Rebuild NO with your tax dollars or let the river take it back?

[BrianShaughnessy]

   Check your emotions... this is just dollars and sense.    The hurricane and the aftermath are a horrible disaster.  'Nuff said there.

   Would you want your federal tax dollars to finance rebuilding New Orleans the way it was below sea level or should people take the opportuinity to relocate themselves and the city to high ground?

   Obviously the State of Lousiana or the City of New Orleans could finance a project themselves without asking for fed money (um... highly improbable) but that's not the point here. 

    My money is saying no rebuild without a better plan to relocate or whatnot.   It's another disaster waiting to happen.   

[Charger_Fan]

In one sense, I would say the same thing...not to rebuild.
However, then the same decision would have to apply to anyone in tornado alley & other such areas. The tornado areas get hit every stinkin' year, it seems. I know if I lived in a place like that, I'd get my butt outta there after the first lesson...I wouldn't wait around to see if it would happen again.

[Dale The Bold]

They should cut their losses and leave it in ruins.  They can still have Mardi Gras there, for those who want to go (that'd make it a literal cesspool as well as a moral one).

Maybe they could call a new city "New New Orleans."

[derailed]

I would have to agree with not rebuilding. This wasnt even a direct hit like they thought and its still destroyed but was bound to happen sooner or later. But unfortunatly people never seem to learn like the idiots in California who build on cliffs and wonder why there house falls into the ocean once every 5 years and we are suppose to feel sorry for them. I understand these are rich people with money to burn and New Orleans is a whole different scenario but maybe it will still be a lesson learned.

[Telvis]

This will happen again. It's inevitable. It's irresponsible to rebuild unless the city can be raised above the surrounding bodies of water. Someone mentioned that Galveston had been raised after a hurricane. I don't know if that's feasible or cost effective. The cost to relocate everyone even temporarily is going to be astronomical no matter what happens. It's almost beyond comprehension. It's hard to believe our economy could absorb this but it will. One way or another everything will work out okay. We live in a great country!

[Steve P.]

First I want to say that I feel horrible for those lives that Katrina has taken and taken away.. I wish I could go there and help in any way possible.. I have seen first hand the devastation these powerful storms are capable of.. This is a sad time for them and our country..

I for sure don't know enough to make a good proposal, but,,, from what I understand from a Discovery show that I watched a few months ago, they need more room for shipping and refineries..
They describe the flooded area as an empty bowl that is submerged mostly under water.. Well, this BOWL is huge..  Some areas are 6 foot below sea level. Others are as much as (I think they said), 12 feet below..

I think they should:

1) Fix the breaks in the Levy's. Pump out the water.
2) Salvage what they can.
3) Cut the bowl in half. Building a monstrous wall to keep the water on the Gulf side and land on the other.. This would facilitate better shipping lanes from the Gulf.
   
I say (cut it in half), thinking they could fill the land side with what would need to be dredged from the Gulf side.. This would still keep their lakes for drinking water and pleasure and build up land for a brand new city..  This would also keep people from living under sea level in this area..

I also think that some training schools should be set up so that people that no longer have a place to live and or work, can be a part of the rebuilding of their own homes and businesses..  This could really be good for the pride of their city.. 
After hurricane ANDREW, people came from everywhere and scammed people out of millions of dollars.. I hope this doesn't happen again there..

[NHCharger]

To rebuild the city in the same location makes no sense. Mother nature has no time table and answers to no one. There could be another hurricane there with-in two weeks. I think they should relocate the city to higher ground and leave the old city as is. A constant reminder to all the people with the attitude that "It can't happen here".
It they do re-build there, what insurance company is going to issue insurance for flood or water damage?

[472 R/T SE]

It they do re-build there, what insurance company is going to issue insurance for flood or water damage?

Most don't now,homeowners don't carry flood, a lot of them anyways.

[Telvis]

It they do re-build there, what insurance company is going to issue insurance for flood or water damage?

Most don't now,homeowners don't carry flood, a lot of them anyways.

The taxpayers will pay for it! Yep lets rebuild it. They don't need flood insurance. Our children will be here to pay next time.

[Telvis]

I saw a woman on television today. She "rode" the storm out in her home in the projects. She finally decided to evacuate and seek shelter today. She was all ticked off because she had to walk through the water and heat with no help. She was carrying a 5 day old baby.  What part of "leave the city" did she not understand? Why would you ride out cat 5 hurricane with a 5 day old baby? She should be put in jail for endangering that little baby. Insanity...

[PocketThunder]

I saw a woman on television today. She "rode" the storm out in her home in the projects. She finally decided to evacuate and seek shelter today. She was all ticked off because she had to walk through the water and heat with no help. She was carrying a 5 day old baby.   What part of "leave the city" did she not understand? Why would you ride out cat 5 hurricane with a 5 day old baby? She should be put in jail for endangering that little baby. Insanity...

I think i saw that as well.  And all these people that didnt leave the city are pissed at FEMA for not bringing them food and water immediately after the storm passed... welll wtf?  maybe i dont know at all what its like because i live so far north, but from what i see on CNN and FOX news (my only exposure) it seems like most people are waiting for FEMA to take care of them and rub there backs instead of them picking up a tree limb or something and starting to clean up.  Or couldnt these people start volunteering at the refuge camps in stead of sitting there with there hands out.?

[69bananabeast]

I agree they definitely need to get a better plan going  , as every one has already stated city should be moved . You never know when it could happen again . If they want to rebuild in the same place that would be a damn waste unless they do something to seriously alter the surrounding landscape. 

[derailed]

I dont know about all of them but i think alot of people they remained there had no way of getting out of the area.

[MyMopar]

A lot of the people that stayed had no transportation out of the city and probably relied on welfare and what not.  Why would these people expect anything different from teh government, they aren't into working, just feeding off the lives of people who do.
I would say to move the city, but where?  Realestate is starting to become non-exsistant and the idea of backfilling land always has the potential to fail, like a land slide.

Another thing that pisses me off is people relating the diasator to 9/11.  They are NOT the same.  One is natural, the other was terrorists, come on people get the facts straight.

[RD]

i voted get a better plan.  I would rather see money forked over to build a new city away from the killer flood zones that this one already lies.  It is the people that make New Orleans what it is, not the buildings.  The sooner they understand that, I think the sooner they will realize what is best for them.

[TeeWJay426]

It seems to me the entire 'evacuation' was an ill-planned clusterf** at best- a lot of the NO population exists at the poverty level; the only real industry was touris, which pays minimum wage at best. A lot of the citizens didn't have the financial means to evacuate, and there was virtually no assistance with evacuation for them. It's not like they didn't have enough notice of what was coming, either. Anybody see the traffic jams heading out before the storm hit? Who was managing that flow- if anyone? If it is to be rebuilt as it was, it WILL be the taxpayers that will fund it, since the financial means of the residents don't exist for them to do it themselves. Like NHCharger said, Mother Nature has a mind of her own, and this was bound to happen eventually. Rebuild it as it was, and it will happen again.... if not in our lifetime, then in our childrens' or grandchildrens' futures.

[JimShine]

They will rebuild it no matter what. This time they should build the land up and get it above sea level. Sounds impossible, but it has been done before.

[derailed]

It seems to me the entire 'evacuation' was an ill-planned clusterf** at best- a lot of the NO population exists at the poverty level; the only real industry was touris, which pays minimum wage at best. A lot of the citizens didn't have the financial means to evacuate, and there was virtually no assistance with evacuation for them. It's not like they didn't have enough notice of what was coming, either. Anybody see the traffic jams heading out before the storm hit? Who was managing that flow- if anyone? If it is to be rebuilt as it was, it WILL be the taxpayers that will fund it, since the financial means of the residents don't exist for them to do it themselves. Like NHCharger said, Mother Nature has a mind of her own, and this was bound to happen eventually. Rebuild it as it was, and it will happen again.... if not in our lifetime, then in our childrens' or grandchildrens' futures.

I agree, why didnt they open up both sides of the interstate for 1 direction like they did in Florida?

[41husk]

I am kinda torn I was always impressed with the way the old City and new City existed side by side.  There is no place like the French quarter, but that being said, I don't want to foot the bill!

[Steve P.]

The American TAX PAYER pays for everything.. Every kind of disaster.. It doesn't matter much to someone , let's say, in Rochester, NY.. It's just more taxes being laid out.. Maybe it doesn't mean crap to someone in Montana..

BUT how about the million dollar estates in California that have been washed away to sea??

How about the fires that have taken hundreds of thousands of acres?

Tornado's up the center of the country??

Much of Texas was cleaned off the slate in the early 1900's..

Ice storms all over the North..

Power lines..   It goes on and on....

Who pays for all that??  Tax payers... 

That's the way this country work, like it or not..

Maybe we should ask Chryco if it's any better where he lives???

I don't want to hurt any feelings here but how can you tell someone that has lived their entire life in one place and has paid their taxes, (tough crap fella, you have to start all over in another place..

Thousands of families. Thousands of jobs.. This is not something easily done and just opening the flood gates is certainly not the answer..

IN MY OPINION......

[Charger_Fan]

Our local news was saying this morning that they're going to start shipping refugees here (Utah). They will house them in our National Guard bunkers for a while...this could be interesting.

I like Steve's idea of chopping the bowl in half, it's not bad. Isn't that sorta what they did in Galveston? I haven't read up on that one yet.
It would take years, but in the end, it could be a much better place, IMO.

[Shakey]

Maybe we should ask Chryco if it's any better where he lives???

Same deal as the United States, just different dollars.  Ours are gold coins.

[Old Moparz]

There are different kinds of natural disasters that can't be avoided, but this one may have been, or at least may have been lessened to a degree. Some people will leave New Orleans, never go back, & rebuild someplace else, while most will stay put. I'm sure I'll see some poor bastard tell the smiling newscaster "Well, I was spared by a higher power & lost everything. I have nothing now, no job, no house & I can't afford to go anywhere, so I'll stay right here 20 feet below the ocean, rebuild & hope it don't happen again."

I was in New Orleans a couple of times & loved it. I have family near there & will probably go back one day & it'll look like nothing has ever changed or a disaster never happened. I recall walking around the French Quarter with my wife & saying it would be great to have a vacation home here one day to escape winter in New York. (Like I have vacation home money.   ) I would never buy anything in a flood plain, let alone property below sea level near the sea. That's like buying a restored car from helpgagme.

It will take a few years, but NO will be back to normal & most will forget what happened. People already forgot about the Love Canal & are building there again. Yeah, it's "safe" to live there now.     http://onlineethics.org/environment/lcanal/

[MoparYoungGun]

I saw a woman on television today. She "rode" the storm out in her home in the projects. She finally decided to evacuate and seek shelter today. She was all ticked off because she had to walk through the water and heat with no help. She was carrying a 5 day old baby.   What part of "leave the city" did she not understand? Why would you ride out cat 5 hurricane with a 5 day old baby? She should be put in jail for endangering that little baby. Insanity...

I think i saw that as well.   And all these people that didn't leave the city are pissed at FEMA for not bringing them food and water immediately after the storm passed... welll wtf?   maybe i dont know at all what its like because i live so far north, but from what i see on CNN and FOX news (my only exposure) it seems like most people are waiting for FEMA to take care of them and rub there backs instead of them picking up a tree limb or something and starting to clean up.   Or couldnt these people start volunteering at the refuge camps in stead of sitting there with there hands out.?

with you completely PT. I also agree with the fact that when they rebuild they need to build up. It would be just plain stupid to rebuild NO to the way it was before, Katrina wasn't even a direct hit and still destroyed it.