Mindzle

It was to have lasted a quarter of a century or more, that Tempe Town Lake dam. A rubber structure, Tempe Town Lake dam created a beautiful natural landmark for the city of Tempe, Arizona. But one wonders what Tempe thinks about one of the 11-year-old dam pillows having blown, as the Associated Press reports. Two-thirds to three-fourths of Tempe Town Lake will flood the dry riverbed of Salt River, which happens to be an area where some of Tempe’s homeless tend to sleep during the summer. Post resource – Tempe Town Lake rubber dam bursts; waters wash away homeless by Personal Money Store.

No injuries reported after Tempe Town Lake explosion

Media reports have revealed nothing regarding any injuries at Tempe Town Lake, and the flood waters have not caused severe property damage as yet. Area residents said they heard a loud “ka-boom” and felt the ground shake near Arizona State University. Not long after the rumble, animals broke into a run out of there. After several minutes, safety alarms began to sound. Reports as to whether any potential transients within the Salt River bed heard the siren are currently inconclusive.

One billion gallons out of Tempe Town

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman told the media that is the water flow facing engineers. As far back as 2007, experts reportedly knew that the Arizona climate was wreaking havoc with the structural integrity of the rubber dam. But nothing was done. By spring 2009, engineers told Tempe that Town Lake dam was in need of immediate repair, but the city did nothing.

Wither the individuals without homes?

The emergency alarm clearly went off, but nobody knows at this early stage just how the homeless fared following the Tempe Town Lake dam disaster. Most consider this event exploded rubber and government impotency. But if the fiscal angle is taken through the lens of the cost of homelessness, other possibilities emerge. Various media sources indicate that chronic homelessness costs the United States $ 10.95 billion each year in public funds. Forbes reports that that figure would descend to a more manageable $ 7.88 billion if the homeless were given permanent homes.

Give them homes or they’ll drown

As outlined by AZCentral.com, you will find up to 8,000 homeless in Tempe’s Maricopa County each day. Give the disadvantaged the housing they need and Maricopa County would save as much as half of what they presently spend on emergency services. Tempe Town Lake doesn’t sound like a homeless story at first, but the disaster could produce something truly positive for those needing opportunity.

More info on this topic

philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/20100721_ap_rubberizeddambreaksatmanmadearizonalake.html

azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2010/06/11/20100611tempe-homeless-outreach-united-way.html

forbes.com/2006/08/25/us-homeless-aid-cx_np_0828oxford.html