Question

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

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**