New Orleans 8' under sea level Rebuilding????

JimR · Sep 2, 2005

New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

I was reading up on the City of New Orleans. It seems that the city's ground level averages 8 feet under sea level. There is big talk of how to rebuild it now or if it is feasible at all. Why would you rebuild a city that is 8 feet under sea level? Something is seriously wrong here with this picture. Granted people live there. But what is there to keep this from happening again a few years from now?

There was also talk on another thread about the local folks not knowing what to do. That is correct according to what I read. On day two the Army Corp. of Eng. suggested putting long barges in place at every levee break to stop the water from flooding the city. Their suggestions fell on deaf ears. Nothing was done and the levees let loose on the city. This would have stopped the leaks immediately and allowed the Corp to rebuild the levees.

DaveNay · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

( There was also talk on another thread about the local folks not knowing what to do. That is correct according to what I read. On day two the Army Corp. of Eng. suggested putting long barges in place at every levee break to stop the water from flooding the city. Their suggestions fell on deaf ears. Nothing was done and the levees let loose on the city. This would have stopped the leaks immediately and allowed the Corp to rebuild the levees. )

I would imagine that the Army Corp reviewed this idea, and decided against it for some reason. It's not that it fell on deaf ears, I don't think the Corp really needs any kind of permission in this type of situation. If they wanted to sink one barge or one hundred barges, then they would go ahead and do it, as long as it was the most expedient method to solve the problem.

As far as rebuilding in the exact same location and conditions, I personally feel that it would be very foolish, but then again this nation has rebuilt San Francisco and Northridge as well as towns along the Mississippi in the early 90's so it is hard to single out this situation.

Dave

GaryM · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

At least one town was relocated after the Mississippi floods of 1993.

Valmeyer IL, was deserted and re-established at the top of the nearby bluffs. True it's not a New Orleans, but they were smart enough to realize that they had lost their fight with the river.

If you care to know more, check here: http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/freshstart/case/valmeyer.htm

frank_f15 · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

( Why would you rebuild a city that is 8 feet under sea level? )
Especially when it sits right on the ocean /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

MikePA · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

All the 'Monday morning engineers' in the media (written, TV, etc.) remind me of a quote from Robert E. Lee,

[W]e made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers.

If the critics are civil engineers, their opinions might be worth listening to. If they are not CEs, they're of no more value than blog babblings.

sneaky_pete · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

The Army Corps of Engineers (and pork-barrel politics) is what made this disaster possible in the first place; they've been trying to keep the Mississippi River and Lake Ponchetraine (sp?) artificially in its banks by building levees higher and higher for the last 50 years at least, maybe longer. You can't fool Mother Nature, at least not for very long.

If they build it again, it will flood again, it's just a matter of time. Some people define insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result.

MikePA · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

 You can't fool Mother Nature, at least not for very long.
The Dutch have been keeping out the North Sea for decades. Expensive, but possible.

KentT · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

( You can't fool Mother Nature, at least not for very long.
The Dutch have been keeping out the North Sea for decades. Expensive, but possible. )

They don't have 150MPH hurricanes in the North Sea, either, nor one of the largest fresh-water rivers in the world running down one side of Amsterdam, and a lake (also above their heads) on the other side...

DaveNay · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

( The Dutch have been keeping out the North Sea for decades. Expensive, but possible. )

I wouldn't really say that they have been successful.

Dave

MikePA · Sep 2, 2005

Re: New Orleans 8\' under sea level Rebuilding????

No, the situations are not the same, I never said they were. However, the North Sea and the storms there are substantial. So keeping them out is no small feat.

The simple fact is that it's possible to do. Civil Engineers and the Corp of Engineers have stated they can build levees to handle Cat 5 hurricanes. It's also possible to build up New Orleans so it's not below sea level. Something the engineers have also said is possible.

I think it's the height of arrogance for people who (1) Do not live in New Orleans and (2) Have no idea what's possible, to blithely state the city shouldn't be rebuilt. Should not rebuilding be a consideration? Certainly. But it's not as intuitively obvious as some pretend it is.