New Orleans will Recover!

[MOBIUS]

It may be a different place and may take years - but it will recover!

I also suggest that from an outsider's POV it might recover sooner than you think...

From a purely touristic POV the French Quarter survived almost intact and the Garden District is also mostly intact, although there is a large risk of fires getting out of control and destroying many buildings so its safety is not as assured...

Either way, as a tourist, chances are the only parts of NoLa you're ever likely to visit are those parts, in fact I was warned against setting foot outside of those areas due to the danger - even wandering too far up Canal St was deemed hazardous to your health when I was there a few years back!

Anyway, those areas could conceivably be up and running within weeks with water and waste services being the biggest potential headache.

I think if those districts could be opened again ASAP, that would be a huge morale boost to its refugees and a sign to the rest of the nation that there is life in NoLa yet...!

Also, seeing as hundreds of thousands of people have suddenly become unemployed overnight perhaps they could be employed in the huge public works effort of cleaning up their city to help them help themselves, earning a badly needed income and the self esteem of repairing their city...

It will be tough, but if the rest of the country rallies around NoLa by visiting the city when it reopens and showing your support, I foresee a positive future for 'The Big Easy'...

I for one intend to support NoLa by visiting it at my earliest opportunity - just like I did with NY, Bali and even the Red Sea after Taba!

laissez les bons temps rouler!(again)

[Sava]

banana!

[MOBIUS]

The bananas are all contaminated with toxic sludge!

[Kuciwalker]

I support restarting our atmospheric [nuclear] tests there

[Sava]

if San Francisco has a major earthquake and falls into the ocean, will morons want to rebuild it on the same spot?

[DanS]

As much as I like New Orleans, I don't think it should be rebuilt in its current configuration. I think the federal government should do forced buyouts of the low lying areas, as has been done previously in the Midwest. Make it a nature preserve or something.

I don't think the economy of New Orleans will bounce back as quickly as we might hope. A lot of good paying corporate jobs are already moved permanently to other great American cities.

[MOBIUS]

Actually the comparison would be the 1989 earthquake - and the answer was yes...

Personally I'd say it was more dumb living in SF than NoLa, even after the hurricane...

If the relevant authorities had done their jobs, NoLa would merely be picking up after some moderate hurricane damage - not be 80% drowned...

[Kuciwalker]

You're slipping. Six posts to the actual troll?

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by DanS
As much as I like New Orleans, I don't think it should be rebuilt in its current configuration. I think the federal government should do forced buyouts of the low lying areas, as has been done previously in the Midwest. Make it a nature preserve or something.

I agree.

Part of the problem is the erosion of the natural defences of the wetlands through the manner in which many of the manmade flood defences have been built - all that needs to be reversed.

I'd suggest a Venetian model where most of the population lives on solid ground further inland and commutes into town for their jobs, with the emphasis moved from a living city for its own sake into a tourist/services city that still lives on with a minimum footprint on the surrounding land...

Something like that.

People not wanting to return can act as a sort of natural downsizing...

[Sava]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
Actually the comparison would be the 1989 earthquake - and the answer was yes...

because over 90% of SF evacuated and the city was uninhabitable

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by Sava


because over 90% of SF evacuated and the city was uninhabitable

No, that it was hit by a major earthquake that caused a lot of damage...

The final death toll of 63 was well below the 300 expected deaths. Over 3,500 people were injured and 100,000 buildings damaged.

The reason for the lower-than-expected death toll was put down to the fact that most people had left work early to watch the third of the World Series baseball games which was being shown on television.

Over 12,000 people were made homeless by the earthquake. Some were eventually able to return to their homes following extensive repairs.

Extensive structural damage meant others were given 15 minutes to collect their belongings before their houses were demolished.

As I said before, if it wasn't for the inadequate levees, the damage to NoLa might even have been less than the '89 SF quake.

Also the fact that people can be evacuated is far better than having a quake strike at any time without warning, you can see a hurricane coming and get out of harm's way (theoretically ) - which means I'd far rather live in a hurricane zone than an earthquake zone if given the choice...

[Sava]

the two don't even compare

you fail

[DaShi]

Once they get the casinos back, everything will be fine.

[SlowwHand]

San Francisco and Chicago overcame.
New Orleans got over being started by French.
Of course it will recover.

[Wernazuma III]

"Natural preserve". It's sad that it's so sad that I even have to