Should New Orleans be rebuilt?

[Amkeer]

How does a city that is 6 feet below sea level get built? Do you rebuild a city that is 6 feet below sea level, in the middle of hurricane alley? If it costs approximately 20 billion dollars to rebuild New Orleans is it worth it considering it can be destroyed again being that it is below sea level?

The way I see it New Orleans will be rebuilt, but there will be huge changes.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

I think only parts will rebuilt, mainly the downtown area. Most of it won't come back.

 

[kingrob]

I agree, massive changes will have to be inacted when it is rebuilt. But questioning whether it SHOULD be rebuilt is akin to asking should California be rebuilt after its many earthquakes. There quite possibly won't be a California, period; if the right quake hit at the right time and place... but that doesn't make you question whether it should even exist or not. New Orleans has had people living there longer than California (aside from natives) and its weathered many storms before and gotten through just fine, but something like this? Mobile got hit hard too, but you can't expect them to not rebuild it cause another storm might hit in the future.

IIRC I pray that NOTHING like this happens to our country again.

 

[JHZR2]

it might be a consideration to literally build it up, in doing like they have in manhattan, the philadelphia navy yard, parts of north, NJ, etc...

fill it in with dirt and garbage!

We always need a garbage dump... if we dump there, the ground may not be all that wonderful, and the leachate might not be nice stuff, but Id guess they could raise it above sea level by at least a few feet...

risk due to location in hurricane alley is another question.

JMH

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Will St Louis and Memphis need to be rebuilt if the Madrid fault falters and violently shakes the center of the country???

 

[tweeker43]

to me, the key is to rebuild smartly. these numbnuts in coastal areas who build homes on stilts 10 feet from the water are simply begging to be part of darwin's big plan.

overdevelopment and loss of wetlands was a big contributor to this and other major floods. there is simply no way for the water to flow out of an area.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Does anyone think those poor people who did not have insurance would have a place to stay in a rebuilt NO??
They can't and will not. They have no money, they have no insurance and they have no means to start a home in a city with no economy in the forseeable future. These people have homes that are handed down through generations. They have nothing. No education and nothing but the garantee of assistance due to there income levels. THe rest of the country will have to absorb them.

If NO is rebuilt it will only be for those with the means. That is how it works. New homes will be built and paid for and insurance will be paid on these new homes. It will be an entirely differnt city. The Big Easy as it was known is forever gone. The cultural and historical artifacts have already been retrieved by the National Park service.. Yes indeed. While the poor people deyhdrate and deteriorate along the streets of NO the federal goverment is concerned about salvaging the historical treasures from the flood waters and the looters.. Don't believe me.. A quick search will reveal that as a priority.
So those who want to rebuild NO in the same spot consider what it will be.. It will only be NO in name.. NO is dead as we knew it. Many have had great memories of it. I Respect its history but it will never exist as it was again

 

[keith]

Perhaps someone can explain this to me. The city is under water, all utilities are gone. I can understand a mother out looking for baby formula and diapers and food. Why are there looters stealing color TV's and other stuff that is totally useless to them? I guess the answer is 'because they can' but these dolts are complete imbeciles who don't deserve a nickel of help.

NO is gone. The hurricane started the damage and the looters finished the job. There is not going to be much sentiment to rebuild.

 

[outrun]

Correct me if wrong but,

"It will only be NO in name.. NO is dead as we knew it. Many have had great memories of it. I Respect its history but it will never exist as it was again"

The US can survive this, is that not just a bit overly skeptical?

I can not see this party town dead.

Perhaps if anything when rebuilt some religious zealots may manipulate the new French Quarter rules/regulations to get revenge on the liquor chugging, bead-necklace tourists that dumped millions into the economy there. Pat Robertson already commented between the lines NO people "deserved this act by god."

In other words certain grps may harp on this chance to "sanitize" what was an American cultural icon.

We can not let them win.

On the bright side if this means the evil new orlean local scumbags are relocated for good less junkies for the tourists to deal with.

 

[NovaMan]

Mother Nature may have answered the question for us. Has the Mississippi changed its course?

 

[Pick]

It all depends on what they, the people of New Orleans want. If their spirit is not broken, they will rebuild. If it is broken, they will give up. I suspect real estate values will go up, and developers will move in and rebuild. Sound crazy? That is what happened in Punta Gorda, FL. Values shot up 46% after the hurricanes last year.

 

[thedawk]

quote:

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Originally posted by Pick:
It all depends on what they, the people of New Orleans want. If their spirit is not broken, they will rebuild. If it is broken, they will give up. I suspect real estate values will go up, and developers will move in and rebuild. Sound crazy? That is what happened in Punta Gorda, FL. Values shot up 46% after the hurricanes last year.

---

You're right Pick. The same thing happened in Pensacola area last year after Ivan. There were people still trying to recover from last year, living in FEMA trailers and houses with blue roofs and whatnot, then Dennis came through and caused more damage. It amazes me that an area that is so vulnerable still has property values skyrocketing.

 

[k1xv]

San Francisco was rebuilt after 1906. Chicago was rebuilt after 1871.

Berlin, Tokyo and even Hiroshima and Nagasaki were rebuilt after 1945.

Often a major disaster with major property damage represents an opportunity to rebuild better. As the rebuilding occurs down there, the local economy will boom.

If I were a real estate speculator, I would be down there right now buying up properties.

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by k1xv:
If I were a real estate speculator, I would be down there right now buying up properties.

---

I wouldn't buy a square foot of that place. 25 years you will need a glass bottomed boat to see it.

 

[Pablo]

The way the people are behaving they do not deserve one red cent of my tax dollar.

People are POURING out MEGA dollars for charity!

I have to think it's a very tiny minority doing the looting and should be shot without hesitation.

Patience you idiots - and no we will NOT rebuild your city with Fed tax dollars.

 

[kenw]

If I were buying property there I would be doing it for offshore drilling.....

"Patience you idiots - and no we will NOT rebuild your city with Fed tax dollars. "

wanna bet?

 

[Pablo]

kenw - you win.

 

[kenw]

No, we all lose......

 

[Steve S]

We first have to rebuild Iraq.

 

[goodoleboy]

Of course it will be rebuilt becuase of the already inplace infrastructure of electric,gas lines, telephone lines,paved streets etc..