"Oroville" Topic

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So, "you" live for decades under the US's tallest dam, in an earthquake zone, and only now do you feel fear? This is just nuts.

And things could get a lot better. In Pennsylvania, there was the Johnstown Flood which was a burst dam back in 1936. The state enacted a temporary 10% tax on booze with the funds going to pay for restoration of the town. The collection worked and by the mid-1940s, the bill was paid.

However, the "temporary" tax was not repealed. Not only does PA still collect the tax revenue, they have at least twice increased the level of the tax, AFTER the actual restoration work was completed and paid for.

"If you think the problems we create are really bad, just wait until you see our solutions."

I have a lot of family in the area, of course they don't live on the low parts…

Having sat through many meetings for several water districts where the general consensus has been "too expensive to fix now, maybe the state or feds will do it later" I have to say that it is frustrating to be in the effected zone but have no say in the repairs or bills.

I used to have family that lived on an elevated bluff in Oroville. She didn't move in with her daughter in town (and live rent free) because she wanted to be up high when the dam broke.

This a topic/issue that I emote with. Our church has a recreation property, but usually they do overnight campouts below a dam rather than drive the extra distance to the property. I will not camp even one night below a dam. Much less will I live below one.

What's the difference between living beneath a dam, on a river's flood plain or a couple of feet below sea level on reclaimed land. Eventually, you risk catastrophy – and that's a good proportion of the planet.

(Guilty. I think my house is a foot or two beneath sea level)

Something about "fifty feet of water" explains the difference, I believe. Two feet below sea level is financially disastrous, not life threatening.