With the recent occurrence of 100-year natural disasters like the flooding of the Mighty Mississippi and with what seems like annual flooding of the Dakota plains, the idea of building a replica of Noah’s Ark might hold an appeal to some sandbagging warriors.

According to published reports, worldwide there are two replicas of that famous wooden ark, which are either in the process of being built or in the planning stages. In Dordrecht, Netherlands, Johan Huibers, who owns a construction company, is building an ark out of Swedish pine, based on the biblical dimensions listed in Genesis. Huibers recently told the New York Times that his project would be completed in July and he hopes to sail it over to London next year for the 2012 Olympics.

In Kentucky, two groups are planning a theme park titled the Ark Encounter, which will feature a full-scale wooden replica of Noah’s Ark along with other attractions on the 300-acre site. The park is tentatively scheduled to open in the spring of 2014.

Besides providing a testament to their faith, proponents of the projects also argue that in today’s economic environment, the tourism opportunities provided by both wooden replicas also offer an avenue to deal with unemployment. The Ark Encounter, which recently received tax incentives granted by the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, will create approximately 900 full-time and part-time jobs. Dordrecht officials also think that Huiber's ark could attract a large number of tourists, which would be beneficial to the city, according to the Times.

Check out the Youtube video below with Dutch ark creator, Johan Huibers.