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 ...
This is my view. I live in the Shreveport area. Kathern Blanco seemed almost to have a second home in Shreveport. You couldnt pick up a paper without seeing her encouaraging people here. I hear the same things from people in Monroe. More importantly she visited all those towns in those small parishes that were never graced by a visit from our esteemed Gov. Foster in his 8 years of Gov spent no time up here. It was noticed and North LA let that be known that it appreciated Blancos attention at the polls. I had a lot of Republican friends that supported Blanco for that reason because they felt we would have a ear in Baton Rouge.
True part of the problem is this. Everyone on this board was screaming property rights after last years Supreme court decsion. In fact rights to property and proper compensation for it if taken by the Govt is something I think we would all agree on. The devil is in the details. How do you do it. Esp with so much of the population scatthered. Its occuring but because of sound legal issues it cant be done by executive fiat.
Ah that may be why we have a difference of opinion. All of my family lives in South Louisiana and the story they tell is that race had a lot to do with it. That plus the fact that the esteemed gov. liked to emphasize the Babineaux part of her name, if you know what I mean.
True.
On the other hand, nuke New Orleans with a 50 megaton high-yield airburst nuclear device.
Y'see.
My 'bruddah' is 256th... he said the same thing. He got back from Iraq just in time to evacuate from Katrina. Now he's the liaison between FEMA, the National Guard and the communities in his part of SW LA. Cajuns are working their ass off to get back to normal in that part of the State. I will say that I wish I felt like more was being done by the majority of displaced 'Yats' (I know you're from there, and I hate to say that, but it's true).
The uninformed carping of many around FR on this issue is just that; uninformed carping. I've just learned to ignore it. You cannot bring reason into their life, no matter how much you try, and New Orleans, along with the rest of the Gulf Coast, is going to survive this whether they want it to or not. So what is the point? Just crack an Abita, put on some Bosoleil, and ignore these a**holes.
why? many cities are built below sea level and have no problems whatsoever. NO had a larger problem of sitting between a lake and a gulf, in a hurricaine zone.
i am curious what do you mean by her using babaeneaux.
true I know its a losing battle. Let me clarify. I am a North Louisiana boy with family in the region. However I lived in New orleans for a time. I wasnt an evacuee
Oh.... so you're a yankee and not a Yat. Just kidding. Sorry, I gathered that you were from NOLA. Okay... so I will commence unrestricted picking upon on all Yats, Nin't Warders, Uptowners and Algereens. :)
You're right. We can bulldoze it in, fill the bowl with dirt from somewhere and rebuild anew on top of it. That should last until it sinks or until the sediments beneath it wash out from under the new fill.
The question is, Wouldn't it be much cheaper and much smarter to just build somehwere more sensible? I think it would be. Sinking any more funds into the future swamp called NO is just poor use of resources.
(of course if the residents want to spend their own money that's fine. Just keep your hands out of my pocket when you rebuild.)
The real issue that needs to be dealt with is the impending, and inevitable course change of the Mississippi that will bypass NO entirely anyway (cuts something like 150 miles off the rivers journey to the sea.) Now that is an issue that needs to be addressed
Babineaux is her maiden name and as you will note it is a Cajun name. She made sure to always identify herself as Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (if you'll remember, all of her signs, etc. had her entire name) so that all of the coon-asses in South Louisiana would vote for her.
Nope. It was a glancing blow.
oh yeah true. but it was interesting that she didnt caryy her home parish. Of courseI think alot of that has to deal with her husband lol
ok we will take our share of the oil revenues off the coast to do it. The gov is bout to block the sales of further leases until we can get those funds. I have no problem with that. As to the River. I agree with you. In fact that might have to be the hard choice we have to make here. Of course people need to be prepared that allowing the River to run its natural course will be expensive.
Yes it is interesting, but not really surprising that she didn't win her home parish. My sister lives there and said that she didn't win there b/c they already knew enough about her. Unfortunately the rest of the state didn't.
True i mean to alot of North folks thought she seemed great. Of course all the papers are controlled by Gannett so most people up here didnt realize that the people living closest to her and really knew what she was like had some major reservations. Not a word of that hit the Shreveprt times at all
Somehwat akin to the program Alaska has? Then I have no problem with it.
I probably should not have made that sound so harsh; my point is building against nature is IMHO not too smart.
oh hey listen i know any debate on this will be spirited. My point is that sacrifices and tough calls will have to be done down hear. But in the ends this is a working coast. I just trying to alert freepers to the overall problem and that NOLA is just the tip of it.
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