Gandaar

I was reading some commentary on MSN earlier today and there seems to be a growing concern about whether or not to rebuild New Orleans. Considering the issues involved... cost, resources, health risks, etc... it seems that many people are wondering if it should be rebuilt.

The cost to clean up, rebuild and recover would be staggering. Where does this money come from? Consider that there are approximately 188,000 homes in New Orleans and the federal flood insurance program has only issued 85,000 flood policies, most of the homeowners will have little or no insurance funds to cover the rebuilding cost.

Health issues are among some of the most compelling reasons to NOT rebuild. All this time that the buildings have been sitting in water, mold has started to grow inside the structures. When the water is drained, mold will grow on the part that was submerged. In many cases it would be necessary to raze the building rather than fight the mold. Some of the mold found in these homes would be toxic, if not lethal.

There are some who are calling for the city to be rebuilt in it's present location, some are saying that it should be rebuilt, but in a less flood prone area.

Thoughts and opinions?

Nanora

Too bad there isn't a /rewind command in RL. The cost will be staggering, insurance companies will go under and/or we will have to foot the tab. And to rebuild will most likely be a mistake unless they can come up with a way to ensure it doesn't happen again. Admittedly it hasn't happened since '68, but still doesn't mean that it could happen again sooner rather than later.

I think in some ways the area will be rebuilt, I just don't know if they will say, 'there was a house here lets put this house back'. It is unfortunate that the living history that the area housed will be lost. It would be great to have the area restored, but with flood waters and all the crap floating in them, it would be the better choice to trash it and rebuild.

I heard they were estimating 2 years to rebuild, but at least a decade to fully recover. Though I don't think they really knew the full magnitude of the damage when they gave these estimates. I think it will take much longer.

fildien

Well someone said it the other day when I brought this up. New Orleans or some form of it is necessary for the Mississippi. Whether or not it will be able to be salvaged or rebuilt remains to be seen. I think some areas might be able to but some of the parishes, specifically Plaquemines is completely submerged. I don't just mean a few feet, I mean it's like the lost city of Atlantis. So, I think if anything some areas will be more readily rebuilt than others. I do not think it will be what it was three weeks ago, not for a very very long time.

The water being pumped back into Ponchitraine(forgive my spelling) is dirty, no it's filthy and those fish and other creatures can't survive in that crap. I heard estimates of 400,000 jobs being lost b/c of this. I think the OMB came up with that number....I have a few close friends who "lived" on Grand Isle, one who lived in B.C. Parish and several 1st and 2nd cousins who lived in Slidel. We've heard from a few of the ones from Slidel but not all of them. They made it to Athens to my Uncle's house and when asked about going back to Slidel they don't want to. I heard from my friend who lived in B.C. she is hold in a motel somewhere North of Baton Rogue. Last email I got was that she was looking for a ride to get back and survey the damage. The other is one of my sister's estranged boyfriends from an on again off again 20year romance. He lived on Grand Isle and worked on an oil rig...he called her when he was evacuated off the rig but she hasn't heard from him since.

I think the reality has hit some people, others I don't think so. I think the more important question to ask is not whether or not it should be rebuilt but rather what is this going to mean for our nation in the long run? New Orleans was a port city and a hub, yes we've felt the pinch at the pumps but in the long run after all the claims are paid (unless the insurance companies go bankrupt), all the tallies for the rescue, clean-up, and hearings are made....what is the final bill going to be for this disaster? I worry that it's going to cause a ripple effect throughout the economy. Those evacuees will enter new areas and start over, it will change local, state, and federal job markets, it could cause inflation, it could be a good thing who knows. I just don't think we have any idea what's going to happen down there yet. Aside from the toxicity issues, and clean water issues, it's going to take a while to pump that water out. Undoubtedly only being 30 years old I've witnessed allot in the past 20 years. This is one of those things like the Great Depression or a Wold War or Tsunami that people will always remember and always be talking about for years to come.

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Nurta <Shark Baby>
Mind Trick - Empire

Gandaar

I agree Fildien, there is a need for New Orleans to be there in some fashion. As a port city, it plays a large part in the movement of oil, goods and supplies across the country.

The oil coming from the offshore rigs has to be loaded onto tankers or sent directly to refineries. This was handled quite well by the city of New Orleans.

We also get a good deal of surface ship traffic bringing goods and supplies... some of which also goes up the Mississippi River to various river ports.

The area also has a place of military significance and utility.

For those reasons alone, I think the city will continue/be rebuilt after a fashion. Is it going to be what it was before the hurricane? I don't think so. I too have been hearing from people who say they are not going back. The city of New Orleans is losing/has lost a lot of people. I don't think the city will ever be the same.

Feuerfaust

In my uneducated opinion (as if I have anything else) -

1- Block off the water

2- Air-dry

3- Liberal application of napalm

4- Unblock water

5- Call it a lesson learned

6- Rebuild on something less likely to sink below sea-level

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-fuats

PheloniusRM

Considering all the chemical pollution in the water, there is no good way to deal with the situation. Regardless if or where you pump the water to, the ground in new orleans will still be saturated with toxins. Where ever the water goes will become polluted, wether it be the lake or the ocean. If you drain the water then napalm the ground, can you imagine the toxic cloud that would create? I don't think the EPA has the resources to handle a toxic clean up of this magnitude. I think the only real way to deal with it is to do nothing. Let the water evaporate or sink naturally, and let all the buildings in the water deteriorate naturally. Spend the money to rebuild upriver and not to clean up a lost cause.

Moglor

I feel sad for mother earth

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Bylimet Spiritwalker

When talking of rebuilding the area, one of the primary concerns needs to be the reconstruction of the barrier islands and the surrounding wetlands that have been taken for housing. If the population does indeed stay decreased due to migration of evacuees then the wetlands would be much easier reclaimed.

There will be some form of reconstruction simply because the port and it's importance to national and international commerce is too vital to simply forfeit. Hopefully Homeland Security will now take their own reports seriously and provide for some stronger sea walls and levees, because the same catastrophe can be produced by a few well placed explosive charges by terrorists, and we would be right back where we are now.

Everyone is going to feel some impact from this tragedy, as the ripples continue to spread. Some will want to rebuild as an act of defiance against Mother Nature, and others will want to rebuild for the necessity of commerce; whatever course is taken, at least a decade will be needed to fully recover the area, taking the vast pollution of the surrounding bodies of water into consideration.

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Live like it matters!

Palimax Sceleris

The solution to polution is dilution.

It's a pretty ugly mess, but most of it'll be in the ocean soon.

Thormir

There's an opportunity here to hit the restart button on a major city, not only erecting barriers to protect said city but attacking problems of environment, poverty, and perhaps corruption. Rebuilding NO as it was is folly; jury-rigging new living conditions no better than the old living conditions is folly.


The US and its leadership weren't interested in making sacrifices for the sake of Iraq. I hope New Orleans (and other affected regions) will be different.