Why was New Orleans built back to only be preserved each and everytime a Hurricane breaks out?

Question

Why not use this place as a public land mark if it's this dangerous?? Maybe just a vacation spot. Does this mean the Government will always come running??? Everytime a Hurricane appears??

Answer 1

Why???  If a tornado tore up your town would you move away and never come back?  The government helps in that case too if the governor of your state declares a disaster zone.

What about all the fires in California... should everyone move out of Californian too?

Answer 2

I don't know why they waste their time

to be honest it's like a bowl

every year it will fill up....why live in the bottom of a bowl?

they should tear it all down clear it and let nature have it back....

Answer 3

Because New Orleans is a part of history history that is still being made . And even though nowadays a lot of history is just written away, that is something that ant be just changed into a vacation place. its a place where people live and people love and you don't just take that away from them and kick them out of their home, because you want to make some vacation place.

and if you feel that way, california has forest fires all of the time and hundreds and hundres of houses and destoryed all of the time, why dont we just make california into a vacation place. and for that matter kansas has many many many tornados, that destroy houses and kill people, why dont we turn kansas into a vacation place.

Answer 4

Sorry love but although personally I would want to move, to do that the people would have to have money and a place to go (check how they were treated last time!) plus you should be preserving New Orleans really because it is a national treasure, just as Buckingham Palace and Big Ben are to us Brits! But a lot depends on how much you have roots in an area and the people must be considered in that respect.  If you lived there I feel that your views would be rather different don't you?.x.

See what 'NOLA guy' says - it is valid.

Answer 5

It shouldn't matter what ethnicities live in an American city, but CwboyBill's "answer" contains the reason for many of the anti-New Orleans garbage that appears on YA:  Out and out racism.  Do you suppose CwboyBill would feel differently if he knew New Orleans is 70% White, as is the state of Louisiana?  

In any event, rebuilding 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?  Is it racism, like with CwboyBill? What is your reason?

Answer 6

I think we need to just let them deal with it on their own.

Is it my fault dubbas choose to live below sea level? Why should I pay for their mistakes?

And to go back after Katrina, that was just dumb.

Now we are forced to spend billions of dollars to fix something that is only guaranteed to withstand another category 3 hurricane, if they're lucky, come on.....

Answer 7

I agree the politicians there keep wanting it to be rebuilt @ tremendous cost to the tax payers - despite the fact that it's swampland at best.  I'd like to see it become wetlands again - once and for all!

Peace

Answer 8

I dont know but its almost like keeping pissing on the electric fence after you keep getting shocked. Then having the American public to keep paying for the "bandages" to put on the people who keep going back and pissing on that electric fence. Where does it end? You know everyone should be granted help with the first mistake at the fence. But if you keep running back to that fence, it should be shame on you , you're on your own. Common sense has to come into play at some point!

Answer 9

Why build a City on dirt below Sea Level in the first place. My question is why they didn't activate this same plan three years ago before Ms. Katrina hit. They had the same time frame in which to evacuate New Orleans.

Yes, The Government will always charge us for others fool hardiness

Answer 10

You know what? That's a REALLY good question. When I saw the devastation that Katrina brought to that city, I could not understand how anybody could go back. I know that for many people that was their home but, the reality is, hurricanes are not going to cease. There will be another Hurricane that will do the same kind of damage. Man is not match against nature. All the levees in the world could not stand up against the winds of a very strong hurricane. That's something people need to think about. It's going to happen over and over and over and over again. You are absolutely right.

Answer 11

I think this is a fantastic question that no one is asking (besides you). The issues surrounding climate change are highly charged and to say that a major city like New Orleans is no longer habitable would be to admit that changes in our environment will require drastic alterations in how we live on this planet.

This is a question that no one of any political orientation seems eager to address because its implications are so frightening.