Posted on 02/02/2006 10:08:40 AM PST by ncountylee
In the chaos that followed the worst natural disaster in American history, a forensic investigation has been taking place to find out what went wrong and why.
The BBC's Horizon programme has spoken to the scientists who are now confronting the real possibility that New Orleans may be the first of many cities worldwide to face extinction.
Modern day New Orleans was a city that defied the odds. Built on a mosquito infested swamp squashed between two vast bodies of water in what is essentially a bowl, its very existence seemed proof of the triumph of engineering over nature.
But on the 29 August 2005 New Orleans took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina and overnight was turned into a Venice from hell.
The delicate flood system in New Orleans, that so many relied on to protect them was actually, year on year, adding to the risk of a catastrophe in the city.
Coastal Geologist Shea Penland from the University of New Orleans knows every inlet, every cove and every stretch of marsh that surrounds New Orleans.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Louisiana is a red state. New Orleans was a blue city thus explaining Blanco and Landrieu. Vitter and Jindal represent and were voted in by RED voters. I live in the Metairie or Greater NO area and I can assure you I live in Bush country. So, people from LA do pay attention to FReepers.
I hope in the future if there is a biblical event in some of your areas I can have as much compassion as you have toward us.
No, they did not.
No need to read any further.
No the barriers are one step. the long tern preservatinon and advancement of the wetlands is whats needed
"I hope in the future if there is a biblical event in some of your areas I can have as much compassion as you have toward us."
Which post of mine are you referring to?
Link and quote or retraction, please.
It's hardly Olde Orleans, but the swamp has outlived it's Newness. Time to build a real New city on dry land. Then it would be New Orleans.
the problem with views of the ninth ward and its views on housing is sort of a fallcay. In fact people for some reason think that the 9th ward was some vast housing project. In fact it was not. In fact the architecture in some areas is quite similar to the houses in the Irish channel where I lived. It looks small but in fact I found living in these homes pleasant. Again the ARCHITECTURAL STYLE and refering to it as similar to most cities I think is inaccurate
And so rebuild the port as only a port, keep the French Quarter for the tourists and let the rest go back to swamp.
I understand the sadness that many in NO must feel, but in truth, NO will never be the same no matter how much money is thrown at it, just like Berlin, Dresden and many other cities that were destroyed for whatever reason, it's changed forever.
The problem is dry land. Nola is part of the issue but the alarm bells are going off in surrounding communities. They see nola and realize unless coastland reclaimation projects are not started Nola is them
I disagree that coastal erosion should be fixed for the same reason I do not feel building should be done below sea level. It may be simplistic but building against nature is not smart and it is simple don't do it or expect to every couple of generations to spend billions and billions of dollars to keep the residents (and former residents) satisfied. Green space, have at it, I do not consider that to be building.
ok right there is what I am talking about. Most people think the French quarter. What about uptown? Uptown did amazing well. Then also again because everyone assumes NOla is everything what about st bernard, what about palcqumines parish what terrebone, what about the cities north of the lake?
My liberal NYC sister:
"It's going to be under water by 2100! Don't rebuild any of New Orleans or spend one taxpayer penny on it!"
Me:
"It's going to be under water by 2080 - twenty years earlier! And any hurricane this season could destroy it again!"
My liberal NYC sister:
"Forget New Orleans! - It's is sinking faster every year and they blew money on fountains and graft and bribes and welfare! Build a new city above sea level somewhere else!"
Me:
"I agree!"
My liberal NYC sister:
"This is not only crazy and theft of my taxes dollars but is environmentally insane!"
Me:
"You call yourself a liberal democrat but don't think or act like on! Why do you vote for democrats!"
My liberal NYC sister:
"Because.....
Could those houses be re-built almost anywhere else?
Is there some value to living below sea level that justifies the immense expense required to rebuild in this area?
While there was a city there, there was a lot of sunk costs that made it worthwhile to protect the property that had already been built. But now that is no longer the case. These areas are destroyed. There is simply no reason to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to put them back, when they will just be destroyed again, down the line.
A direct hit is classified as the center of a storm passing within 70nm of a given point. By that standard, N.O. received a direct hit.
Ok this is everyones mistake. Everyone blindly assumes this is mother nature. Most of the problems were caused by man not Mother nature. For instance the fact we have channeled the Miss river so well all the sediment go off down the Continential shelf and is entirely useless. Or that in oil exporatrion damage was caused by basically creating water highwyas in the marsh. Again these problems can be reversed
Exactly. Well said!
Again some areas will not be redeveloped. There is a plan being formulated down there. Its politically hot but its proceeding
There will be some hard descions to make in the future. However a great solution and diverting some of this water to other areas. Its a big part of the solution
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was also a worse disaster with anything up to 6000 dying mostly from the subsequent fire and later of injuries sustained.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/01/25/state2049EST7857.DTL
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