Fabian Nehrbass





Thailand $45 billion dollars damage due to
floods in the past two years
Australia $9.6 billion
1.4 million people live in Louisiana’s coastal
parishes
634,000 homes
New Orleans sea level rise:
 8” by 2030
 19” by 2050





Levees
Restoration of wetlands
Sediment use form Mississippi to rebuild land
Abandon land
Adapt!

Allows the home to sit close to the ground,
and in the event of a flood, rise up with the
rising water


Increased vulnerability of the structure to
wind damage
Elevations are expensive
 $40,000-$60,000 to elevate vs. $25,000 to retrofit
existing house with floating foundation


Difficult access to living areas
Loss of character




No loss of character
Cheaper than elevating
No issues with soil subsidence
Less vulnerable to hurricane damage





FEMA does not believe they are a good
strategy to protect against hurricane flooding
Storm surge can still push water into such a
home
Still need to evacuate
Only work in areas where water rises slowly
Size and weight limitations

**National Flood Insurance Program will not
insure floating houses because they are not
considered anchored to the ground**

Chance they aren’t allowed
 In Lakeview, house wasn’t allowed in “special
flood hazard zone”

More susceptible to wind damage?

Suggestions

Shotgun retrofitting
 Buoyancy blocks and a vertical guidance system
interconnected by a light structural frame

Utility lines have either long, coiled
“umbilical” lines or self-sealing “breakaway”
connections that disconnect gas and sewer
lines when the house begins to rise

Netherlands
 Maas River
 Prison
 Greenhouses





Maldives – designed by Watersudio
Raccourci Old River, Louisiana
9th Ward
Lakeview
UK


$310,000 each (about 25% greater)
All survived major floods in 2011




No flood insurance, no success
Frequency of storms?
Wind protection?
Float them down the river to Baton Rouge!