Rebuilding New Orleans doesn't make sense

New Orleans Times-Picayune ^ | 9/1/05 | Bill Walsh

[FormerACLUmember]

House Speaker Dennis Hastert dropped a bombshell on flood-ravaged New Orleans on Thursday by suggesting that it isn’t sensible to rebuild the city. "It doesn't make sense to me," Hastert told the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago in editions published today. "And it's a question that certainly we should ask." Hastert's comments came as Congress cut short its summer recess and raced back to Washington to take up an emergency aid package expected to be $10 billion or more.

Hastert said that he supports an emergency bailout, but raised questions about a long-term rebuilding effort. As the most powerful voice in the Republican-controlled House, Hastert is in a position to block any legislation that he opposes. "We help replace, we help relieve disaster," Hastert said. "But I think federal insurance and everything that goes along with it... we ought to take a second look at that."

Rebuilding the city, which is more than 80 percent submerged, could cost tens of billions of dollars more, experts projected. Hastert questioned the wisdom of rebuilding a city below sea level that will continue to be in the path of powerful hurricanes. "You know we build Los Angeles and San Francisco on top of earthquake issures and they rebuild, too. Stubbornness," he said. Hastert wasn't the only one questioning the rebuilding of New Orleans. The Waterbury, Conn., Republican-American newspaper wrote an editorial Wednesday entitled, "Is New Orleans worth reclaiming?" "Americans' hearts go out to the people in Katrina's path," it said. "But if the people of New Orleans and other low-lying areas insist on living in harm's way, they ought to accept responsibility for what happens to them and their property."

[FormerACLUmember]

Do we rebuild this entire well below sea level entire city so that the next hurricane does exactly the same thing? Or do we protect just the industrial, commerical, tourist and entertainment downtown, behind huge new levees and resettle the now homeless populace into new homes on dry land?

[Snoopers-868th]

There are some with a few brains.

[Dane]

Everybody knew that this was not an "if a disaster would happen", but a situation of when a disaster would happen.

[al baby]

I think Disney should Buy it and turn it into a water park

[weegee]

They should ponder what would be the answer the wake of a nuclear disaster or attack. A difficult decision to "walk away" but some places are not inhabitable...

The city has stood for centuries. What sort of history is there with flooding? I know that the levees/flood control are not comparable.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Hastert is absolutely right. I don't want one penny of my tax money wasted on rebuilding another disaster in the making. And disaster won't require a hurricane. Any half-witted al-Qaeda zealot can figure out that all that's needed to decimate this city again after it's rebuilt, is to fly a Piper Cub into a levee.

[Para-Ord.45]

I have to agree with a FoxNews commentator on Cavuto`s show.His name escapes me but he simply stated,'Rebuild it once at taxpayers expense,then after that you`ve been warned.Expect to rely on insurance if you wish to live in Hurricane alley'.

[FormerACLUmember]

This very issue was discussed in depth on FR one year ago.

[weegee]

Who's going to catch the flak when "the big one" (earthquake) finally hits California and catches millions without insurance?

[Publius]

In parts of the world where floods occur on land that is above river or sea level, the flood waters usually cause a lot of superficial damage but not much structural damage because the waters recede quickly (24-48 hours) due to gravity drainage. New Orleans’ buildings are going to soak in water for weeks. This is likely to cause such excessive structural damage that all the flooded buildings will have to be demolished. That would perhaps be 80% of the city. There seems little point in demolishing 80% of a city that is below sea level to rebuild it.

[Muzzle_em]

I have a question-

If and when they do get the levee plugged, where are they going to pump all that NASTY, POLLUTED water to?

Back into the lake?

[taxcontrol]

There is only one long term fix for New Orleans and it is a damn expensive prospect. That would be to bring in enough fill dirt to build the city 6' above sea level. Look at the picture, in some places that would require 24 vertical feet of dirt, a huge project running into Billions of dollars. Not to mention the legal entanglements, etc.

Anything else, will just be another set of temporary measures but I fear that is exactly what will be done.

[RoseofTexas]

What a frightening scenario...I don't even what to think about it! One catastrophe at a time plezzzzzzz sweet Jesus! God Help us the day mother nature decides to stretch her legs in Cali! YIKES!

[Archidamus]

Why spend money for a bunch of looters?

[x]

Something is going to be rebuilt -- for political reasons if nothing else. Any government that simply writes off New Orleans entirely loses Louisiana's votes for years to come. The likelier questions are what will be rebuilt, how much of the city and its surroundings, how, and where. The area is bound to look different in the future, but Congress is going to give Louisiana something to sugar the bitter pill.

[Archidamus]

They are in the process of being resettled in Houston right now. They are going to get tired of sitting in the Dome for six months.

[msnimje]

From the looks of things, they need to turn it into a penal colony. Is Snake Blitzen busy?

[livius]

I think Hastert and our FReeper Clemenza are right, between them. Clemenza suggested just keeping the Quarter and the Garden District, and rebuilding the rest elsewhere.

I think that's a great idea. Conserve the scenic part as a sort of park/casino/rec area, and create a new city on more stable and higher ground. This could be a chance for our architects and builders to really shine. DC was a planned city (well, not the slum part), and I think the new NO could be a real gem of a city if we got some good, creative architects and planners into this.

[Archidamus]

Yes, but they will screen out the bodies.