Floods can damage buildings and homes. To protect against future floods, a hospital is considering several different solutions shown below.

Question

Solution Water Level Width Image
flood wall 7 ft 4 ft
levee 10 ft 15 ft
gravel-filled
containers 3 ft 3 ft
water
tubes 4 ft 7 ft

Images courtesy of FEMA

The hospital expects flood water levels to reach 3 ft to 5 ft. They want to choose a solution that is narrow but still prevents all expected floods. Which solution best meets the hospital's needs?
A.
flood wall
B.
levee
C.
gravel-filled containers
D.
water tubes

Answer 1

To determine which solution best meets the hospital's needs, we need to consider both the height of the solutions and their width. The hospital expects flood water levels to reach between 3 ft to 5 ft.

1. Flood Wall:

   • Height: 7 ft
   • Width: 4 ft
   • This would prevent all expected floods, and its width is reasonable.

2. Levee:

   • Height: 10 ft
   • Width: 15 ft
   • This also prevents all expected floods; however, it is much wider than the hospital likely desires.

3. Gravel-filled containers:

   • Height: 3 ft
   • Width: 3 ft
   • This solution will not prevent floods at 4 ft or 5 ft, so it is inadequate.

4. Water Tubes:

   • Height: 4 ft
   • Width: 7 ft
   • This solution would prevent flooding at 3 ft and 4 ft, but not 5 ft.

Given the requirements, the flood wall (Option A) is the best solution as it is narrow (4 ft width) and provides adequate height (7 ft) to prevent all expected flood levels (3 ft to 5 ft).

Thus, the best solution that meets the hospital's needs is:

A. flood wall