Posted on 09/01/2005 6:37:10 PM PDT by kellynla
Draining the billions of gallons of water that have inundated New Orleans could take three to six months, substantially longer than some experts have expected, the Army Corps of Engineers said late Wednesday.
Col. Richard Wagenaar, the corps' senior official in New Orleans, said that the estimate was based on planning done as Hurricane Katrina approached and that it remained the corps' best estimate. He is directing the agency's recovery efforts.
The estimate depends on favorable weather. Additional rain or other problems could cause more delays, Wagenaar warned.
"There is a lot of water here," he said. "The news cameras do not do it justice. And I'm worried the worst is yet to come."
Public officials, meanwhile, were furious over the corps' delays. Mayor C. Ray Nagin blistered officials on television for what he called their inaction. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco scowled in irritation, saying, "I'm extremely upset about it."
Walter Baumy, a chief engineer, said that the corps was confronted by riverbeds clogged with loose barges and debris and that it could not find contractors able to maneuver heavy equipment into the flood zone. Blanco acknowledged that officials were also struggling with faulty communication. After a disheartening aerial tour of the flooded city, Blanco said she was able to reach White House officials on a satellite phone but could not connect with Army and other officials in nearby Baton Rouge.
"Part of our problem is we're not getting information delivered quickly enough," she said.
Wagenaar said the evaluations Wednesday were sobering, leading him to believe that city officials' horrific death estimates given could be accurate.
The water is 30 feet deep or more in some parts of the city, covering homes. In the city's 9th Ward, homes have shifted and floated away
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
A natural disaster can strike anywhere. Victims need help afterwards. But people who rebuild a city below sea-level, in a Hurricane-rich environment, will get no sympathy from me.
Wasn't Biloxi hit just as hard?
How did they get their act together so fast?
Could it be their kick-ass Governor?
Or maybe I'm out of line here.
There will be a boatload of "lessons learned" from this, esp. with regards to preparing for a terrorist attack. Looks like we're not as ready as we should be.
Biloxi is a smaller town for one and it's not underwater for another. I think that might have something to do with it.
It's the sea level thing and the larger population in NO that made it worse----plus,from what I can see,a very inept mayor.
Don't you just love the way the times has gone out of their way to make it seem as though the Democrat Governor and Democrat Mayor are tough as nails - getting it done whatever it takes types while the Bush administration is holding up all of their valiant efforts. Tell the garbage enough and the Sheeple will believe it.
How do you relocate a half mil people and their houses? Not to mention replacing every business, of which there are thousands.
I agree. When NO was built it wasn't under sea level. It sunk over time. Rebuilding it in the same spot is foolhardy.
Rebuild it like Venice: everything above sea level habitable, everything below sea level waterproof, and lots of canals instead of roads. While it is a disaster it's also a chance to rebuild everything new with potential water levels planned for!
Well, most of the people have already relocated themselves and their houses, well, I would say most of them aren't there. No one is going to move houses that are okay.
And it will continue to sink. It's time to fix the levees and salvage what's worth the effort and then write it off.
the police have 0 (zero) radio communication. as you hear all the stories remember that even in the 20s a call box was on msot street corners for a cop to call the station. FEMA says, we are setting up communciation because the Mayor can't talk to the police. Does this change some of what has been told? It does for me.
Step 1: Have an enormous Hurricane and make it so no one (no one!) can live within the city for several months.
Step 2: Have a whole lot of water pick up and float houses off their foundations.
Step 3: Tell people that if they want to rebuild, that's their business but tax dollars will not be made available for the purpose.
Three easy steps and the first 2 are already done.
As far as the people go, they WILL be relocated, or they will make a running sore of every refugee center and shelter in twenty states.
As far as the businesses, they're GONE, dude.
How's Commander's Palace in Vegas?
"Rebuilding it in the same spot is foolhardy."
Unless they do like Galveston did - jack up all the buildings that survived and fill the space with land until it's above sea level.
Big job? Sure - so is everything else that's been proposed.
You simply refuse to insure any structure built there. There will be very few people who will invest in a non-insurable property. The rest of the country should not be stuck with higher premiums because irresponsible people want to build a city where no city should have ever been built.
"Glass house, meet rock" Yep, this is the same mayor who would not issue a mandatory evac until he talke to his lawyers and still waited until the next morning when it would too late to evac everybody anyhow. And I believe the President called him and warned him to evac.Now he is talking about "inaction" Give me a break Nagin!
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