An inspection program by the Army Corps of Engineers notes that 146 levees in the U.S. are at an unacceptable risk of failing in a major flood.  The inspectors attributed the problems primarily to poor maintenance, and communities across the nation will be required to spend millions of dollars repairing levees.  Communities that fail to make the necessary repairs could be cited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as lacking adequate flood controls, a designation that would require property owners in areas protected by the levees to buy flood insurance. Flood insurance generally costs several hundred dollars a year or more. 

The Corp has stepped up its inspection in response to the failure of levees when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  Thousands of residents who lost their homes to flooding from Katrina were not covered by flood insurance because the flood-control system was considered adequate.  Larry Larson, director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said that the corps and FEMA are pressuring officials responsible for flood-control systems to give more attention to the operation and maintenance of levees.

146 U.S. Levees May Fail in Flood (USA Today 1/29/07)

January 30, 2007