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ontheway · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:40 am Post subject:

A blast from the past, as we wait for New Orleans to flood yet again.

W.T.Carl · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

And yet if New Orleans DOES take a direct hit, will the tax payers in the US be asked to rebuild it again? Should a city built below sea level be rebuilt again and again? Or should nature be left to take it's course?

ReeseDog · Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Location: Classified

ReeseDog · Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Location: Classified

The sense of disaster surrounding Katrina and New Orleans stems directly from the loss of life associated with that storm. The property damage was a given, but the high death toll was preventable.

Residents were given plenty of warning about the approach of Katrina. Lots of folks opted to wait things out, even having been strongly warned to evacuate the city. C'mon, people - grab your kids and throw your shit into your minivan or what have you and take a week's vacation in Atlanta or Memphis or Ft. Worth or wherever. When a major hurricane is heading your way, you get out of the way. It's really no more difficult than that.

Don't get me started on the accusations that the government didn't do anything to help. That idea is laughable for the reasons spelled out in the preceeding paragraph. Where is the sense of self-sufficiency?

This time, with Gustav, the mayor of New Orleans has made things crystal clear. You stay in the city, and you're on your own. It'll be interesting to see how this one turns out.

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

"the fundamental problem is that government should not reconstruct the levees at all. The Katrina disaster occurred mainly because government spent billions constructing these levees in the first place; without this intervention, people would not have been living in areas well-below sea level. Repeating the initial mistake is an incredible waste of resources. More generally, government-subsidized flood insurance, and attempts by the Corps to promote human activity in areas where Mother Nature never intended, make no economic sense."

A response to the above from a resident of NOLA:

"And while I shouldn't even address this....why should we not rebuild? to the brilliant mind that posted that? Do we stop rebuilding CA after every earthquake? What about destruction caused by wildfires, or tornados? Oh right all NO is, is a giant bar filled with tourists and poor folks so we shouldn't care about that part of the country. Get a clue. New Orleans has existed longer than most cities in the US and will continue to exist."

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1657105&start=25&tstart=0