In recent years, there has been a series on flooding in Huston, Texas, which has resulted in deaths and massive damages to the community’s property. In fact, the area has never experienced such floods, especially the ones that occurred in 2015 and 2016. In this case, many people were left wondering if the state will continue experiencing severe flooding or whether the authorities involved will address the issue. Much of the flooding has been blamed on the massive growth of?, which has blocked the surfaces, thus making hard for the water to be absorbed quickly and complicating the flow. The local government has greatly relied on the retention ponds to control the flood water, but the initiative has not helped much in mitigating the danger. The policymakers are ignoring the fact that continued development, especially in the wetlands is one of the major causes of flooding.
The recurrent flooding usually leaves people dead and damages properties worth billions of dollars. It is the responsibility of every government to protect its citizens’ lives and the property (Binkovitz, 2017). Thus, the different levels of government have taken several measures to save the lives and properties of their citizens.
The federal government is the primary level of administration that has power over the other authorities. Under those premises, the federal government has taken several actions to address the issue of flooding. Some of the initiatives include funding the projects such as building dams and dykes to prevent flooding (Binkovitz, 2017). In addition, the federal government should continue to deploy army to assist in the rescue operations whenever there is such a disaster.
The State government on the other hand has the responsibility of protecting the people who elected them as well as their properties. The state government should provide funding for the projects that seek to curb the dangers of floods, including ….. In addition, the state government should oversee the construction of these projects to ensure that …….(Collier, 2017). Lastly, the state administration should change the laws that bar the local government from implementing the flood mitigation programs, including….
The county government has a direct contact with the people with the citizens on the ground. Thus, it should get views directly from the people it serves. It has a responsibility of seeking funds for construction of such projects that reduce the flooding. The county government should advocate for a collective regional approach to solve the problems in order to reduce on cost (Collier, 2017). To control the flooding, the county government wanted to have a newly built reservoir instead of fixing the existing ones. The county government argued that by having a new dam, it would accommodate more water thus reducing flooding.
Lastly, the local government also deals directly with the people and is the first level of government that understands the issues that are faced by the citizens. The local administration is also accountable for the provision of basic services to its people. The local government has the responsibility of identifying the site where the construction of the reservoir should take place. The local government is also able to identify the regions that are greatly affected by flooding and thus can direct the rescuers and volunteers. The local government is also tasked with the responsibility of building working warning systems that are supposed to alert people once there is a disaster. Additionally, the government is also responsible for having the provision of safe evacuation strategies that will save people’s lives (Collier, 2017). Lastly, the local government should also improve the city developments, standards and ensure that the waterways are clear and this will ensure that the water flows easily thus avoiding flooding.
References
Binkovitz, L. (2017). How to get serious about flooding after Harvey from the feds to the Flood Control District. Retrieved from https://urbanedge.blogs.rice.edu/2017/10/18/how-to-get-serious-about-flooding-after-harvey-from-the-feds-to-the-flood-control-district/#.WnKNiXyYPIU
Collier, K. (2017). Harris County officials: We need help paying for flood control projects. Retrieved from https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/04/local-officials-we-need-help-paying-flood-control-projects/