[Rhodes22-list] Why Rebuild New Orleans?

[Hank]

Herb, 
 I've lived in both those cities and the idea of abandoning LA certainly has 
its merits. ;>) San Fran, however, we should not abandon, just restrict it 
to sailors as it is an absolutely great place to sail (as long as you feel 
as I do, that 20-25kts of wind is a great day to get the boat out).
 Hank

 On 9/15/05, Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote: 
> 
> New Orleans is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The idea 
> that it is "doomed" is about as on the mark as saying we should abandon San 
> Francisco and LA because they're "doomed".
> 
> Herb Parsons
> 
> S/V O'Jure
> 1976 O'Day 25
> Lake Grapevine, N TX
> 
> S/V Reve de Papa
> 1971 Coronado 35
> Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast
> 
> >>> robert at squirrelhaven.com 9/15/2005 8:45:46 AM >>>
> Folks:
> 
> The following article raises a serious question.
> Apparently, New Orleans is doomed regardless of
> what resources we throw at it.
> 
> Tough, but worthwhile reading.
> 
> /Robert Skinner
> 
> ----------------------------------------
> 
> Time for a Tough Question: Why Rebuild?
> 
> By Klaus Jacob
> 
> Washington Post, Tuesday, September 6, 2005; Page A25
> 
> It is time to swim against the tide. The direction of
> public discourse in the wake of Katrina goes like
> this: First we save lives and provide some basic
> assistance to the victims. Then we clean up New
> Orleans. And then we rebuild the city. Most will
> rightly agree on the first two. But should we rebuild
> New Orleans, 10 feet below sea level, just so it can
> be wiped out again?
> 
> Some say we can raise and strengthen the levees to
> fully protect the city. Here is some unpleasant
> truth: The higher the defenses, the deeper the floods
> that will inevitably follow. The current political
> climate is not conducive to having scientific
> arguments heard before political decisions are made.
> But not doing so leads to the kind of chaos we are
> seeing now.
> 
> This is not a natural disaster. It is a social,
> political, human and -- to a lesser degree --
> engineering disaster. To many experts, it is a
> disaster that was waiting to happen. In fact, Katrina
> is not even the worst-case scenario. Had the eye of
> the storm made landfall just west of the city
> (instead of to the east, as it did) the wind speeds
> and its associated coastal storm surge would have
> been higher in New Orleans (and lower in Gulfport,
> Miss.). The city would have flooded faster, and the
> loss of life would have been greater.
> 
> What scientific facts do we need before making
> fateful political, social and economic decisions
> about New Orleans's future? Here are just two:
> 
> First, all river deltas tend to subside as fresh
> sediment (supplied during floods) compacts and is
> transformed into rock. The Mississippi River delta is
> no exception. In the early to mid-20th century, the
> Army Corps of Engineers was charged with protecting
> New Orleans from recurring natural floods. At the
> same time, the Corps kept the river (and some related
> canals) along defined pathways. These well-intended
> defensive measures prevented the natural transport of
> fresh sediments into the geologically subsiding
> areas. The protected land and the growing city sank,
> some of it to the point that it is now 10 feet below
> sea level. Over time, some of the defenses were
> raised and strengthened to keep up with land
> subsidence and to protect against river floods and
> storm surges. But the defenses were never designed to
> safeguard the city against a direct hit by a Category
> 5 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson scale) or a
> Category 4 hurricane making landfall just west of the
> city.
> 
> Second, global sea levels have risen less than a foot
> in the past century, and will rise one to three feet
> by the end of this century. Yes, there is
> uncertainty. But there is no doubt in the scientific
> community that the rise in global sea levels will
> accelerate.
> 
> What does this mean for New Orleans's future?
> Government officials and academic experts have said
> for years that in about 100 years, New Orleans may no
> longer exist. Period.
> 
> It is time to face up to some geological realities
> and start a carefully planned deconstruction of New
> Orleans, assessing what can or needs to be preserved,
> or vertically raised and, if affordable, by how much.
> Some of New Orleans could be transformed into a
> "floating city" using platforms not unlike the oil
> platforms offshore, or, over the short term, into a
> city of boathouses, to allow floods to fill in the
> 'bowl' with fresh sediment.
> 
> If realized, this "American Venice" would still need
> protection from the worst of storms. Restoration of
> mangroves and wetlands between the coast and the city
> would need to be carefully planned and executed. Much
> engineering talent would have to go into anchoring
> the floating assets to prevent chaos during storms.
> As for oil production, refining and transshipment
> facilities, buffer zones would have to be established
> to protect them from the direct onslaught of coastal
> storm surges.
> 
> Many ancient coastal cities of great fame have
> disappeared or are now shells of their former
> grandeur. Parts of ancient Alexandria suffered from
> the subsidence of the Nile delta, and earthquakes and
> tsunamis toppled the city's famed lighthouse, one of
> the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."
> 
> It is time that quantitative, science-based risk
> assessment became a cornerstone of urban and coastal
> land-use planning to prevent such disasters from
> happening again. Politicians and others must not make
> hollow promises for a future, safe New Orleans. Ten
> feet below sea level and sinking is not safe. It is
> time to constructively deconstruct, not destructively
> reconstruct.
> 
> The writer, a geophysicist, is an adjunct professor
> at Columbia University's School of International and
> Public Affairs. He teaches and does research on
> disaster risk management.
> 
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