Death by Sewer Pipe: Understanding Safety Needs for Infrastructure in a Changing Landscape
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
Climate change is creating the potential for larger precipitation events as warmer air can hold more water vapor in the atmosphere and can increase precipitation. But the risk of a flooding event is not determined by rainfall intensity and totals alone; a flood is the interaction of the rainfall with the landscape. Climate change has the potential to increase a flood plain, albeit marginally; however, what may be more important to the safety of individuals is the need for increased awareness of a flood plain in an environment that has been altered by modern development. Hurricane Ida was a deadly storm making landfall in Louisiana and continued devastation across the United States as a post-tropical cyclone. In New Jersey alone, the devastating flooding brought on by Ida claimed the lives of 30 individuals. In a widely circulated story, two individuals were sucked into a “sewer” pipe, resulting in the death of one. This paper evaluates the events leading up to the night of September 1, 2021, and research the history of the land use and processes used to control and convey stream flow in the area where this flooding tragedy occurred to better understand how to prevent such occurrences in the future.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2024
Pages: 1139 - 1149
History
Published online: May 16, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Business management
- Climate change
- Climates
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Environmental engineering
- Floods
- Infrastructure
- Landscaping
- Lifeline systems
- Meteorology
- Natural disasters
- Pipeline systems
- Pipes
- Practice and Profession
- Precipitation
- Public administration
- Public health and safety
- Safety
- Sewer pipes
- Sewers
- Steel pipes
- Urban and regional development
- Urban areas
- Water and water resources
Authors
Metrics & Citations
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