NC State study finds levees are at risk with frequent flooding

Researchers chose to use the levee in Princeville as a case study. Princeville was nearly destroyed during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and suffered heavy damage during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

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"Having a better understanding of how they perform and how we can assess when they might start to fail is critical," said Brina Montoya, an NC State civil engineering associate professor.

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"I think the research is able to show quite clearly that repetitive flooding cycles is creating cumulative damage in the levee, so even though from the surface we can't see what's happening, inside the levee it's deforming and straining," Montoya said.

And since the average age of levees in the United States is 56 years old, this could be dangerous for areas prone to frequent flooding.

"Our levee system is aging, and this is a very critical time," Jadid said. "Our research will help them."

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