New Orleans will never be able to be re-stored...?

Question

As sad as it is, and how historic this place is and beautiful, with people whom have grown up their, their whole lives there...this city will never be able to be re-stored to it's fullest. How can people even go back knowing that the year to come, another disaster will come. What do you think? Do you think this place needs to be marked as historic land mark and never to be built on again? I'm not trying to be controversial, I just think it is horrible how this city can't catch a break.

Answer 1

did you ask why people live on the west coast after all the fires and earthquakes, or the midwest what with tornado's every spring, the mississippi flooding ever 5 or 10 years, give me a break and shut up!

Answer 2

i think its seen its day and its time for something new i dont think anyone should bother to go back or rebuild any time soon it would just be silly. it is sad that it happened and keeps happening but such is life

Answer 3

New Orleans isn't dead! If they fix the levees properly, a lot of things will be okay. People that question whether a city should be rebuilt or not are just really ignorant.

Right now the city is empty because people left, but in a few weeks things will be back to normal. Yeah, some places are still not finished because of Katrina. But we've been seeing a flourish of tourism that's been growing each year since Katrina. Mardi Gras is still alive, the New Orleans Saints have been playing there, and the French Quarter (the heart of tourism) wasn't even damaged in Katrina.

Dont believe everything you hear on the news. The place isn't "devastated" or a "disaster area". Until you've been to the city, and provided assistance and donations to those that need help--stop questioning whether someone's life and home should be restored.

How many Katrina/FEMA problems have hit New Orleans?

Let me think...JUST ONE!

Answer 4

Yes it will. Cities change - change is constant. New Orleans has been rebuilt before - as has Chicago, San Francisco and New York. Ever heard of the Great Chicago Fire? Chicago basically burnt to the ground. They rebuilt.

Every city faces disaster sooner or later. Do you think where you are is so very safe? It probably isn't.  Midwest - Tornados, floods, droughts...California - earthquakes, drought, fires....Mississipi area - floods, Florida - hurricanes, Northeast - crippling Noreasters, hurricanes, flooding, etc....where exactly is a "safe" place?

Answer 5

New Orleans is not optional. History, architecture, culture, and the fact the city is home to many people are usually mentioned when the topic of the city’s future is discussed.  However, those factors (while significant) are NOT why NOLA is important to the rest of the United States.

First, New Orleans is a metro area of almost 1.4 million people – not some small town that could be easily relocated somewhere else.

More than 35% of America's energy is either produced in Southeast Louisiana or imported through here, and the infrastructure is focused on New Orleans. What may be the largest oil field on earth was discovered offshore of Louisiana in 2006, and it will be exploited via New Orleans.

The Port of New Orleans is the largest or second largest port in North America each year (tons of cargo) and one of the top ports in the world each year. The Port of New Orleans is not replaceable.

More than 25% of America's petroleum refining capacity is in the New Orleans area. That percentage will increase due to a new refinery already under construction and the planned expansion of existing refineries.

A large percentage of America's non-petroleum chemical industry is here.

New Orleans is one of only three principal east-west transportation points for the USA, and the resulting convergence of water, rail, pipeline, electricity, and highway links is not replaceable.

A large percentage of America's ship building & repair industry is in New Orleans.

NASA builds essential parts for the space shuttle in New Orleans, and will build components for the next generation of spacecraft here. Other manufacturers (ex. Bell-Textron) have factories in New Orleans.

A large percentage of America's seafood comes from SE Louisiana, and the distribution network is focused on New Orleans.

And so on….

It is theoretically possible to move the industry and the population, but only at horrific cost. The Mississippi river, Gulf of Mexico, and the oil fields cannot be moved. To even attempt to replace New Orleans would cost Trillions of Dollars and the attempt would fail.

In contrast, New Orleans can be protected from future hurricanes with the expenditure of about $15 Billion (that should have been spent before Katrina) spread out over a period of a decade.

Note that New Orleans is NOT "prone" to hurricanes or being flooded. The last one to hit before Katrina was in 1965 and before that was in 1947. Neither of those flooded the city proper like Katrina, which was the strongest storm ever recorded to strike North America (size + surge).  Gustav was a near-miss.  

There is a widespread myth that New Orleans is "built below sea level”, but that is not true.

Realize that nowhere is without risk. NYC and Miami are at more risk from hurricanes than New Orleans. Los Angeles and San Francisco are at risk from earthquakes and fires. Seattle is threatened by volcanoes and Tsunamis. The Midwest is hit by tornadoes every year. However, I don’t hear anyone claiming New York, Florida, California, Kansas, or Washington (state) be abandoned, or even not rebuilt after the next disaster.

However, people routinely claim New Orleans should be abandoned, or that we somehow don’t deserve help after Katrina.

Why is that?