The History Channel amuses me, as many of their shows seem to be fact checked by contestants on “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” (the adults, not the kids), yet I still tune in to their shows. Today, I watched The Crumbling of America, which details the disasters that American cities face from our dilapidated infrastructure.
Of course, Sacramento’s levee system is highlighted. My favorite part is their computer simulation of a levee breach in Natomas, which consists of a picture of water superimposed over a picture of Arco Arena. Woo, high tech!
Of course, the state of our levees is no laughing matter. More than four years after the lessons Hurricane Katrina, Sacramento still faces the highest flood risk of any American city. I think that the average Sacramentan is not up-in-arms about this as most of us cannot fathom (ha!) the idea that Natomas and/or the Meadowview/Pocket area can be completely, 100% destroyed, yet this risk is very, very real. If we cannot handle a homeless population of 2,500 people, what are we going to do when another 70,000 Natomas residents or 30,000 Meadowview residents are displaced by a flood that is completely preventable?
The Sac Rag 
Sacramento’s sewer system should have been highlighted as well. Most of the central city has a combined sewer system, which means that storm water drains and household sewage go into the same sewer mains. When we get a bad storm, guess what happens? The city mains back up into residential lines. Awesome.
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