How 'levee wars' are making floods worse

Explained with a giant, scientific model.

Correction: At 4:27, we mistakenly wrote "Nijmegan" when it should be spelled "Nijmegen."

In our latest Vox+ProPublica collaboration, we dive into how a structure that’s designed to protect us from floods, may actually be making them worse. High levees come at a high cost, often pushing water into communities that can’t afford the same protection. To demonstrate, we built a giant, scientific model of a river with levees — complete with adorable tiny houses.

[Vox]

Correction: At 4:27 we show the city name as "Nijmegan". It should be "Nijmegen".

[CoralPolyps]

4:03 "We can't just pick up and _move_ major cities."
4:11 *_*Picks up city and moves it_*

[firenationfiles]

*Global warming:* "Not my problem. It's the next generation's!"
*Flooding:* "Not my problem. It's the other towns'!"

[mochithepooh]

The best way to solve your problems.
1. Pushing them somewhere else.
2. Pretends it doesn't exist.
3. ....

[kevinslater]

"Don't build near rivers" - Holland

[tellingfoxtales]

It's the American way, focus on your own at the expense of others.

[abcbcacba]

Just hire Dutch people. Yall Americans just push your problems away instead of solving them.

[Specops]

Down here in El Paso, TX., we have setback levees in some areas of the Rio Grande river. The space between the river and the levee was made into park areas with bike riding lanes and other stuff that actually makes for a great place to hang out. Poseidon reclaims his territory from time to time but he's usually pretty chill with us. 🇺🇸🏞🇲🇽

[WealthbuilderzTV]

Water has to go somewhere right? And if a neighboring town doesn’t have one what do you think is going to happen.

[MRTN]

I'm a proud Dutch guy, we've been fighting the water for hundreds of years. Our levees are working like a charm because they don't _compete_ with each other, but _work together_ so it's one giant defence system. I think the American love for competition (the pillar for capitalism) is the problem here. Take water defence as serious as military defence and cooperate.

[gregajezersek]

Trump seriously needs to consider banning illegal rain water from coming in to the states

[undercoverx]

Town 1: [builds levee]

Town 2: Hey, I’m flooding because you are building your levee higher!

Town 1: [builds higher levee]

[Jonoooooooooooo]

1:02 Coach "we still got practice."

[kanomack]

21st century Americans : "building levees right on river banks is a bad idea"
10th century Dutch : " oh gee, really?"

[zakiducky]

4:04 “We can’t just pick up and move major cities.”

_Jakarta has left the chat._

_Indonesia has entered the chat._

[nickc]

I’d love for someone to tell me how regulation isn’t the solution to this, that “the free market” will solve this on its own.

[jjc]

what a smart idea! that nobody came up with this earlier..

greetings from the Netherlands.

[frisolepoole]

Me a Dutch person seeing this while our entire country is made of levees. I live next to a levee .

[Apodeipnon]

We have tons of levees here in germany (on the river elbe for example) and they're all a good distance away from the actual river.

[NizarilMojojin]

Two things: I live in the Netherlands, the majority of it is below sea level and we have hardly any serious floods. The only floods nowadays are because of the sewer system not being able to handle a lot of rain in one go. But rivers never overflow anymore. Second thing... the music on the background is a bit too loud.