Stupid Frenchies building a city right there. There are towns south of New Orleans where they have put levies along the Mississippi and when you see the ships go by they are above the ground.
I think and hope that New Orleans will inevitably be rebuilt though obviously it will never be the same. But, the location is simply too strategic. Where else can you build a major port that has access to both the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico and still be on somewhat stable ground? If not New Orleans, then only a couple miles west.
yeah, i was trying to explain that to someone i work with. you're looking UP at water there. the water that's filling the city is trying to level with the water in the lake. they're not plugging the gaps...they're trying to repair the levees, which I assume would make the pumps functional agiain, as well. but considering the rate that water is still pouring into the city, losing a few hours means more feet of water across the entire city. just read that the mayor says the failure to get them plugged yesterday likely cost them another month before they could get cleaned up. he's talking about 3-4 months of an uninhabited city.
i'll be interested to see what happens to population. 1.3 million live in the metro area. how many of these people, once evacuated, will return? return for what? i know of a law firm that moved out...moved all its lawyers out...to houston. i would suspect most of their clients are now out of business...receivables around the area are no good. no business prospects in the area for another 3 months AT LEAST. the location is strategically functional...but as you say, the city won't be the same.
edit: should've added a smilie. You know Napoleon is somewhere thinking, yeah they say I got screwed on the Lousiana Purchase.
During the massive Mississippi flood during the 90s the river came within a foot or two of taking its natural course: The mouth of the Mississippi River has shifted repeatedly over time. Since a canal was built in the early nineteenth century, the river has been seeking the Atchafalaya River mouth, some 60 miles (95 km) from New Orleans. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a massive system of locks to keep the river in its present course. About every 30 or 40 years we see these massive floods ~ there are too many doomsday scenarios to rebuild New Orleans in the exact manner it is today.
agreed. and frankly, the river is now the least of the problems. it's the lake, as i understand it, which is drowning them.
Most residential homes in New Orleans can't even receive flood insurnance and haven't been able to for over a decade. FEMA and the insurance companies won't allow people to rebuild on lots below sea level or in the flood plane (see the hundreds of empty lots across Houston after Allison), so I imagine the vast majority of homes in New Orleans will never be rebuilt.
yeah, i just heard only about 20% of the homeowners in NOLA have flood insurance. most will never be able to afford to re-build. you'll have tons of abandoned homes. i'm sure the fed will come in and help out with assistance. but i'm not sure many will come back.
