Yet another bit of Dutch heritage in New Amsterdam.
I was thinking of the North Sea floods. As the linked Wikipedia article notes, this also struck England significantly, and was among the key impetuses behind the Thames Barrier. Noting the closure frequency of this structure (and the increasing frequency with time), and the projected replacement dates (it's actually moved back a bit, I'd recalled 2030, current estimates are 2050-2060) is interesting. Also with recent rain-triggered floods in the UK, London and southeastern England now face a double threat: rising sea levels from the oceans, and increased runoff from land. Absent active pumping to clear rainwater flows down the Thames, a Barrier itself is not a complete solution.
I was thinking of the North Sea floods. As the linked Wikipedia article notes, this also struck England significantly, and was among the key impetuses behind the Thames Barrier. Noting the closure frequency of this structure (and the increasing frequency with time), and the projected replacement dates (it's actually moved back a bit, I'd recalled 2030, current estimates are 2050-2060) is interesting. Also with recent rain-triggered floods in the UK, London and southeastern England now face a double threat: rising sea levels from the oceans, and increased runoff from land. Absent active pumping to clear rainwater flows down the Thames, a Barrier itself is not a complete solution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Barrier