Contractors hired to aid E. Kentucky flood victims left some feeling 'violated and vulnerable;' lack of coordination cited

Louisville Public Media graph from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet data; click to enlarge

For victims of Eastern Kentucky's record flash flood last July, surviving the disaster was one thing; now, some of the victims must overcome additional losses, wreckage debris and possible re-flooding from what state-paid cleanup crews did or left behind, report Jared Bennett and Justin Hicks of The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, part of Louisville Public Media.

Bennett and Hicks spoke with Don and Malissa Young of McRoberts, whose trailer was removed from its foundation and flooded. "For weeks [after], the Youngs had been working on packing up what they could from the inside: Baby photos, home videos, memorabilia from Don's time spent as a State Police officer. . . . Without any notice, cleanup crews ripped apart the home they had shared for nearly 30 years. . . . A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official overseeing the cleanup process called Don personally and afterward told him to file a negligence claim with the state Board of Claims. They filed a claim seeking $400,000 to pay for the house and their belongings." The state denied any liability and a cabinet attorney "argued the couple's house was taken by an unnamed third party," KyCIR reports. "In fact, the response said the Youngs 'may themselves have been negligent in failing to remove or secure their personal property.'"

Don Young sits in rubble after clean up crews
demolished his home. (Courtesy photo)

The crossovers of state, federal and subcontracted employees failed flood victims because groups did not coordinate effectively, Bennett and Hicks report: "In a daily report compiled by several staffers, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adviser wrote that even trying to get an accurate assessment of the amount of debris was hindered by 'too many coaches, not enough players.'. . . USACE advisors regularly expressed concerns about crews taking trees or other materials that did not fit federal criteria for debris removal after a disaster. . . . KyCIR heard from residents on multiple occasions that contractors removed debris such as valuable trees from private property without permission or cut half-mile long access routes through forests. It left them feeling overtaken and ignored by the very people charged with helping them."

A cabinet spokesman "said that cleanup crews were instructed to make attempts to contact property owners before starting the work," KyCIR reports. "Nearly a month later, the same work crew that demolished the Youngs' home was confronted with threats and resistance when they tried to cut down live trees they considered a hazard to future flooding. This time they tried the law-enforcement approach. A young, untrained police officer arrived on the scene to Tase and arrest the homeowner. . . . The homeowners had no prior notice or information about what was happening and the mission debris workers were on. Like the Youngs, they're also investigating legal remedies."

The Army Corps' early estimates "said the July floods created nearly two million cubic yards of debris in the waterways alone," KyCIR reports. "Justin Branham was one of the Corps staffers who wrote those estimate reports. . . . Branham said that most of Eastern Kentucky were in danger of flooding again because of debris piles blocking waterways." Records show that, within a week of the flood, the cabinet signed a contract with Florida-based Ashbritt Inc. to lead the cleanup. "Since August 2022, the state has paid the company $157 million . . . by the ton for debris removed."

As Branham warned, some areas have re-flooded. "Candice Fields, disaster coordinator for the Kentucky River Area Development District, said the help that does come is akin to a 'Band-Aid on a bullet wound,'" KyCIR reports. Letcher County resident Angela Collins told KyCIR that Gov. "Andy Beshear gets on [the TV] and says, 'Oh, things have changed.'. . . Well, get your high horse down here and see how much it changed because they left garbage! Do we deserve garbage all over our land? No, we don't. We're not a bunch of, you know, nutsy hillbillies. We're human beings just like everybody else."

UPDATE, April 29: KCIR reports that it "found around only 59% of the debris initially estimated to be on the ground after the flood had been picked up as of Dec. 22, 2022, when officials said cleanup was 'complete'."

FEMA uses text messaging to communicate with Ky. flood survivors; exact number of homeless is still unknown

"Three weeks after a catastrophic flood hit Eastern Kentucky, local state and federal officials say they are still unable to determine exactly how many people are homeless or how many homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed," Sam Adams reports for The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg. "At least 700 people are in shelters provided by the state, but there is still an untold number of people who are staying in shelters provided by the Red Cross or other relief agencies, and still more who are not in shelters all."

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has echoed complaints that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is denying too many claims, but the vast majority of refusals are because they're missing documents and can't reach claimants to get them, FEMA coordinator Brett Howard told Adams. He said the agency has approved 73 percent of overall relief applications and 63% of emergency housing applications. Part of the problem is poor cell-phone reception and demolished roads and bridges.

In a press conference Monday, Beshear said many people aren't answering when FEMA agents call them, perhaps because they don't want to answer calls from an unfamiliar number, Josh James reports for WUKY. "Thus far, FEMA has tried to call 4,006 applicants. 1,508 have picked up," Beshear said. "We are talking to them about the numbers of times that they call, but please pick up your phone." Beshear said that for the first time, FEMA is using text messaging to communicate with claimants

Howard advised people whose claims have been denied to appeal. Since most denials are due to missing documents, "the state has placed employees from Cabinets that can help in the Disaster Assistance Centers with FEMA to streamline the process of appeals," Adams reports. Those state employees can probably print needed documents for claimants to submit to FEMA, Howard said.

Recent Ky. disaster the deadliest non-tropical flash flood since 1977; FEMA criticized for being too stingy with relief

The flooding in Eastern Kentucky last week was the nation's deadliest non-tropical flash flood since 1977 (meaning one not tied to a tropical storm or hurricane), Jonathan Erdman reports for The Weather Channel. At least 39 people died and more than 1,300 people had to be rescued. 

Most who survived the flood will have a long road to recovery—one likely made longer by limited government assistance and lack of flood insurance.

On Thursday Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency for denying too many requests for assistance from flood survivors. Specifically, "The governor criticized the application process, saying flood victims were being denied assistance when lacking necessary documents," Bruce Schreiner reports for The Associated Press. "FEMA Press Secretary Jeremy Edwards responded Thursday night that agency personnel will be in the flood-stricken region 'as long as it takes' to help Kentuckians recover. Edwards said the agency’s leadership is working to 'reduce barriers and cut red tape'."

Meanwhile, most survivors will have a hard time rebuilding because only 2.3 percent of the population in the 10-county disaster area had FEMA flood insurance. Many decline to buy the insurance, which costs about $1,000 a year, because they think the premiums are too expensive in relation to the risk of flooding. "Flood coverage is sold separately from homeowners’ insurance policies and is considered vital to disaster recovery because policyholders can collect up to $250,000 in claims payments," Thomas Frank reports for Energy & Environment News. "Federal disaster aid, on the other hand, typically pays residents just a few thousand dollars and covers only temporary home repairs."

Big part of the Eastern Ky. flood story is staggering numbers

The most awful number? Four children torn from their parents'
arms and killed: Maddison, Riley, Nevaeh and Chance Noble. 

UPDATE, July 31: The death toll is now 28 35 37.

Residents and journalists have struggled to find words to describe adequately the extent and impact of the flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Part of the story is the staggering numbers; here are some from Gov. Andy Beshear's press release Saturday:

"There have been 25 confirmed fatalities in five counties: four in Breathitt County; two in Clay County; 14 in Knott County (10 adults and four children); two in Letcher County; and three in Perry County. . . . At least 1,432 Kentuckians have been rescued by first responders from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. The Kentucky National Guard rescued 404 individuals by aircraft. The Tennessee National Guard rescued 224 by air. The West Virginia National Guard rescued 36 by air. Nineteen people and two dogs have been rescued by boat by the Kentucky National Guard. Kentucky State Police has assisted or is assisting in 624 water rescues. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has assisted in 125 water rescues. . . . 

"As of 10:30 a.m. EDT on July 30, 5,673 donors have contributed $684,668 to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund. To donate, visit TeamEKYFloodReliefFund.ky.gov. . . . 142 people are being temporarily housed at Kentucky state parks. . . . Fourteen counties and three cities have declared a state of emergency: Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Wolfe counties; and the City of Beattyville, the City of Paintsville and the City of Salyersville. There are more than 18,000 power outages currently being reported. . . . 18 wastewater systems are under limited operations, primarily due to flooded infrastructure. Three wastewater plants are experiencing bypasses. Nineteen water systems have limited operations due to power outages. There are 26,480 service connections without water. There are 29,214 service connections under boil-water advisory. Three drinking water systems are not operational. . . .

"At least 10 bridges remain closed in Knott, Letcher, Perry and Pike counties. A full assessment of bridge and road damage cannot be completed until flood waters fully recede. . . . Crews cleared approximately 100 rock and mud slides in the Manchester highway district and have so far replaced or repaired about a dozen highway culverts. . . . About 100 travel trailers that were purchased for tornado victims in western Kentucky, and which have been decommissioned and cleaned or were never deployed, are being delivered to Eastern Kentucky by contract haulers."

Quick hits: Supreme Court to hear major gun rights case; thieves use drones to case farms and ranches...

Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email us at heather.chapman@uky.edu.

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a case about the right of licensed gun owners to carry a firearm outside the home. It's the first major Second Amendment case the court has taken up in more than a decade. Read more here.

A New Yorker who moved to rural Vermont during the pandemic reflects on what she loves about her new home. Read more here.

At a recent hearing, tribal officials spoke to the House Natural Resources subcommittee about lack of access to broadband, utilities and other infrastructure on reservations. Read more here.

Thousands of tourists head to Tennessee, North Carolina and West Virginia year to see Appalachia's synchronous fireflies. Ecologists and park officials are trying to figure out how to protect the beetles from harm while letting tourists enjoy the display (and help local economies). Read more here.

For decades, some flood-damaged communities were deemed too poor to receive federal flood protection, but a new section of the federal water law could change that. Read more here.

The Society of Environmental Journalists is now accepting applications for environmental journalism grants. The deadline is June 15. Read more here.

Drones now help some thieves survey rural farms and ranches to find their next target. Read more here.

THC potency is the next big debate in legalizing marijuana. Read more here.

Climate change, and deforestation from surface mining or wildfires, put mountainous areas at risk of expensive floods

Counties ranked in ranges of percentages of property at risk for flood damage
First Street Foundation map; click the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version.

Climate change and deforestation are putting hundreds of small communities at risk of expensive flood damage they can ill afford, according to new data from the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit organization that researches flood risk and housing. Climate change has driven rising sea levels and heavier rainstorms. Areas at the highest risk of flooding are on the coasts and in mountainous areas where surface mining or wildfires have removed the trees that can mitigate flooding.

"More than 4 million houses and small apartment buildings across the contiguous U.S. have substantial risk of expensive flood damage," Rebecca Hersher, Huo Jingnan and Sophia Schmidt report for NPR. "The cost of flood damage to homes nationwide will increase by more than 50% in the next 30 years, the First Street Foundation estimates."

The poor, who often have inadequate or no flood insurance, are the most vulnerable to flood damage, "and the federal government is ill-prepared to address the problem through the current federal flood insurance program," NPR reports. Central Appalachia, which shows significant risk of flooding on the First Street map above, has particularly high poverty rates.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns that the foundation's analysis is only an estimate and notes that First Street did not conduct their analysis about financial impacts of flooding with input about the agency's new flood insurance pricing plan. "For homeowners who are currently underpaying for flood insurance, FEMA says it plans to raise rates by up to 18 percent each year until the price is accurate, according to a January report by the Congressional Research Service. The agency will begin rolling out the new pricing in October," NPR reports. "As the cost of insurance goes up, many people who need flood insurance will likely be unable to afford it, leaving them to face lasting damage."

Quick hits: Peabody Energy to eliminate retired miner benefits; USDA launches new customer-service portal

Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email us at heather.chapman@uky.edu.

Americans flock to chicken, the nation's number one quarantine meat. Read more here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a new customer-service interface. Read more here.

Peabody Energy to eliminate a health-care benefit program for retired miners. Read more here.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in President Trump's case attempting to exclude undocumented immigrants from Congressional redistricting numbers. Read more here.

Teachers say election conspiracy theories rampant among youngsters in areas where Trump is popular, and say distance learning makes it harder to guide children through misinformation. Read more here.

A novel way of mitigating climate change: feeding cows red seaweed could help them burp less methane. Read more here.

U.S. shale operators looking for signs of optimism despite a year of bankruptcies and job losses. Read more here.

Trump administration moves to overhaul the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, relax rules on killing birds. Read more here.

Parler is bringing together mainstream conservatives with anti-Semites and white supremacists. Read more here.

A fact-check: a Danish study has been rumored to prove that face masks are useless in protecting against the coronavirus. That's false. Read more here.

Rural Texas clinic can't offer telehealth because they don't have broadband or enough staff. Read more here.

Federal government to allow private flood insurance for millions. Read more here.

FEMA flood maps need updating, but increased payouts could price low-income rural residents out of some areas

Stream miles not assessed in Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, by county (FEMA map; click on it to enlarge)

"The federal government must spend up to $12 billion to improve the nation’s flood maps and should do more to steer development out of flood-prone areas, according to two recent studies that warn about increasing flood damage from climate change," Thomas Frank reports for Energy & Environment News.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program creates and maintains maps meant to show which areas are prone to flooding, and also provides more than 96 percent of flood insurance nationwide. The maps help communities plan key infrastructure and shape public and private land use. They also inform insurance coverage: insurers require people who live in high-risk areas to buy flood insurance, Frank reports. Since homes in low-risk areas are not required to buy flood insurance, residents in increasingly flood-prone areas—many poor and rural—can't afford to rebuild after their homes are damaged or destroyed.

The maps are badly out of date, according to a recent study by the R Street Institute, a free-market think tank. One big reason: FEMA does not factor in global warming, which brings with it rising sea levels and increasingly frequent and powerful hurricanes, Frank reports.

The maps are incomplete, too, according to a recent report from the Association of State Floodplain Managers. Only a third of the nation's rivers and streams—1.1 million miles—and 46% of the nation's shoreline have flood-hazard information available. Mapping the remaining 2.3 million miles, most of which are in rural areas, and updating the current maps could cost anywhere from $3.2 billion to $11.8 billion. Maintaining and updating the maps would cost an estimated $107 million to $480 million annually, the report says.

The expense is worth it, according to the ASFM report. Since the NFIP was created in 1969, the nation has spent $10.6 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars on flood hazard mapping, preventing an estimated $22 billion in flood damages. Annual flood damages are increasing: they averaged $4 billion in the 1980's, but about $17 billion between 2010 and 2018 (that figure is somewhat skewed by the 2017 hurricane season, which had three of the top five costliest hurricanes on record).

The damages are likely under-reported, and don't include indirect losses from business closures, lost tax revenue, and the public health and mental health costs that often hit socially vulnerable communities harder, the report says.

There's another issue: NFIP must increasingly pay out for flood damages, so the program's costs are increasing, and FEMA may make it more like a private insurer, Jie Jenny Zou reports for Vox. That could spike insurance premiums and make it unaffordable for many to live in flood-prone areas.

Rural, lower-income residents in flood-prone areas could be in a peculiar bind: If FEMA updates flood maps to reflect the true risk, then such residents would be more likely to have flood insurance. But if NFIP rates become too high, they might not be able to afford to live there in the first place.

Environmental experts warn House lawmakers that climate change could overwhelm flood insurance program

Environmental experts warned House lawmakers this week that the increasing risk of flooding due to climate change could overwhelm the National Flood Insurance Program.

"The hearing, hosted by the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy, focused on the macroeconomic effects from climate change and the monetary risks associated with it," James Jarvis reports for The Hill. "The NFIP covers more than 5 million flood insurance policies and collects approximately $4.75 billion in premiums, fees and surcharges each year."

Andy Karsner, who was assistant energy secretary for efficiency and renewables under George W. Bush, said flooding will continue to be a major risk, and "It is imperative for [insurance companies] to develop new tools of risk management because they are operating on very old model inputs and ancient legacy flood maps."

The repeated major hurricanes in 2017 and 2018 bled the program dry, leading to billions in losses. The disaster aid bill included provisions to help the NFIP pay off the claims, Jarvis reports.

Marshall Burke, an assistant professor of earth science at Stanford University, said the hurricanes will continue to be a problem: "We don’t have clear evidence that there will be more or less of them — but we know they will be more powerful and move more slowly. That will dramatically increase the likelihood of coastal flooding."

The uptick in hurricane has led some lawmakers to explore the idea of expanding the role of private insurers in the NFIP. That way they could share the risk and ensure the availability of flood insurance. "But it is unclear whether letting private insurance companies take on more risk will effectively help mitigate the problem," Jarvis reports.

After Midwest flooding, hazards remain

Residents in Hamburg, Iowa, piled up ruined belongings and housing materials. (Photo: Des Moines Register, Brian Powers)

Record flooding has wreaked havoc in the Midwest this spring, but even where waters have receded, dangers remain. In addition to debris and infrastructure damage, "floodwaters overwhelmed private wells, sewage lagoons and public water systems, soaked over a million bushels of corn and soybeans, and picked up propane, anhydrous ammonia and fertilizer tanks," Donnelle Eller reports for The Associated Press. That has left "orphaned containers filled with industrial chemicals, pesticides, diesel fuel, oil and other potentially hazardous materials."

Local, state and federal officials are working together on the massive clean-up effort. Farmers, elevators and businesses have been ordered to destroy grain contaminated by river water, and state air-quality laws have been lifted to allow residents to burn crops, debris and damaged household items, Eller reports.

Officials are concerned about the raw sewage that many cities pumped into rivers for weeks after the floods hit. Mike Crecelius, the emergency management director in Iowa's Fremont County, is warning people not to go into the Missouri River without protection. "There are a number of municipalities north of us dumping raw sewage into the water. There are orphan tanks floating around, with valves coming off, losing pesticides, insecticides, acids and fertilizers," he told Eller. "You don’t know what’s in the water."

Though the volume of the floodwaters diluted some of the chemicals, environmental specialists also worry about the potential damage to fish and plants in the rivers, and the impact that could have on the larger ecosystem, including the people who eat the fish and get drinking water from the rivers, Eller reports.

Midwestern workers moving away from flooded areas

Last month's heavy flooding caused more than $3 billion in damage in the Midwest, but lost crops, infrastructure and buildings aren't the only likely consequence of the disaster.

Fed-up workers are moving away from the Midwest, according to LinkedIn, the leading social network for professionals. "Data showed a spike in members changing their work location from areas flooded last month to cities in the Southwest and on the West Coast," Sebasian Malo reports for Reuters. Meanwhile, "Hiring rates tracked through the platform dropped across the Midwest."

Though it's not clear whether the workers will come back eventually, repeated disasters could trigger a "sustained bleed of talent," said Guy Berger, chief economist at LinkedIn.

Those who stay, especially farmers, have tough decisions to make. "Flooded farmland isn’t expected to recede in time for many affected farmers to plant a crop this season, so they may lose a year of income," April Simpson reports for Stateline. Several Midwestern states are working on state-level disaster aid for affected citizens, but federal aid may be a while coming since Congress left for a two-week break without approving disaster aid.

Compounding the problem for farmers: the recent floods have damaged or destroyed fertile topsoil, which could make future farming difficult, Jim Ippolito and Madi Al-Kaisi write for The Conversation. Ippolito is an associate professor of environmental soil quality/health at Colorado State University. Al-Kaisi is a professor of soil management and environment at Iowa State University.

It's difficult to leave though. "I got my life in this ground," Nebraska farmer Jeff Keithley told Simpson. "I spent my life here. It’s almost an extension of me. I raised all my children here."

Dozens of levee breaches in Midwest expose a 'Swiss cheese' system of flood protection, aging and under threat

The Missouri River breached this levee near Fortescue, Missouri. (Photo by Tim Gruber, The New York Times)

Hundreds of miles of Midwest levees have been overwhelmed by floods, "leaving 'Swiss cheese' infrastructure and reigniting a flood-control debate," The New York Times reports.

"With dozens of costly breaks across Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and nearby states, the surging waters have left large areas without even cursory flood protection," Mitch Smith and John Schwartz report. "And with the fear of more floods in the coming years — and perhaps even the coming weeks — many people said living and farming near the water might not be viable much longer without major changes."

The reporters note that the levees are old, "subject to uneven regulation and, in many cases, never designed to withstand the river levels seen in the last decade. . . . The situation has been exacerbated by wetter rainstorms, which are expected to worsen over time and have been attributed to climate change. . . .The recent flooding — which has devastated farms, roads and Native American reservations — has pushed to the foreground a debate that has raged quietly for generations. It boils down to this: How should the rivers be controlled, who should make those decisions and how much protection should be given to those most vulnerable?"

The levees are mainly managed by local levee districts, which "often do not coordinate or even follow the same rules," the Times reports. "With increased flooding in the past few years, the levees are being tested more frequently than ever before, straining the finances and expertise of some of those districts. The levee situation has become so grave that the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country’s levee system a D grade in 2017, suggesting $80 billion in investment over 10 years."

FEMA flood maps ignore climate change, hurting homeowners

Inside Climate News map

Flood maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency fail to factor in how global warming increases some coastal areas' propensity to flood, which misleads homeowners and community leaders about the real risk of flooding, James Bruggers reports for Inside Climate News. Since homes in low-risk areas are not required to buy flood insurance, residents in increasingly flood-prone areas -- many poor and rural -- can't afford to rebuild after their homes are damaged or destroyed.

"The accuracy of FEMA's flood maps has been called into question before. The maps are used in the 22,000 communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program to determine which coastal or inland properties must have flood insurance and to set rates," Bruggers reports. A report last year by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General found that many maps are out of date or don't accurately reflect flood risk.

Mexico Beach, Florida, a town of 1,200 near Panama City, illustrates the consequences of inaccurate flood maps. About 70 percent of the town was wiped out and another 10 percent severely damaged in last month's Hurricane Michael, though FEMA's flood map showed most of those homes were at low risk of flooding. 

Many who lost their homes did not have flood insurance because they believed they lived in an area safe from flooding. "The sad thing is for a lot of these folks, they won't be able to rebuild because of the construction costs," Local architect Fred Etchen told Bruggers.

Levees, built to protect against floods, increase flooding

Floods on the Mississippi River, which are getting more frequent and severe, are worse because of the levees built to protect farms and small towns. "A series of analyses have helped confirm what engineers have posited for more than a century: that earthen levees built along the river are increasing flood risk for everyone, and especially hurting those who live across from them," Rebecca Hersher reports for NPR.

Nicholas Pinter, a geologist and the associate director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis, explains the problem with levees: "What you're doing in many cases is taking a flood plain out there — it can be 5 [or] 6 miles wide — and you're forcing the water that would otherwise spread across that area to go through a narrow passageway." The water flows higher and faster as the passageway gets narrower, Hersher reports.

The idea that levees could cause worse problems than they prevent isn't new; in 1852 an engineer's report to the federal government warned that levees on the Mississippi made the waters higher and faster. But after an epic flood in 1927, Congress required the Army Corps of Engineers to build a system of levees and dams on the Lower Mississippi, Hersher reports. A recent report found that more severe and frequent flooding over the past 150 years correlated with levee-building.

Residents near levees can face disastrous consequences if a flood breaches a levee, since they're less likely to have enough flood insurance. The federal government doesn't require homeowners living behind levees to carry such insurance. Likewise, farmers living behind levees are less likely to adequately insure their fields.

Louisiana town's battle with rising sea levels raises a question: How far should the public treasury go to save it?

A view of Jean Lafitte, La., along Bayou Barataria. (New York Times photo by William Widmer)

How far should the public go to save a town losing its battle with rising ocean levels? The New York Times' Kevin Sack and John Schwartz explore the question in a gorgeous multimedia package about Jean Lafitte, La., a village steadily losing ground to rising sea levels. The story is part one of "The Drowning Coast," a three-part project by the Times and the The Times-Picayune of New Orleans about Louisiana's vanishing coast.

Just a few miles south of New Orleans' levees, Jean Lafitte (pop. 1,903) is only two feet above sea level and loses more ground with every year and every hurricane. The coastal land southward is disappearing fast: "In all, more than 2,000 square miles, an expanse larger than the state of Delaware, have disappeared since 1932," Sack and Schwartz report.

But though the land is disappearing, and fishing and offshore oil drilling jobs have declined, locals are trying their best to stay. New homes are built on six-foot mounds, and some older buildings have been placed on pillars--which can cost almost as much as the house is worth. Some residents say the government isn't spending enough to help with such flood-proofing programs, and complain that a cost-benefit analysis doesn't take into account the value of their community or its culture.

Lawmakers "don’t place value on anything but the money, not the longevity of these communities, not the culture," resident Tracy Kuhns told Sack and Schwartz. "One of the problems in this country is that people don’t have any connection to where they live. People really want that. Why would you take it away from people who already have it?"

Harvey moves on, putting in dire need a large rural population that's much more difficult to reach

Weather Channel image

"As Houston, the urban behemoth that has so far been the focal point in the unfolding drama of Hurricane Harvey, began gingerly to assess the devastation, the storm marched on to conquer a vast new swath speckled with small towns that are home to millions of people who were shocked anew by Harvey’s tenaciously destructive power. Officials faced a population in dire need, but far more difficult to reach."

So report Campbell Robertson, Shalia Dewan and Rick Rojas of The New York Times, datelining the story from Newton, La., where the sheriff's office told Kristen Rogers that for the town's streets to flood, the event "would have to be Biblical," she recalled. "That's what they said about Houston." The Times reports, "In contrast to Houston, where the weather began to clear and a few children even returned to playgrounds, many people in these remote areas are still in desperate need of rescue. . . . Rural residents insisted that they were used to being far from outside help and that self-reliance and an ethos of neighbors helping neighbors came with the territory."

“The geographic scope of this event is probably what is going to make it one of the most costly flood disasters in U.S. history,” Samuel Brody, the director of the Center for Texas Beaches and Shores at Texas A&M University’s Galveston campus, told the Times. “I’ve seen heavy rain, I’ve seen 30, 40 inches, but not over such a large geographic area, impacting rich, poor, black, white, you name it.”

"This flood event is on an entirely different scale than what we’ve seen before in the United States," writes Jason Samenow of The Washington Post. "A new analysis from the University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center has determined that Harvey is a 1-in-1,000-year flood event that has overwhelmed an enormous section of Southeast Texas equivalent in size to New Jersey."

Lack of data on number and location of factory farms makes regulation by states difficult

A lack of data on the number and location of factory farms "makes regulatory oversight weak and in some cases, nonexistent," Georgina Gustin reports for InsideClimate News. There has been concern in North Carolina over the unknown number of animal carcasses and levels of animal waste that have flooded waterways in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. North Carolina state regulators exempt poultry CAFOs from public records disclosure.

"These massive farms, or CAFOs—concentrated animal feeding operations—can house hundreds of thousands of animals in confined spaces, creating potent volumes of nutrient pollution that have fouled rivers, lakes and oceans," Gustin writes. "Decomposing manure releases toxic chemicals, mostly ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, into the air. Manure stored in lagoons releases methane and nitrous oxide, global warming gases more powerful than carbon dioxide." (Map of North Carolina's animal feed operations created by nonprofit advocacy group Waterkeepers Alliance. For an interactive version click here)

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates "that about 11 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. come from agriculture and about 12 percent of total methane emissions comes from manure management, a rise of about 65 percent since 1990," Gustin writes. EPA, which regulates CAFOs under the Clean Water Act, estimates there are about 19,200 CAFOs, up from 3,600 30 years ago. "Environmental groups say that number is probably higher, largely because the agency has been unable to get reliable and comprehensive information, thanks to patchy state regulation and years of legal pushback from the livestock industry to keep the information from the public."

Last month "a federal appeals court ruled EPA violated the privacy of CAFO operators by releasing information about their farms, which had been requested by three environmental groups through the Freedom of Information Act in 2013," Gustin writes. "The ruling was a victory for the $186 billion meat-and-poultry industry, but environmental groups say it prevents the agency from better regulating CAFOs, at a time when a boom in construction may be on the way."

Hurricane Matthew flooding leads to renewed scrutiny of factory farms and animal waste lagoons

Washington Post graphic

The large number of animal carcasses and waste flooding North Carolina's waters in the wake of Hurricane Matthew is renewing the criticism of factory farms, Arelis R. Hernández, Angela Fritz and Chris Mooney report for The Washington Post. Flooding is thought to have killed several thousand hogs and several million chickens and turkeys.

Mae Wu, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Post, “What this flooding does is really bring to light all the human health and environmental consequences of letting them have these open pits of waste just sitting out there."

The North Carolina Pork Council, which accused its most vocal critic, the nonprofit advocacy group Waterkeepers Alliance, of having "deliberately exaggerated the environmental impact" from hog lagoons, "announced on Friday that there’d been zero waste pits breached and just 11 flooded," the Post reports.

"The presence of mass-scale swine and poultry lots and processing plants in a sandy floodplain—a region once dotted by small tobacco farms—has long posed a difficult dilemma for a state where swine and poultry represent billions of dollars a year for the economy," the Post reports. "The sheer size of many operations is mind-boggling; the world’s biggest hog-processing plant, the Smithfield Foods facility located in the town of Tar Heel, slaughters 30,000 animals a day. In a statement, Smithfield said none of its farms had suffered 'a lagoon failure' as of Thursday afternoon."

"During Hurricane Floyd in 1999, hog lagoons across the eastern part of North Carolina broke open and dumped tons of liquid and solid waste into the storm waters," the Post reports. "That material flowed downstream, eventually settling in coastal estuaries."

"State environmental officials insist they learned lessons from Floyd," reports the Post. "The previous year, the state had put a moratorium on building new farms with more than 250 hogs and expanding existing large farms. After the hurricane, it bought out 42 hog operations located in the floodplain, essentially removing 103 waste lagoons. Other lagoons were relocated to higher ground and, in some cases, re-engineered to withstand inundation. Yet the effort remains unfinished, with 'at least' 150 facilities that the state never closed, according to Michelle Nowlin, a professor of environmental law at Duke University. Many critics maintain that the moratorium contains loopholes that have long rendered the bill ineffective." (Read more)

Historically significant town in rural N.C. may be swallowed by flooding from hurricane

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Residents of a historically important town North Carolina town that had to be rebuilt after being decimated by Hurricane Floyd in 1999 fear that history is repeating itself, Anne Blythe reports for The News & Observer. Chico Harlan, of The Washington Post, reports that flood water levels in Princeville, believed to be the first U.S. town settled by freed slaves, have reached within a foot of the dike that protects the town, and are climbing.

"Officials in Edgecombe County say they think Princeville will escape without major damage, but water began entering one section of the city Wednesday morning," Harlan writes. "The specter of a new disaster is particularly troubling because the town is only slightly better fortified against flooding than it was two decades ago."

"In the aftermath of Floyd, President Bill Clinton created a new council to draw up a plan to better protect the town, citing its 'unique historic and cultural importance,'" Harlan writes. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made a few modest and immediate improvements, but a more extensive construction plan—detailed in a December 2015 feasibility report—is still awaiting funding from Congress. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the dike protecting Princeville is no higher than it was in 1999, when the Tar River crested at 41.5 feet."

Dogs had to be rescued from flooded homes.
(AP photo by Chris Seward)

"After Floyd, up to 20 feet of water covered the town for 10 days. Coffins were dredged up from the soil and floated across the water like canoes," Harlan writes. "Nearly every home was destroyed. The town remained uninhabited for months, with people relocating to FEMA trailers, and residents briefly debated whether to accept a government offer to federalize the property and tear everything down. But they decided not to, and the population rebounded."

Flooding from Hurricane Matthew leading to mass drownings of chickens, hogs in North Carolina

A flooded poultry operation in Duplin, N.C.
(Waterkeeper Alliance photo by Rick Dove)

Hurricane Matthew's destruction has led to flooding that has decimated livestock in rural eastern North Carolina, one of the top pork producing regions in the state, Kirk Ross and Daryl Fears report for The Washington Post. "Conservationist organizations and government agencies that dispatched surveillance helicopters over Cumberland and Robinson counties on Tuesday reported that waters from swollen rivers and creeks had reached at least a half-dozen poultry houses and possibly some hog houses at animal feed operations."

Brian Long, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said they were aware of poultry farms being flooded, but had no confirmation of hog losses, Ross and Fears write. Rick Dove, an environmentalist for the Waterkeeper Alliance who claimed to have seen thousands of floating carcasses, estimated the number of dead chickens “is probably in the millions" and “there could be tens of thousands of dead hogs.”

Another concern is animal waste getting into fresh water, Ross and Fears write. "The state doesn’t disclose the amount of waste the animals produce, but some organization estimate it at more than 15 million pounds of manure annually." (Read more)