Should New Orleans be moved or just left to return to nature?

Question

In just 3 years New Orleans has been destroyed twice. It is an unsafe place for a major city. Wouldn't it be better to just leave and let nature reclaim it. It is in a flood plain and no reputable insurance will cover it. Iknow it has history but it looks like hurricanes are going to be coming through New Orleans from now on.

Answer 1

First, Katrina did not destroy New Orleans.  The city was badly damged, but most of the damage happened because the federally-built levee system was negligently constructed.

Second, New Orleans is getting just some wind and rain from Gustav. The city is unlikely to sustain even moderate damage from the storm, much less be "destroyed".

In any event, 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 rebuilding 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.  

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?

Answer 2

You could say the same for any city along the major fault lines in the US: San Francisco, Anchorage, places in parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

You cannot prepare for an earthquake.

You can prepare for a hurricane. Levees and pumps (if properly maintained and built) helps with flooding.

Actually "New Orleans was originally settled on the natural levees or high ground along the Mississippi River. In fact, when the capital of French Louisiana was moved from Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans, the French colonial government cited New Orleans' inland location as one of the reasons for the move as it would be less vulnerable to hurricanes."

New Orleans has been around for about 300 years (with two major hurricanes: Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005 ). The mortality associated with both those hurricanes were due to poor planning, not taking the storm seriously, and not doing a good job with the levees. Gustav will not be too bad (except the levee work is not complete STILL). I believe it's just getting a lot of attention because it's an election year.

I don't think most Americans realize why New Orleans exists. Yes New Orleans has a rich culture, but it also contributes in a huge way to the US economy.

It is in the best interest of the entire US to keep that city alive:  "New Orleans is home to one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, accounts for a major portion of the nation's refinery and production of petroleum"  The port supplies food and petroleum to the US Midwest.

The port handles more trade with Latin America than does any other U.S. gateway, including Miami.

And finally, if you don't maintain the roof on your house and one day it rains and the roof collapses, will you just not rebuild your roof because " it's going to rain from now on?"

Oh yeah, NOLA guy- you should probably edit the part about New Orleans being build below sea level. Parts of New Orleans are build below sea level and parts are above sea level-- maybe that's more accurate.

Answer 3

i rather live in califrnia with the earthquakes then live in new orleans area with the hurricans. a wise man built his house on sand and his house was destroyed. gees why live some place below sea level. just get up and move. i dont think the u.s. goverment has enough money to re build new orleans every time a hurrican goes threw.

Answer 4

They don't move cities.  You're right that it's in an unsafe location, but your statement that "hurricanes are going to be coming through New Orleans from now on" makes no sense.  It's not as if some pattern has become established that wasn't there before.  Hurricanes have always hit the Gulf area, and according to the odds and the laws of nature, they will occasionally hit New Orleans too.  There will always be some people who want to live there despite the risks.  It was not destroyed by Katrina-- heavily damaged, yes.  And Gustav hasn't either, and in all likelihood won't destroy it or even do nearly as much damage as Katrina.