Most the coverage I saw over the weekend of Katrina's five-year anniversary was downright gushy about New Orleans' comeback and the "resilience" of the people who live there. President Obama's words got a lot of play:
The legacy of Katrina, said the President, must be "not one of neglect, but of action; not one of indifference, but of empathy; not of abandonment, but of a community working together to meet shared challenges."
But New Orleans also makes this list of America's Ten Dead Cities, most of which were once major manufacturing hubs or important ports or financial centers:
One of the industries that began to offset the faltering trade and financial sectors was tourism which rose throughout the second half of the last century. But the city suffered from its location, part of it below sea level, and several hurricanes that hit the city, particularly Hurricane Betsy in 1965. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina dealt the city a nearly fatal blow. In the year after that, the population dropped to just above 250,000, down from 627,000 in 1960. The BP oil crisis has already begun to damage what might have been a nascent recovery, post Katrina.
Writing New Orleans off may be premature, but you have to wonder about the wisdom of pouring billions of dollars into a city that's below sea level.
Comments
Leo:
WISDOM you say?
I thought that receded along with the flood waters...
(who knew?)
Today, August 29, 2010 is the 5th year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that flooded 80% of New Orleans. Many are blaming the Federal Government (we the tax payers) for this event. They are not calling it a Natural Disaster, but a Man-Made Disaster. Are these people so righteous that they believe they are more powerful than Mother Nature?
The stated alleged crime is the Federal Government was unable to respond for days. Unable to provide water, food or medical aid. 1,800 people died. Authorities directed those who had not evacuated to the Civic Dome and center where there was no water, food or medical aid and where bodies and liter surrounded the center. They blame the Army Corp of Engineers for the failure of the levies.
I heard Sunday on Meet the Press that this was a race issue. It was also stated that this area sent over $150 billion to the Federal government from the oil and natural gas found off the coast and that by this payment they should have received more aid, something above and beyond that of the rest of the country. They assert the City of New Orleans as being of National Defense Importance in the production of much of the energy used in the U.S.
Basic Facts:
Survival Kit
I have lived on the coast of North Carolina, prone to hurricanes. Every year weeks before the hurricane season, fliers, papers and news organizations printed and reported that those who live in the area needed to create an emergency survival kit. The reason is that it could be up to more than a week before help might arrive from outside. This survival kit was to include food, water, batteries, flash lights, medicine, first aid kit, blankets, tents, rafts, radio and for each person in that household.
Emergency Evacuation Plan
Every family/household was told to have an evacuation plan. This would include egress routes, if you become separated, where would you meet up, phone numbers and more. These plans were the responsibility of the individual, not government. It is the responsibility of the individual to update and review their own plans. By doing this, the majority of people would be self sufficient and able to take care of themselves for the immediate future. This would then allow emergency crews to focus on those who were truly overwhelmed or had not prepared.
Living below sea level
When you have property below sea level, it means that the area is lower than that of the water surround it. The question everyone who buys or lives on property that is situated below sea level is what keeps the sea out? There are many parts of the country that are designated as flood plains. If you live in a flood plain, buy a house and borrow money to make the purchase, you are required to purchase flood insurance to protect the entity you borrowed the money from. To me it is obvious that if you live below sea level, that you need flood insurance. Why were levies made to begin with? Was it because there was little non flood land available? Was it because people liked living in the area and the cost of land increased making it affordable to create land below sea level by building levies? The federal Government is responsible for building and maintaining levies. The question is do they guarantee their work and responsibility?
Civil Engineers are human beings not God
Those who live in New Orleans believe civil engineers are God. They can predict the force of mother nature and in turn design a system of levies and pumps that will keep water from flooding the area below sea level. There are five categories of hurricanes. The levies were designed for a category IV hurricane, not a level V. In simple terms if you exceed the design specification of any structure, there is a likely chance that the structure will fail.
Levies are built on land that is supposedly under sea level. What is the stability of that land? Does this land settle? Does pumping natural gas out of the ground cause some portions to sink or even collapse? What do mild tremors do to structures? Are there sensors that monitor the position of the levies in respect to its other counterparts? What happens if a levies is struct by a large object, does the levies weaken? What does wave action, wind and ground saturation do to levies?
As an engineer, I have dealt with old designs. Where are the specifications? What were the design features? What were the assumptions? What materials were used? What was the design life? What type of preventative maintenance was to be done and was it done? What periodic checks are required? What repairs are authorized and what approvals are needed for each type of repair or modification?
New Orleans has been around for over 150 years. It has grown and as it has, it appears little was done in the way of preventative maintenance or inspections or follow through.
The people who live in New Orleans have no one to blame but themselves. They chose to live there; they voted for elected representatives to provide services or not to provide services; they were warned and told to evacuate.