Should New Orleans be abandoned?

Question

Much of New Orleans is below sea level by as much as 25 feet. Scientists have discovered that the city is sinking at a rate of one inch per year. At that rate sooner or later the city will be swamped even without a hurricane. The infamous levee system is all that keeps the Gulf out now. Although the city survived Gustav, there will be another Katrina someday.

Answer 1

So?

Scientists say that California will break off into an island because of earth quakes.  Scientists say a lot of things...doesn't mean they are true

We need to become more proactive about our wetlands. Wetlands buffer our storms and help keep the levees in better shape to protect our cities.

No way would we ever abandon our city we love so much. If you've ever been to New Orleans or lived here like I do, you'd realize what a treasure it is.

I seriously resent the idea that New Orleans should be abandoned.

Answer 2

yea ..   and lets abandon all those who are affected by  earth quakes in Cali ..  mud slides in Cali ..  all 8 southern states effected by hurricanes ..

the areas in New Mex and Arizona effected by forest fires .. or the 5 states effected by tornado alley

heII ..  lets abandon the whole US !

Answer 3

The city has been sinking forever.  It's not sinking at a rate where it should be abandoned.  It is not that much of a danger to live there to suddenly abandon it.  The city does way more good for the country then bad in order to just abandon it.  Even if there is "another Katrina someday," Betsy devastated the city in 1965 and we bounced back from that.  devastation to the city has been so rare of an occurrence to just p u s s out and abandon it.  It is a ridiculous idea to abandon one of the oldest and most historical, most entertaining, most economically influential, most culturally influential cities in the country.

Answer 4

What they need to do is move it back quite abit and rebuild it then it wold be ok but if they keep it where it is there should be alot of problems and never get it out of this mess they are in. i mean its just back towards where there is some place to be above sea board.

Answer 5

no it shouldn't be abandoned; that's peoples home.

but the situation is only getting worser due to all the hurricanes.

Answer 6

Hmmm, how bout you learn something about New Orleans and then ask this question.

JERK GO GET A LIFE

Answer 7

No, of course not. Many cities are prone to flooding, New York and London among them.

Every city has issues.  

Answer 8

They need to quit building, and get out while the getting out is good.

But then some people i've met in NOLA  Should just stay, cause they ain't worth a powder .

Answer 9

I think your full of carp!

The reason so much of the city is in low lying areas is because the area that is on high ground was such a successful beautiful place expansion happened. The federal government sent the army corps to build levees, to insure more development and safety for the citizens. If the federal government hadn't depleted funds they pledged for their levee project Katrina would have been like Gustav!

Answer 10

No.

First, 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.

NOLA is important to the USA because much of America's critical national infrastructure is in & around New Orleans. It is theoretically possible to move the industry, transportation facilities, 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.

Also, your "facts" are wrong.

Most of New Orleans is above sea level.  Most of the parts BSL are only a bit below. The lowest parts of the city are neighborhoods built on swamps that were drained during the 20th century, and the lowest points within those areas are 10 to 11 feet BSL.

New Orleans is NOT sinking as a whole. Swampland subsides after it is drained, and the subsidence takes several decades to completely stabilize.

National Geographic published a "subsidence" map a year ago and made much of the fact a few parts of the city are subsiding.  That is almost certeainly the ultimate source of your "sinking at a rate of one inch per year" info. However, those parts are the areas most recently drained - specifically in New Orleans East and on the west bank of the Mississippi upriver from the city, where neighborhoods were built on land drained in the 1980s/90s.  The drained swampland has not yet stabilized.

However, drained sawmpland does eventually stabilize, and neighborhoods like Lakeview (drained in the 1920s) are examples.

In my opinion, most of the wildly inaccurate "scientific facts" thrown about is disinformation distributed by the media to attack the Republicans.  For example, the media simultaneously attacks Bush for the failures during Katrina, the failures to assist the city with reconstruction, claims the levees have not been repaired, and attacks the improvemets to the levee system as being inadequate.  At the SAME TIME, the media attacks Bush for "wasting Billions" on a city that will be "inevitably destroyed" by __________ (name your apocalypse fantasy).  

In reality, the failures during Katrina were by the Democrat then-Governor and Democrat mayor, the failures to assist the city with recovery are also the fault of the then-Governor and Mayor, and the feds have already allocated $14 Billion to upgrade the levee system.

Hurricanes occur in cycles and even the most rabid "global warming" scientists don't claim a connection between the cycles and global warming. You are right there will be another Katrina someday, though that does not mean it will strike New Orleans.

Finally, realize the parts of the levee system that failed during Katrina (flooding the city-proper) only failed because they were negligently designed & built by the federal government.  The parts that failed were flood walls on the drainage canals, and were built during the mid-1990s.  Think about who was President during the mid-1990s and wonder why the media never mentions that.

Answer 11

Ultimately, we have enough money to resurrect new Orleans. after all, we are the "most powerful" of all countries. the Netherlands is doing perfectly fine, and they are not the most powerful (do a search and see why i choose the Netherlands. look how far beneath they are...)

No city should be abandoned simply because we think "aw its to much". that is where someone is living. that is where someone lived. To just abandon it would send one h**l of a message (as if we the general population don't know it already): if your poor, you get no help...

Answer 12

i think scientists should forget about it and like in 100 yrs(if it's still there) they could explore it that would be really coolio!

Answer 13

No, New Orleans should not be abandoned. Unless you don't want your goods from China to make it up the Mississippi, I suggest you drop it. 51% of New Orleans is at or above sea level. We aren't even right next to the gulf, if you're going to ask questions like this, at least know what you are talking about :D

Name one major port city that isn't somewhat under sea level. Don't think so.

This is our home. If your home gets hit with a natural disaster, should we say s***w your home and town? Again, don't think so.