As each hurricane season comes and goes, so too does a heightened risk for flooding in our homes and businesses. While there are a multitude of resources available to homeowners and business owners to evaluate their flood risk, these resources can be difficult to navigate if you don’t know where to look. Although floods are a natural part of our lives, there are several tools available so that we can minimize their effects on our...

In the fight against erosion, articulated concrete blocks serve as an option to armor auxiliary spillways.

A new chapter in the National Engineering Handbook – reviewed by Freese and Nichols’ Grady Hillhouse, PE, and Colin Young, PE – covers articulated concrete blocks (ACBs), its usages, new design methodologies, design considerations, maintenance and installation guidance.

Grady and Colin worked in collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service ’s...