Topic: Out of Flyover Land
Suppose we DO spend the 200 to 250 Billion Dollars to rebuild New Orleans.
And THEN the New Madrid Fault pops and the Mississippi River, jumps it's banks and lands smack dab on top of New Orleans.
I mean eye witnesses from the Great Quake report that they had a clear sight of the West Bank of the Mississippi from the East Bank, the land dropped and for a split second the water was suspended in Mid Air. The Mississippi ran backwards for 2 days to fill up Lake Reelfoot.
In all the talk about Sea Surges and being below Sea Level most folks have not thought or do not realize that New Orleans is also BELOW the Mississippi River!
Tourists in Jackson Square delight in sitting on a bench just a few feet above sea level and looking up at the river's traffic floating 11 feet higher. Ships traveling down the Mississippi appear to hover over the city below.
Hurricanes are not the only thing that can cause flooding. Rain can do it too.
The Great Flood of 1927 peaked in May of that year and in places, houses 75 MILES from the former river bank, were UNDER water!
Do we need the Port of New Orleans?
No question it is vital to the transportation of Americas grain and thus to the World Food Market.
Do we need an infra-structure and a workforce in place to support the Port? Goes without saying.
Do we need to put New Orleans back the way it was?
Not unless we want to keep rebuilding it.
I mean take a good look at this and tell me if YOU think it is wise to build a major City where it is below the level of the Mississippi, to say nothing of below Sea Level.
The Mississippi and its swollen tributaries reached peak levels in April of 1927 and overflowed their banks. One by one, levees built to contain the river broke, and a wall of water pushed its way across Midwestern farmlands. The flood covered 27,000 square miles, an area about the size of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont combined. For two long months the water would remain above flood stage, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes.
I would say the Commisar over at Politburo Diktat thinks about the same.
Levee Reconstruction in New Orleans Problematic
In the short term, the levees can?t be rebuilt to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. In the long term, New Orleans is sinking in the Gulf. Maybe we should think this over before we spend $200 billion.
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Updated: Sunday, 3 June 2007 7:24 AM CDT