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" Improved Statistics Flood-risk statistics for the upper Mississippi River seriously understate the potential for flooding. In St. Louis and dozens of smaller cities and towns, a one-in-200-year flood may actually occur every 50 years. Correcting those risk numbers could raise flood insurance rates, curb development in high-risk areas, and ultimately reduce federal flood insurance payouts. Coastal Buffers During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, mangrove trees as little as 300 feet deep blunted tsunami flow pressure by up to 90 percent. Development has substantially reduced mangroves that naturally occur along the U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida; restoring them could help protect coastlines against hurricane storm surges. Proactive Mapping Coastal cities need to retool zoning laws to incorporate the 2 to 4 feet of sea-level rise expected by 2100. Jonathan Overpeck at the University of Arizona has produced elevation maps of 180 coastal U.S. cities\u2014on \u00ADaverage, almost 10 percent of their area will be inundated by 1 meter (3.28 feet) of sea-level rise\u2014with larger areas at risk of floods or extreme tides. Handheld Warnings Quicker flood warnings could help people react in time. The U.S. Geological Survey is currently developing smartphone apps that track users&amp;#039; locations and warn them if a flash flood is headed their way. The apps could become available within five years in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego and other flash-flood-prone areas. Floating Structures In areas where floods are a problem but wind, waves and strong currents are not, one solution is to build infrastructure that floats. In New York City, for example, several oil-fired power plants on floating barges provide electricity during peak demand. These &amp;quot;power barges&amp;quot; can move upriver during storms and then restore power after the surge has passed.  &amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;lt; How a Hurricane Works  How a Tornado Works &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a7042/how-to-protect-the-us-from-floods-6327785/>