[CMAC51]

Can we send some tax dollars down there to help these people?

I mean it is so RARE for a hurricane to hit that area we should all give generously so they can rebuild

AND they should also remember to BUILD UNDER SEA-LEVEL AGAIN because no hurricanes ever hit that area.

Before applying too much sarcasm one should stop and consider the facts behind the situation. New Orleans grew up where it did because that was the best location for a port to serve the mouth of the Mississippi River, not because someone saw Bourbon Street in a crystal ball.

New Orleans has been vital to the economic well being of the heartland. Despite its image as a party zone, it is more blue collar and hard working than many of the countries large cities which are equally exposed to natural disaster. The devastation at the mouth of the Mississippi will be felt by the driver at the gas pump, the farmer in field and the shopper in the grocery store.

Economics determined the location of New Orleans, not foolishness on the part of her residents.

[livius]

Thank you for saying that. I have been appalled at some of the posts on these threads. We're talking about fellow Americans who are, through no fault of their own, suffering through a terrible disaster.

[cripplecreek]

The Mississippi delta is sinking and New Orleans was once on somewhat higher ground. Destruction of the swamplands has also made things worse.

[southlake_hoosier]

It seems like it will be a long time before anything can even start to be repaired. With the economy in the shape it is in, how can any of these people survive without going somewhere else to work or live?

[Ditter]

Don't forget to add that New Orleans was settled over 250 years ago. I think the topography has changed over the years. I don't see any place to lay blame today.

[norton]

"Economics determined the location of New Orleans, not foolishness on the part of her residents."

History determined the location of NO.
A couple of hundred years ago it made sense, now we should know better.
The residents had/have little to do with it [you go where the jobs are].
Perhaps this event will force some badly needed reconsideration.

In any event it's going to be a massive project - or several of them.

[cpdiii]

The problem with New Orleans is the Army Corp of Engineers and Federal back insurance programs for flood prone areas. The Corp of Engineers has put levees on the Mississippi River all the way down to Venice, Louisiana. All the sediments that at one time flowed out into the Marshes below New Orleans now drops off the edge of the Continental Shelf at the Mouth of the river. The marshes have been eroded of the last 150 years and no longer are a protective barrier to the storm surges. The federally backed insurance programs have allowed people to build in areas that would never be insured and thus not built.

This is a disaster caused by government programs. The solution is to pay off the insurance claims and drop the program of federally backed insurance so people will not build in the areas again. Also the river must be allowed to flood the marshes again. The lack of new sediments in the marsh below New Orleans gets worse every year and the potential for disaster get worse every year.

During the spring floods the river will be 15 feet or more higher than New Orleans. The levees have artificially raised the level of the river, and the level of the sediments in the bottom of the river. If a levee ever breaks during the spring floods it would make this hurricane look like a picnic.

cpdiii (geologist and former resident of New Orleans and I am not an eviromental nut. )

[cpdiii]

The problem with New Orleans is the Army Corp of Engineers and Federal back insurance programs for flood prone areas. The Corp of Engineers has put levees on the Mississippi River all the way down to Venice, Louisiana. All the sediments that at one time flowed out into the Marshes below New Orleans now drops off the edge of the Continental Shelf at the Mouth of the river. The marshes have been eroded of the last 150 years and no longer are a protective barrier to the storm surges. The federally backed insurance programs have allowed people to build in areas that would never be insured and thus not built.

This is a disaster caused by government programs. The solution is to pay off the insurance claims and drop the program of federally backed insurance so people will not build in the areas again. Also the river must be allowed to flood the marshes again. The lack of new sediments in the marsh below New Orleans gets worse every year and the potential for disaster get worse every year.

During the spring floods the river will be 15 feet or more higher than New Orleans. The levees have artificially raised the level of the river, and the level of the sediments in the bottom of the river. If a levee ever breaks during the spring floods it would make this hurricane look like a picnic.

cpdiii (geologist and former resident of New Orleans and I am not an eviromental nut. )

[doc30]

Maybe more thought about storm damage will be in the minds of people when they rebuild. Hurricane Andrew did that to south Florida and Katrina will do that for New New Orleans. It will be rebuilt, but it will not be rebuilt the way it was.