Gallery: Amid Floods, Dwellers Turn Homes Into Islands

COOL!

its incredible

some of those are amazing, not even puddles in their lawns, i was wondering if we were going to see some atolls and i was not dissapointed, it was valiant effort on that one families part, its s shame it didn't work.

Bet the neighbors dont think "those damn piles of dirt" look so ugly now.. p.s. HATE Captcha.. but popsci has a new and improved one.. just try to post a comment now you spambots

Maybe it should be mandatory to create small hills to build your house on in flood prone areas..

I think building houses on stilts is a much better idea maybe a hill for your cars

Don't worry folks. The US government has flood insurance. Best deal around. Homeowners pay $1 and Uncle Sam pays out $50 for each $1 they get.

Where else can you get such good insurance?

Just think of how much worse the deficit would be in if we didn't have programs like that.

Just how stupid can people be? You build a ground level house on flood area! What next? House without taking the snow weight into account in Alaska? Building a plateau for your house must be a lot cheaper than building a dirt wall around your house. Or just build a house that floats!

Amazing :) it would be easier not to build in a flood area, but this is just so much cooler :)

I think a hill to build on is still the best answer.If you built on stilts,your home couldn't have a basement,which would be handy for tornado prone areas.As well,if you are on a hill,your view is not obstructed by earthen dykes.

People should just make detachable homes that float.. A boat house so to speak LOL :)

Images 2 and 7 are the same house just from opposite sides.

i live in an area that floods frequently and its common to build a house with the garage underneath and the actual living area on the second floor. all the houses are elevated in some way at least 5 feet and many are even more raised off the ground. it works pretty well for flooding.

Its funny.. with a couple of exceptions in the above list most of the houses would probably be cheaper to replace then moving all the dirt to protect them. Further, just build the house on stilts, or float it like a dock with poles in the ground, both likely cheaper as well.