Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Causes of Floods and the Emergence of Flood Control Policy in Southeastern Kentucky
Session Abstract or Summary
ABSTRACT: Major flooding occurred in Southeastern Kentucky in 1862, 1917, 1948, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1977, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2015. Natural causes of floods include such events as droughts, excessive rainfall (most notably in the spring), and temperature changes that effect the freezing and thawing of soil during the times that snow melts in the mountains. Man-made causes include soil erosion and deforestation due to fires, farming, grazing, the extraction of resources (such as timber and coal), infrastructure construction (railroads and highways), development, and commercial growth.
This study examines floods in Southeastern Kentucky in the contexts of the causes of flooding, the evolution of scientific knowledge about floods, and the history of flood control efforts. Data is obtained from historical newspapers, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The study demonstrates how policy-making decisions often pit the physical control of water against the physical control of land, ownership of watersheds by private vs. government entities, and whether prevention and recovery costs should be incurred at the local or national level. One conclusion drawn is that while floods are primarily natural phenomena, flood disasters are almost exclusively man-made. Current flood control practices invite future tragedies.
Presentation #1 Title
Causes of Floods and the Emergence of Flood Control Policy in Southeastern Kentucky
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Major flooding occurred in Southeastern Kentucky in 1862, 1917, 1948, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1977, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2015. Natural causes of floods include such events as droughts, excessive rainfall (most notably in the spring), and temperature changes that effect the freezing and thawing of soil during the times that snow melts in the mountains. Man-made causes include soil erosion and deforestation due to fires, farming, grazing, the extraction of resources (such as timber and coal), infrastructure construction (railroads and highways), development, and commercial growth.
This study examines floods in Southeastern Kentucky in the contexts of the causes of flooding, the evolution of scientific knowledge about floods, and the history of flood control efforts. Data is obtained from historical newspapers, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The study demonstrates how policy-making decisions often pit the physical control of water against the physical control of land, ownership of watersheds by private vs. government entities, and whether prevention and recovery costs should be incurred at the local or national level. One conclusion drawn is that while floods are primarily natural phenomena, flood disasters are almost exclusively man-made. Current flood control practices invite future tragedies.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Norman Rose was partially raised in Whitley County, Kentucky and graduated high school from an urban Appalachian neighborhood in Cincinnati. He earned a BA degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in sociology. He is a retired prison administrator and served for ten years as an Ohio prison warden. He also served as an advisor to Iraqi and Kurdish prisons. He currently teaches at Kent State University, is married, and has two children and a grandson. This presentation is abstracted from a chapter in his upcoming Ph.D. dissertation in American History at Case Western Reserve University.
Causes of Floods and the Emergence of Flood Control Policy in Southeastern Kentucky
Major flooding occurred in Southeastern Kentucky in 1862, 1917, 1948, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1977, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2015. Natural causes of floods include such events as droughts, excessive rainfall (most notably in the spring), and temperature changes that effect the freezing and thawing of soil during the times that snow melts in the mountains. Man-made causes include soil erosion and deforestation due to fires, farming, grazing, the extraction of resources (such as timber and coal), infrastructure construction (railroads and highways), development, and commercial growth.
This study examines floods in Southeastern Kentucky in the contexts of the causes of flooding, the evolution of scientific knowledge about floods, and the history of flood control efforts. Data is obtained from historical newspapers, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The study demonstrates how policy-making decisions often pit the physical control of water against the physical control of land, ownership of watersheds by private vs. government entities, and whether prevention and recovery costs should be incurred at the local or national level. One conclusion drawn is that while floods are primarily natural phenomena, flood disasters are almost exclusively man-made. Current flood control practices invite future tragedies.
