West Coast levee failures show growing risks from America’s aging flood defenses

By: Farshid Vahedifard, Tufts University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: December 29, 2025

Words: 1,366

Last Updated: 4 days, 23 hours ago

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By Farshid Vahedifard, Tufts University

In recent weeks, powerful atmospheric river storms have swept across Washington, Oregon and California, unloading enormous amounts of rain. As rivers surged, they overtopped or breached multiple levees – those long, often unnoticed barriers holding floodwaters back from homes and towns.

Most of the time, levees don’t demand attention. They quietly do their job, year after year. But when storms intensify, levees suddenly matter in a very personal way. …

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