Devil's Advocate

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Let's say that GUSTAV hits New Orleans and Mississippi again, and runs up another humungous bill in terms of lives and property damage.

Where along the line do we learn the lesson and stop rebuilding on the shore and in holes?

 

[amicus]

Legitimate question, even as devil's advocate, JBJ, you already know, but to open the discussion...if there is to be one...

The Mississippi Delta drains the entire Midwest and acts, as it always has, as a transportation corridor for the breadbasket of the nation.

The Port of New Orleans is essential to trade and economic well being. I think one can take that as a given?

Although this will be judged Racist, who cares, but after the blacks were replaced in Florida by the Cubans and wealthy retiring white folk, they migrated enmasse to similar locations that suited their genetic heritage: that of the African Coast.

New Orleans at the time of Katrina was 70 percent black, with the highest indigent population in the country, most on government welfare and making babies right and left, also cared for by the state.

Add to that the jaded, corrupt French influence in the region, kind of an American showcase for debauchery French style, which has always been a part of that city.

There is similar poverty in the black community in cities like Biloxi, and into Alabama, all including high crime rates and drug usage by the black community and seventy percent of the children born have no known fathers.

Of course, now, there isn't really a problem with blacks, per se, they are just children of slaves and the liberals owe them compensation...may as well give Cloudy a buck or two while you are at it.

Hi there, ya lil, retarded cannibal, been a while!


Ami

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

AMICUS

Yep!

I wonder if anyone in New Orleans is giving a thought to GUSTAV? I cant imagine they are. Ditto for Biloxi.

If it were me, I think I'd at least park the school buses somewhere hi & dry this time. Maybe put some gas in them, too. Houston likely doesnt want the wretched refuse back in town. Maybe Atlanta this time.

If there's a buck in it, CLOUDY will swear she's an Eskimo or Zulu.

 

[Guest]

Cloudy's gone for awhile, maybe for good.

That may be new information for you, ami.

And JBJ? Cloudy and ami share a special love/hate relationship.

You don't have that. I'm quite certain (if she doesn't have you on ignore) that with you it's just hate.

Just sayin'.

 

[starrkers]

Let's say that GUSTAV hits New Orleans and Mississippi again, and runs up another humungous bill in terms of lives and property damage.

Where along the line do we learn the lesson and stop rebuilding on the shore and in holes?

When hell freezes over.
Here there are towns built on bends in rivers that flood the streets 10ft deep on a reasonably regular basis.
Those towns are still growing, even though it's been known for 100 years or more that they will flood. Levee banks are built, and raised, and raised again.
It's pure human perversity.

 

[SeaCat]

Okay, according to some of the news I've been listening to this evening the have called out the Gaurd and are thinking of initiating evacuations along the coast. I think the only reason they are waiting is for the track to firm up a bit more. (Right now it's aiming right at New Orleans.)

As for when will they learn? Maybe right about the time they learn not to build on the Barrier Islands. When they put in such things as Storm Gates in Tampa Bay and they mandate building codes for "ALL" dwellings.

Along with your question should be another. When will we stop paying for people building in known Hurricane Danger Zones. I'm talking about places like the flood zones and Barrier Islands.

Cat

 

[Guest]

Okay, according to some of the news I've been listening to this evening the have called out the Gaurd and are thinking of initiating evacuations along the coast. I think the only reason they are waiting is for the track to firm up a bit more. (Right now it's aiming right at New Orleans.)

As for when will they learn? Maybe right about the time they learn not to build on the Barrier Islands. When they put in such things as Storm Gates in Tampa Bay and they mandate building codes for "ALL" dwellings.

Along with your question should be another. When will we stop paying for people building in known Hurricane Danger Zones. I'm talking about places like the flood zones and Barrier Islands.

Cat

When will people stop building on flood planes? Along fault lines? In tornado-prone areas? In areas that suffer dangerous winter conditions or heat or drought?

Is there any place safe?

 

[starrkers]

When will people stop building on flood planes? Along fault lines? In tornado-prone areas? In areas that suffer dangerous winter conditions or heat or drought?

Is there any place safe?

There may always be some level of possible danger, but some places are inherently more perilous than others.
So why do we never learn from past disaster? Do we really think we can tame Mother Nature?

It would seem humanity is that arrogant.

 

[SeaCat]

When will people stop building on flood planes? Along fault lines? In tornado-prone areas? In areas that suffer dangerous winter conditions or heat or drought?

Is there any place safe?

Is there any place safe? Not really, but there are places that are inherently more dangerous to build.

Unfortunately there are people who chose to build in these areas then expect everyone else to fund their recovery. (Through the Insurance.) There are also people who chose to build in these areas because of convenience.

New Orleans is a good case in point. Most of New Orleans is below sea level. They need that area because of the port but why live there except for convenience? They could have rebuilt further inland, out of the hole. Yes it would have cost money but not too much more than the rebuilding was already costing them.

Cat

 

[Boota]

As pointed out above, it's a port. There will always be a city where there's a port.

There is technology to strengthen the levees significantly, it's just a matter of whether the money would be spent in such a fashion. That's the lesson that should have been learned. Being cheap really isn't cheap in the long run.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

BOOTA

Well, in a few days we're gonna find out if the 350 BILLION repair bill for NO was a wise investment. Ditto for the MS coast. If the casinos blow away and NO fills with water, maybe the money was wasted.

 

[Boota]

They didn't do it properly. The levees were rebuilt without any real fortification beyond what existed before Katrina. That was the thing. NO survived the hurricane without much problem, compared to all the other hurricanes that they've been through. If the money, which had been requested and denied, had been spent on building the levees properly the disaster would not have been on such a grand scale.

I do think that NO deserves to be saved. I'd prefer to see the big expenditure once instead of big expenditures every time nature opens up a can of whoop ass on the region.

 

[R. Richard]

They didn't do it properly. The levees were rebuilt without any real fortification beyond what existed before Katrina. That was the thing. NO survived the hurricane without much problem, compared to all the other hurricanes that they've been through. If the money, which had been requested and denied, had been spent on building the levees properly the disaster would not have been on such a grand scale.

I do think that NO deserves to be saved. I'd prefer to see the big expenditure once instead of big expenditures every time nature opens up a can of whoop ass on the region.

The levees haven't been rebuilt to what's needed and the work is still hampered by local politics. No one was concerned, until Gustav came along.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

RICHARD & BOOTA

It looks like the situation may be worse than Katrina, because NO will get the rainy side of the storm and winds blowing onshore, plus the storm surge from last time.

Of course, things can change, and NO may dodge a bullet.