with regard to Floods, 100 yrs flood marks!

With so many over-paid underwork government employee, it there anyone who is in charge of preventing these tragedies by prevention. I only have a AA in archicteture but in school they taught that every brook -river or lake has a line called the 100 years flood line. When I go to an area near a river, I a simple designer and teacher can tell where this line is just by looking.
Like the great story about the weather man visiting in the country that argue that it was not going to rain with the farmer, that farmer pointed out that the burro had rolled on the dusty ground, it going to rain! In the middle of the night when he heard the sound of rain on the roof, this overeducated man was put to shame by a simple dumb burro, upon daybreak the man was nowher to be found. Ashamed he had ran, unable to faced those he had brad to about his knowledgeand great education.
It does not have to rain in an area, since most rivers flow towards the sea or lake, downstream from any area in the world is subject to rain. In Licey since the river is almost non-existen it its just a small brook, watch out there is an accident waiting to happen. Many disaster that occur in DR are preventable. I pointed this out in 1997, and was told to stop wishing them bad luck. Ignorance or plain stupidity does not excuse those that refuse to listen. The point where one start to desend by a river is the flood line.
The erotion line is clearly mark.

Aluvial Fans and Floods!

The town of Jimani is a aluvial fan as anyone that see the arial and distant picture of the area can see that this town like many other in DR are in the way of the natural current. I see why things have happen in this area. When I first read in the paper that there was a flood I did not know the area it had occur, the type of soil also contributed to the gravaty of the disaster. This could have been seen by a core of engineer. If the waste of national resources was a new thing there, I could be feeling surprise and since this and every government work on the wait and see atitude in DR. One of my Uncle said that the government is trying to loose some of the dead weight, those that do not matter, and they let these things happen as a system of population reduction. Death by negligence. The area is shape like a fan as the matural flow of water comes off the hills. it opens up like a funnel, how could they have build a town in the location? River dry uo at times but look out for rain in the upstream or hills, they might look harmless, but they fill up with trees and stones and become killer.

Topography in relation to rivers is the Same everywhere!

The area is look at before any building is place in a location of aluvial fan and the upriver topography and the floodlines are considered. The 100 year floodline is cut by pass flood. This is evident to the eye. Somehow these things are not been look at in DR. When I was taking Architecture in the last century it was part of building requirement. I had to take wireing,plumbing, foundation and roofing, and actualy do the work, no manicure hands last the first day. The problem I see there is the engeneering is done from the office and there is no field work done. Topography is measure by these students and fucture problems are caculated. An aluvial fan is form when the water goig from higher to lower ground have caried a large amount of water in the past. usually a devertion wall and catch basin(s) has to be constructed before anything can build in that area. Secondary problem is upriver deforestation. These conbinations were tragic.
Here there are many areas that have the same problem, many flood area are also affect by muds slide.

weather pattern ! Your eye can seethe signs drawn by previous weather!

A plain after hillside is always considered a flood plain. What happen could have been avoided, just by looking at the area.
I know that in DR information or a central libray with maps resources does not exist. The earth it seems to be the last place to be considered as a danger. But water and unstable soil do not mix.

do you know what a Philadelphia rod is? We as second year student learned to use one. I fail to see that comedy in saving lives! Many constructions are done by those that are going to live in the them. there are some sort of government control, even out in the small town?

Tony C said:

All these people do is find a spot and build. You try and explain to them that cannot live where they built there humble abode because a flood happend there 100 years ago.

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As you notice the 100 years flood is a great name for the unavoidable event, it a well known fact, not an invention by some that got together and made it up. The Book that illustrates this event is "Mother Earth Last Catologe, its also found in other architecture books.
When my daughter come over I will scan it in. "La cueta "is the first sign that the area has had a strong flood problem. np one in their right mind will build by a dry river bed.

I had to work up an area in my second year!

Using the Philadelphia rod working in two all students in the architecture and engeenering, when up into the Lake Arrowhead are to survey and plan a construction of a hause. It had to be work on a area that was assingned and the structure had to be place in an area that the rain or snow melt wound not affect. This is similar to working in an area that there is no building dept. I am grateful to my teacher for being so demanding. The plan had to show location of the living areas, bridge or road and detail on grading means no diches but road yhat had a 3degree slop for dainnage. Not like those diches that I saw being work on in Santiago, those are accident waiting to happen. The word for this shaby work is-half-***. What kind of city planner are these?