Flooding & Stupidity

The flooding in North Dakota is major news, not just on the Fargo stations which serve as my local news outlets, but the story lead tonight's ABC Network newscast and it even made it on the BBC in the UK. Luckily, here in Jamestown, we seem to be escaping the brunt of the flooding, although there is still some concern about the James River. The Bismarck/Mandan area received a hit earlier today, but the majority of the concern is in the Red River Valley and Fargo specifically where the river is at 36 feet and expected to crest 5 feet higher by Saturday. That will break the record set in 1997, which was an especially devastating year.

One thing concerns me about the flooding. Why are people building in areas which are prone to flooding??? There was one guy who was featured on a Fargo newscast who said he was surprised that FEMA hadn't purchased his property before this flood. He said that he'd been flooded 4 times in the time he'd lived there and there was a For Sale sign in his front yard surrounded by water.

EXCUSE ME!!!!!! You bought a lot in a low lying area by a river that is prone to flooding and you're wondering why the government hasn't come along to bail you out!!!! The recent financial bail outs of AIG and the automakers hasn't helped this sense of entitlement.

I'm sorry, but I think buyout and bailout programs should be for people who are affected by events which they could not have reasonably forseen and avoided. That does not include building your dream home in the middle of a 100 year flood plain. My heart goes out to anyone who has lost property in the flooding. But if you're not going to follow common sense when selecting a site, maybe you need to learn the hard way. Especially if this is the fourth time you've been flooded out of the same location!