"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 May 2004 05:55:55 GMT, "Steve Young"
topposted, with no attribution of quoted lines:

I think there might be a problem when you assume a 100 year return is
actually a 1 00 year return

Huh?


"They" say things like, That was a 100 year flood, expected to occur only
every 100 years. (or snow, drought, whatever) But I have doubts about how
they calculate that. Example, where I live, a few years ago we had a "100
year" storm with flooding. But if you look at newspapers from the 1920's,
there were floods EVERY YEAR!. As more people build in river flood plains,
wouldn't you expect more flooding, people are moving to where the water is.
As more concrete if poured, there is less soil to absorb the water. It has
to go somewhere, and that's what we call flooding, when it goes where we
don't want it..

I've been in three different "100 year floods. I guess that makes me 300
years old