After the flood: 22 miles of completed levees stand between river, new disaster
So, bitterness surged in
Where was the protection they were promised by the
Despite verbal commitments to build, funding lapses and drawn out negotiations with property owners for easements to build resulted in decades of delay.
Instead of a shield for thousands of businesses, homes and homeowners from the
Official anger focused immediately on the
"The initial timeline for when those levees were supposed to be completed was the mid 1990s," Repay said."But at that time, everything west of
In 2009, the commission took stock of the situation and reported only the levees in
Those from
That is why river water surged into
Fast-forward to a ceremonial ribbon-cutting last October marking the completion of 4-foot-high concrete sections of the Hammond Levee Tieback built at 172nd Place and
Everything in place
Some 22 miles of levees and control structures, costing
The commission website lists these accomplishments:
* Construction of over 9.7 miles of setback levees in
* Construction of 12.2 miles of levees and floodwalls in
* Installation of a flow diversion structure at the Hart Ditch confluence in
* Modification of four major highway bridges along the river corridor to permit better flow.
* Creation of 16.8 miles of hiking/biking trails connecting recreational developments.
Repay said the commission has water retention areas where floodwaters can be temporarily diverted and is looking for more such areas in the river's upstream area.
The
Residents of
It and other bridges spanning the Little Calumet were raised to provide a higher clearance to floodwaters and debris. Repay said,"There are fewer trees down in the river and no blockages to its free flowing."
Repay said the commission has installed a couple of pumps with electric generators on them to keep operating even in a power outage. It also runs a maintenance program to ensure levees don't fall victim to erosion.
Although the major work is done, Repay said the commission is still making minor improvements to the
Asked if another rain event like the remnants of Hurricane Ike in 2008 revisited
Subscribe to Daily Headlines
html
subscribe
NWI Times
CDT
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Sign up!
___
(c)2018 The Times (Munster, Ind.)
Visit The Times (Munster, Ind.) at www.nwitimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
FirstService Residential Establishes $10 Million Recovery Fund for Properties Damaged by Hurricane Florence
U.S. Department of Justice Grants Clearance to Cigna’s Acquisition of Express Scripts
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News