California quake could cause Katrina II

Many densely populated regions in the US face the threat of flooding as disastrous as after Hurricane Katrina. The culprit is urban spread into river floodplains.

In California an earthquake or even a moderate flood could destroy the levee system protecting towns and cities along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.

Most of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta land is below sea level and protected by 1,000 miles of levees.

Developers want to build 130,000 new homes near the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the Central Valley. Among large US metropolitan areas Sacramento is one of the most at-risk for flooding.

Read the whole article here:
Scientists say California quake could cause Katrina II