I don't know. I am sort of shell shocked by what needs to be done here. My opinion is that the tourist district will take care of itself, uptown will, the port will.
I think that someone, somewhere has to get a number and a list of what has to be done. My guess is the water problem will be astronomical,,the levees, canals, pumps, etc.
I don't know if there will be a rebuilding if people sit back and think and plan and estimate the costs.
I guess the state would need help with infrastructure that was destroyed,,water control, port, roads, highways, and clean up. The clean up is going to be unbelievable,,just bulldozing the ninth ward blows me away. How does one do that,,where do you take the garbage? And down in Chalmette,,it is a dump now what with oil spills, etc. It is irretrievable,,who can clean that up when the parish is bankrupt.
The tax base is gone and will be a long time coming back.
It is beyond me. But it seems to me that some planning, some sense of how and what is to be done ought to be done before building starts.
I am not an engineer or a city planner so I don't know.
Well, I'd hope there would be plenty of planning and estimating considering the magnitude of it all. There are lots of things to be considered. For example, how many people will want to come back and if they don't return will there be newcomers willing to risk the chance of going through the same thing someday? How much money should be spent to try to help protect a city when the majority of it is built below sea level?
I'd like to point out something that you might not have thought about. Just as you're dealing with all of this from where you are, the rest of us are dealing with it from where we are. I personally have many concerns about the impact of Katrina and Rita. On an emotional level, I'm concerned for people whose lives have been ripped apart. My heart aches for them. How do you decide if the place you've always called "home" should continue to be your home? How do you deal with the fact that your worldly possessions are gone or ruined? Do you try to start over in a new place, knowing that eventually you'll have to decide whether or not to pull up the new roots you've just grown? I also have economic conerns. Hotel rooms are costing $11 million a day just for Katrina evacuees..they're estimating almost half a billion total by the time they have found temporary housing for them. And that's just one financial aspect of this very complicated thing. It's a diaster the likes of which none of us have ever dealt with before.
So, and I am speaking only for myself here, if I seem to be a little hesitant at the idea of the country spending a couple hundred billion dollars to help rebuild NO, bear in mind that it's certainly nothing personal. I have kids and not a day goes by that I don't wonder what the future of this country holds for them. Between fuel prices, immigration, and all that other stuff what if there's another big natural disaster or terrorist attack? That could bring economic changes that none of us want to see. Toss in some bird flu and well, there ya go.
Although you're much closer to the New Orleans thing that the rest of us, we still feel it, in one way or another, whether we admit it or not. And I can honestly say that I wish the city of New Orleans much success in rebuilding and that I hope it's done in a smart, sensible way. Because in the end, it's really an investment we'll all be making.
Cajungirl--people don't understand about New Orleans. Even with the political corruption, NOPD etc... there is just something about it that is HOME. It will never be the same--ever.
I saw my neighborhood (lakeview) yesterday. It is impossible to describe and very devastating. I was already a little frantic over my job hunting in Baton Rouge and now I am very worried. Everyhing near here is saturated with other people looking for jobs and housing. I am running out of money! I realized that it is a MONUMENTAL task in New Orleans and not much to go back to now. I don't want to abandon my city, but I need a job! I am a sales rep and have diverse experience. There are lots of retail jobs, but that won't cover the rent and utilities! I am on my own now and all my friends are scattered all over the country.Don't mind relocating, but would like to stay in a warm climate--I don't deal with cold well! Anybody have any ideas?