a quarter-mile upstream, the 92-year-old Spencer Dam was straining to contain the swollen, ice-covered Niobrara River after an unusually intense snow and rainstorm. The workers had tried but failed to force open the dam’s frozen wooden spillway gates. So, fearing the worst, they fled in their truck, stopping to warn Angel before driving away without him.

Minutes later, the dam came crashing down, unleashing a wave of water carrying ice chunks the size of cars. Angel’s home was wiped away; his body was never found.

-snip-

A review of federal data and reports obtained under state open records laws identified 1,688 high-hazard dams rated in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of last year in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The actual number is almost certainly higher: Some states declined to provide condition ratings for their dams, claiming exemptions to public record requests. Others simply haven’t rated all their dams due to lack of funding, staffing or authority to do so.

https://apnews.com/f5f09a300d394900a1a88362238dbf77

[smirkymonkey]

1. K&R

[Wellstone ruled]

2. The Sleeping National

disaster that no one takes about. It is called crumbling Infrastructure! After last springs Nebraska nightmare,this issue finally moves up the News food chain.

[Newest Reality]

3. Yes,

It is crumbling and rusting out and collapsing, etc. The lack of attention to infrastructure is very curious and dangerous.

I wonder if it has the same ratio as the effect that the concentration of wealth has on the commons? In other words, those that have and are getting more have less concern about the rest of how society functions in various ways.

On the Banana Republic scale, we are really moving quickly in that direction.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. But the Banana Republicans would rather have a tax cut

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Your last sentence

seems to be our Nation's direction.

All the years I was involved in Business Sales,our best and most profitable Customers were in States with above average Infrastructure. If the roads and bridges are crap,it beats the living daylights out of your equipment and your Cost of Maintenance is pouring money down a rat hole.

Just by inspection of National Sales numbers and projections,one could see patterns developing as a result of States not fixing their roads and other transportation issues. Kentucky is a great example of what happens when Road and Bridge repairs are not done on a regular basis. When a customer needs product and you have to reroute the delivery or cut the load weight down because of road and Bridge weight limits,well there goes your profit.

[Newest Reality]

7. That's a good point about the impact!

To me, it boils down to interdependence, which has been conveniently ignored. Then, you get results like you noted and I think we could multiply the effects many times across-the-board.

Back when I lived in Chicago, there was a terrible pot hole problem and the City was lax in correcting it. It took a long time and lots of complaints to get the street repairs in order. Meanwhile, many people were breaking axles and having accidents as a result.

Maybe we could say, there is a cost/price factor and it is about WHO is going to pay it, as per your example. When it is ignored, the burden is shifted onto citizens directly by way of damages, injury and death. One of the reasons we pay taxes, of course, is to assure that these repairs and services are provided promptly and they are not and so trust and social contracts are at stake.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Oh how the Pot Hole story

gets darn interesting. When the Mayor's Car was damaged by one on his way to his Castle Office,well,guess what,the Street Department got that sucker filled with in a hour. Suddenly there was a whole PR campaign on how he was going to fix those Pot Holes and save his voters big dollars in repairs,oh btw,I want your vote next fall.

Again,if it effects those whom think or have the Ego Power,it gets done.

Mean While,got to make those Rich Guy Tax breaks permanent.

[crickets]

6. +1

those that have and are getting more have less concern about the rest of how society functions in various ways

Bingo.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

8. we're not going to fix all this shit without BIG changes in govt

We don't need "go along to get along" candidates, now. We need people at all levels of government who recognize the problems from infrastructure to climate crisis and are willing to be bold while educating the electorate. It's up to us to back them up and carry the message to counteract the deniers.

[yonder]

10. "Thousands face life-threatening floods from aging dams"

Republican translation: Time for another tax cut for the wealthy.