By Donna Conneely Throughout human history, flooding has been both a gift and a curse. The ancient civilizations that grew up in Egypt and Mesopotamia would not have developed the way they did without flooding. Both of these areas suffered — and benefited — from regular flooding. Egypt was lucky enough to have flooding that…

By Donna Conneely Many coastal US cities face astronomical flood loss bills every year. For example, the average yearly cost of flooding in New Orleans is $1,583,000,000, in New York it is $1,960,000,000, and in Miami it is a whopping $2,099,000,000. These three cities alone account for the vast majority of flood loss costs in…

By Donna Conneely At the end of April 2014, a series of massive storm systems moved through the southeastern US, causing widespread flooding, particularly in the state of Florida. A full 26 of Florida's 67 counties had been declared disaster zones by the beginning of May, as nonstop rainfall, high winds and several tornados inflicted…