New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

[bomar76]

New Orleans..rebuild or abandon? <br />The video and reports of the devastation in New Orleans is incredible....and I know there are other areas to the east that have it even worse.<br /><br />My poser....<br />Should we just raze and abandon the city?<br /><br />The situation there was long overdue, and bound to be repeated.<br /><br />Aren't we just throwing good $$$ after bad ideas to launch any sort of rebuild efforts (funded out of you and I's pockets, of course, via the Federal Government)? It's gonna happen again, due to the topography of the area, maybe next week, maybe 100 years from now, but it's a sure bet it will be flooded again.<br /><br />Obviously some infrastructure needs to remain in the area, Port of New Orleans, etc, but I can see no valid argument for actually rebuilding the city.

 

[jtexas]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Louisiana without New Orleans? Sacre Bleu!<br /><br />And what, just let it revert to swamp & marshland? Convert it to a huge National Park & Wildlife Refuge?<br />Just what kind of liberal are you anyway? (jus kiddin)<br /><br />Can we have guided airboat tours led by guys named Boudreaux and Ducet?<br />How about an expanded alligator hunting season?<br /><br />Actually, if you have a port you will have a city ("if you build it, they will come"). But maybe just expand the existing port upriver at Lake Charles.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Rebuild, they just need to make the levees stronger and put locks on the canals.<br /><br />Remember, New Orleans wasnt destroyed, it was wind damaged. The flooding was slow, and the only damage it caused was making everything wet. That can be fixed.<br /><br />Ken

 

[txswinner]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Ken, This flooding has been predicted for many years and the storm finally hit. The city is below sea level, that means not will it always flood but it is a very susceptable area to sabatoge for a major port.<br /><br />Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Beaumont all make much better ports and entry for pipelines.<br /><br />Yeah it was fun to go to NO but sometimes change has to happen and now looks like the time.

 

[treedancer]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Rebuild of course .You cannot put a dollar sign on a national treasure. so its below sea level but it is not sinking like Venice do you think the Italians would think of moving Venice?<br /><br /> During the flood of 1993 here in the Midwest right across the Mississippi river in the town of Vallmira they decided to move the whole town. they moved it to a bluff overlooking the spot where the old town was. worked out fine but that was a city of about twenty five thousand. I believe that we can make it a lot more secure now that we are in essence starting from scratch.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

The only difference between New Orleans and any other port is the levees and canals.<br /><br />Fix them PROPERLY and it will be fine.<br /><br />I would think the cost of a fix would be much cheaper than moving the whole city.<br /><br />Ken

 

[tomatolord]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

rebuild it - it was a great town - there is and could only be 1 bourban street in the US.<br /><br />they need to rebuild the levee..<br /><br />The question really is - what town in its current condition could take a direct hit from a hurricane and survive.<br /><br />The answer is NONE - well maybe homestead fl, but that does not count since they entirely rebuilt the town from scratch.<br /><br />They had a town here in NC - that had a levee that was 10 ft above the previous flood level - hurricane came through and dumped 22 inches of rain in 1 day - the hurricane also went right up the watershed so every drop went down the TAR river<br /><br />they said the water rose up that last 10ft and 5ft over the levee in 30 minutes.<br /><br />I think you could plan NOW to build New Orleans correctly...

 

[JB]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Towns and cities have been moved before, from unsafe locations to nearby safe ones. Others have simply died from exodus. Several cities have been moved to make room for impoundments like the Three Gorges project in China and to evacuate land sunken by the 1964 earthquake in AK.<br /><br />A large portion of The Netherlands is below sea level and has been for hundreds of years. They had a disastrous flood in 1951, but rebuilt improved dikes and water control systems.<br /><br />They can recover, but will they? They will never be the same.<br /><br />It is a sometimes sad and sometimes good thing about history: You can't go back.

 

[Realgun]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

A large portion of The Netherlands is below sea level and has been for hundreds of years

I believe Holland is below sea level. We could rebuild the area correctly and we should however its gonna cost dearly.

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

No other city in America can be substituted for New Orleans, the place is an historical national treasure that has been sadly neglected in many ways over the last thirty odd years by corrupt city leaders.<br />Rebuild it because it is the right thing to do.

 

[scorpion264]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

The Netherlands have long made the dikes a project that requires constant monotoring by people with masters and doctorate degrees in engineering, they also do not have the imminent dangers that New Orleans has from hurricanes.

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Originally posted by JB:<br /> Towns and cities have been moved before,

That's for sure. My mom grew up in and around N. Dana, MA...now long gone. Great fishing spot now though <br /><br />Here is a C&P from a Quabbin Reservoir site. <br /><br />"Quabbin Reservoir was Boston's fourth westward reach for a pure upland source of water that could be delivered by gravity and not require filtration.<br /><br />Construction of the Quabbin required impoundment of the Swift River and the taking of the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott.<br /><br />In 1926, construction began on the Wachusett-Colebrook Tunnel, which is now the eastern section of the Quabbin Tunnel. Surplus flow in the Ware River was diverted to the Wachusett Reservoir during eight high-water months of the year and increased the safe yield by 40 mgd.<br /><br />During the 1930s, the Wachusett-Colebrook tunnel was extended to the Swift River. It is a two-way tunnel: water flows west from the Ware River to the Quabbin during the high-water months and then east from the Quabbin to Wachusett at other times of the year.<br /><br />Construction on the Quabbin Reservoir began in 1936. Filling commenced on August 14, 1939 and was completed in 1946 when water first flowed over the spillway. The Quabbin Reservoir was filled with water from the Swift River and flood skimming from the Ware River during eight months of the year. At the time, the 412 billion gallon reservoir was the largest man-made reservoir in the world which was devoted solely to water supply.<br />

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Actually, according to the news, parts of New Orleans are now in fact sinking.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

When tthe rebuild commences I sincerely hope it is done with American Contractors and their American employees. Maybe Bush should round up the unemployed in this nation with the skills required and hire them to the ARMY coprs of engineers to help in this diaster. Pay them scale and offer them income tax amnesty for 05 if they stay on until complete. Just a thought.

 

[txswinner]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Pay them scale are you crazy do you have any idea what that would do to the profits of the rich corportations???<br /><br />You liberals are always trying to redistribute the wealth.

 

[txswinner]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

In 1900, Galveston was washed out and no longer the biggest strongest city and port in Texas. We now call it Houston.<br /><br />In 2005, NO was washed out and the biggest port in La. should be called Baton Rouge or Lake Charles. Tons of refineries in Lake Charles area.

 

[wildbill59]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Ny, Superb idea. Let's start with all the out of work but highly skilled people of Gary, IN. You'd think there would be great oppurtunities for the unemployed idle youts. Can't wait for Jesse Jackson to promote this to the troops.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Galveston was destroyed by the storm surge, there was nothing left to rebuild.<br /><br />New Orleans is still there, just needs some repairs.<br /><br />Ken

 

[txswinner]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

Ken, I know not to disagree with you if you have ever been into an area after a catastrophe of this level of water you would know their is a lot less reusable that it appears. You see all the infrastructure of the city is destroyed. Fresh water lines, sewer plants, mud, slit etc. is just overwhelming. This is why FEMA has bought out so many properties in such areas. Yes even those that flood. NO will always flood just not to this extent. It suffered great losses in late 80's from flooding.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: New Orleans..rebuild or abandon?

N.O is was a swamp and marshland filled up with dirt and a city build on top--only the French would do such thing. It's simply a giant bowl of jello. I don't remember if they ever had an earthquake but if they do that place would be completely ruin. Have you ever been to N.O and see the city? very old buildings, I have never seen any city with more highway criss cross on top of one another, bridges everywhere. One good shake then it's all over. Yes it's historical but it's a doggone nightmare.