Posted on 10/26/2005 7:05:32 AM PDT by robowombat
A Shrinking New Orleans Mayor Says Infrastructure Can't Support Previous Population
By Ceci Connolly and Manuel Roig-Franzia Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, October 26, 2005; A02
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 25 -- Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who has vowed to resurrect his crippled city, conceded Tuesday that New Orleans will shrink to nearly half its pre-hurricane population and will have to make do with one-third of its previous budget.
With as many as 250,000 homes uninhabitable and some neighborhoods still lacking basic services, Nagin estimated the city's shattered infrastructure could support 250,000 to 300,000 residents over the next year, compared with the half a million people who lived here before Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29.
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In a city that was 67 percent African American, Nagin won by dominating the vote in majority white districts. Many of those make up the "geographic footprint" he has identified for repopulating after the hurricane, including the Garden District, the French Quarter and Uptown.
Even the election has become entangled in disaster recovery. Federal authorities have denied requests for the addresses of Katrina evacuees. City and state officials are battling with federal authorities over the release of addresses of evacuees that could be used in absentee balloting.
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The mayor's staff has identified more than a half-dozen locations that he said could support 4,000 trailers. FEMA housing expert James McIntyre said the agency has approved construction of sites to handle more than 1,700 trailers. Trailers will be placed in the parking lot of Touro hospital, three city parks, public school property and a former Winn-Dixie parking lot. The first few thousand units will be set aside for people involved in the reconstruction, Nagin said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
"Very, very few ships actually stop and unload in NO, compared to those that go upriver to BR and even as far as St Louis."
You might want to do a little fact checking before making a fool of yourself. The New Orleans port is the largest in America and the fifth largest in the World. BR and St. Louis don't hold a candle to the Port of New Orleans.
Nice try!
"Major port? Great!! Lets build a state of the art "major port" in an area.... ABOVE SEA LEVEL"
Sounds grand to me! The Port of New Orleans shouldn't be hurt by that.
Somehow, the people of coastal Mississippi which had more destructive forces from Katrina are emerging. Don't want to speculate the difference here. Regardless, Nagin should stop the blame game and emulate our leaders in Mississippi, such as Haley Barbour.
Nagin will win re-election easily.
Landreau and Blanco are finished.....those not moving back to NO are the state wide DEMs marin of victory...without them Jindal would probably have won and so would ahve Landreau's opponent
2. Turn it into a prison ala "Escape from New York" and generate revenue from that.
Hmmm Suitable for a seaport?
GREAT!
Just don't as the American taxpayers to rebuild a city in the hole behind it.
"Just don't as the American taxpayers to rebuild a city in the hole behind it."
I never did. Our Louisiana Senators do the bidding- take your bitch to them!
Why me? YOU and the swamp dwellers in "The Big Easy" elected them.
Historically...at the turn of the 20th century... Buffalo NY was the jewel of shipping and commerce into the interior of the country because of The Erie Canal... Then along came competition... Railroads and highways and trucking.
Buffalo's heyday was short lived.
New Orleans has become more of a burden than it's worth... Yes, it's time....Fill it in and Move on!!
"It could be Grolsch you know........."
Grolsch has flippys. Those are capped Heinies that need an opener, although in a situation like that, Grolsch would be the obviously beer of choice.
LOL! There isn't anyone here on this thread for you to impress anymore with your indignation concerning New Orleans. However, you seem like the kind of person that has to have that last word....so have at it. I'll leave you to your anger.
BTW, Get used to having the hole around the rest of your life - New Orleans isn't going anywhere, baby!!!
See ya!
Not all Grolsch bottles have those "flippies" anymore, most are straight up bottle-capped.
I have never had the pleasure of visiting New Orleans, so I cannot comment on whether comments calling it a cesspool are viable. I had a friend who lived there once as a student in a rather bad neighborhood where people basically walled around their homes with broken glass on the top of the walls so bad guys couldn't get in. NOW.... all cities have their good and bad areas. Some are worse than others.
I WOULD like to see New Orleans brought back as a better city in many ways. I think that this city has a historical significance that cannot be denied and out of respect for this we should be wishing them well in their rebuilding efforts.
My one admonition would involve strict oversight on Federal dollars used in the rebuild.
That said, I wish you well and hope to see your livelihood restored.
God bless you.
In the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled A Shrinking New Orleans, Bob Eimiller wrote:
"hmmmm Are you a gambling man? I would suspect the "odds" of more Hurricanes inundating that "hole" in the ground called "The Big Easy" are enormously... no infinitesimally greater than an earthquake swallowing another major city... There is an annual hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico... IS there such thing as an earthquake season??? un uh"
What a remarkably idiotic argument. First of all, go buy a dictionary and find out what "infinitesimally" means.
Next, consider that New Orleans has been flooded by a hurricane exactly once during its 300-year history. San Francisco has been hit by severe quakes twice in the past century. In other words, _observed data_ suggests quakes are more common than hurricanes.
In addition, your information about the "hole in the ground" is incorrect. While portions of the city are below sea level, much of it is not.
Also, you seem to be under the weird impression that since one hurricane hit NO in 300 years, they're going to be attracted to it from now on. Given your demonstrated ignorance of probability, I'll happily play against you at any gambling game.
300 years? hmmm ask the southern Floridians how many major hurricanes they have endured since august of last year versus the previous 15 years
San Francisco had their major Earthquake and the people are still living there, and in even larger numbers more than a decade later... "The Big Easy"?.... Hmmmm whatever floats your swamp boat.
BTW... Since "imally" is sooo small infinitesimally you must be willing to give odds.
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