November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 51

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By Richard J. Dolesh

S

trong rains began to fall heavily throughout central and southern Louisiana in
the heat of August 2016. Not unusual for hot, humid Louisiana at this time
of year, but the rains increased as time went on, and it just kept raining. " It
started on a Friday, " says Carolyn McKnight, superintendent of BREC, the
park and recreation agency of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, " and it rained day and
night. We began to hear from our employees that rivers were rapidly rising and our
parks were becoming flooded. It was a rain like we had never seen before. "
In fact, it rained more than 30 inches in
some localities in Louisiana in less than a
week, causing a flood of biblical proportions. Almost 100,000 homes and businesses in the greater Baton Rouge area
were damaged or destroyed. Thirteen people lost their lives and it's been estimated
that property damage will exceed $8 billion. The Louisiana flood has been classified as the worst natural disaster in the
United States since Superstorm Sandy.
The Louisiana flood has been termed " a
1,000-year flood, " meaning that the proba-

	

bility of such a storm is estimated to have
a .1 of 1 percent chance of occurring in a
given year, or once every thousand years.
However, the historic Louisiana flood was
not the only 1,000-year flood in the United States in recent years. The state of West
Virginia was ravaged by torrential rains
on June 23, 2016, and South Carolina
suffered enormous damage from extreme
flooding in October 2015. According to
insurance industry data, there have been
six 1,000-year floods in the past five years
preceding the Louisiana flood, and instead

of abating, it appears that such events are
growing in intensity and frequency.
Park and Recreation Agencies
on the Frontlines
Increasingly, across the United States,
states and localities are facing more frequent and unanticipated impacts from
extreme weather, such as flooding,
drought, hurricanes and other events
that cause widespread property damage,
dislocation of people, extended loss of
power, health emergencies and overall
disruptions to commerce and daily life.
Most scientific observers attribute the
conditions that create extreme weather
events to the effects of climate change;
others assert they are just part of a cyclical pattern of events that is occurring
with greater frequency and the causes are
not yet known. No matter the root caus-

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 |

Parks & Recreation

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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2016 - Parks & Recreation

November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 1
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 2
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 3
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 4
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 5
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 6
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 7
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 8
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 9
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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 11
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 12
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 13
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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 15
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 16
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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 18
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 19
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 20
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 21
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 22
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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 24
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 25
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 26
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 27
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 28
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 29
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 30
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 31
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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 37
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November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 42
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 43
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 44
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 45
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 46
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 47
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 48
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 49
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 50
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 51
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 52
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 53
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 54
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 55
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 56
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 57
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 58
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 59
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 60
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 61
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 62
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 63
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 64
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 65
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 66
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 67
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 68
November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 69
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