And dunno about that, Bosda… like others said, San Francisco came back from destruction. 
I want the city to be back… but I hope it comes back better prepared.
It’s not going to be offline for a year. My husband specifically asked me not to share the details of the reconstruction he learned from his former coworkers at Entergy – for the safety of those who are still in the city – but there’s far more existing infrastructure that can be back up and running in a short time than you might believe possible.
Once the flood waters stabilize, they can then seriously attack rebuilding the levees. It is FAR easier to replace the broken sections when there’s not water flowing through them, but it’s instead a fairly still pool. And as soon as they can get enough water drained that utility crews can get in with boats – they’ve been working from boats down in the bayous for years, they don’t need solid ground to work on the electric lines – and get the power grid back up, the rest of the reconstruction is going to proceed at a remarkable speed.
I don’t think that’s true for even a second. Don’t forget, it’s one of the three major ports in the US. It’s also a major tourist and convention center, and that’s a service industry that requires a LOT of people to operate.
I predict that New Orleans will be back to at least 75% of its pre-Katrina size within two years. And possibly more. There are families that have been there for hundreds of years; they aren’t going to leave just because of a flood and a two- or three-month loss. Don’t ignore the strength of spirit of the people who live there and whose families’ roots in that city run unbelievably deep. That’s one of the most remarkable things about New Orleans, and it can’t be easily discounted.
Sheesh. When I said, “I don’t think that’s true for even a second,” I meant the suggestion that NOLA will be offline for a year.
Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend.
But it was never like Old San Francisco. Now that, that was a city…
It will be about as exciting as going to The Mall of America. Christ. I’m already packing my bags. I’m positively giddy with anticipation.
(hearing one of those New Orleans-style funeral processions playing softly in the background)
I dispute this point strongly. New Orleans is a very unique city in that it is a heavily stratified city but unified in mission at the same time. The “powers that be” certainly never condemned the “sleaze and decadence” in the French Quarter. Quite to the contrary. They realize its financial, cultural, and historical value. The French Quarter will not become “Disneyesque” either. Everone realizes that an original French Quarter is vital to the cities livelyhood and it will be restored as intact as possible. It may even come out even better than before. The buildings in the French Quarter are not the ones that will be destroyed.
Yes.
For far too long, adequate (read: “overbuilt”) levee protection for the entire area has been neglected.
The one place I can say for sure has “overbuilt” levees is most of the northern edge of Metairie, along Lake Pontchartrain, where I grew up and where my family still lives. The levee there is 25 feet high (built up from 16 feet about 10-12 years ago), and reinforced with steel pylons and concrete.
The earth used to pack the Metairie levee is brought in from other parts of the country. It is rich in natural clay, and is more resistant to acute erosion than our local soil or river/lake bed sand.
To be blunt – preliminary reports are that Katrina didn’t do jack to the Metarie levee, AFAICT. Whatever has withstood Katrina needs to become the minimum standard for area civil engineering projects (i.e. new levees) going forward.
Fear Itself, Kalhoun – why on earth would you assume the essential nature of the French Quarter would change? The local politicians aren’t choir boys themselves. Louisiana may be a red state in national elections, but make no mistake: New Orleans is nowhere near a conservative/fundamentalist stronghold.
In fact, N.O. is the polar opposite. So there’s no motivation for the local politicians to treat the French Quarter any differently than before.
That is what I am talking about; it will be cleaner, brighter, and ever-so-much-more “Nawlins” than Nawlins ever was. That vague sweat/urine/vomit patina will be obsured by fresh paint.
There’s now talk about displacing 25,000 Superdome evacuees into the Houston Astrodome, transporting them there via bus. Wow, I really feel for these people. It’s amazing to think all this is going on 70 miles from where I am. To think I was just there this past weekend, with no clue what was to come! I wish the city had been better prepared for something like this. Everyone knew it was bound to happen eventually. The hurricanes last summer should’ve been a wake-up call. I hope New Orleans will recover to what it once was. But there’s no doubt many of these people will have to start lives elsewhere, with no homes or jobs to go back to in NO.
I hope to be one of the first to return to my 2nd home to vomit and piss on the street corners to aid in restoration efforts. I am sure that many other people will do the same. That oppressive, muggy air and ill-drained swamy land isn’t going anywhere either.
I’ve heard also that the CajunDome in Lafayette (capacity about 12,000) will house some Superdome evacuees.
The PMAC up here in Baton Rouge is already in use as a special-needs shelter (handicapped and folks in need of ongoing medical care).
Interesting… while watching the new yesterday I was struck by the logic of transporting all these displaced people here (I’m a Houstonian) and thought hey, we’ve finally got a very legitimate use for what to do with the idle Astrodome.
Plus, Houston will someday be hit with a hurricane catastrophe just as bad as what Katrina has wreaked. When it happens, we’ll in like fashion need to lean on our New Orleans friends for help.
Houston is below sealevel?
No but on the news yesterday they interviewed a researcher that had put together a series of maps based on the likelyhood of flooding during C1 - C5 direct strikes. It is ubiquitously low-lying and the innundation due to predicted storm surges up the ship channel and many river complexes could cause absolutely devestating consequences with a potentially massive loss of life… conceivably up to 50,000 or so in a C5.
Remember Allison several years back. Damage here was widespread with I believe about 24 deaths and it wasn’t even a hurricane. It was a dedgum tropical storm.
Borderland, I am trying to start a polite thread on Rebuilding New Orleans, What could or should be done
I would love it if you could bring your knowledge to the questions I posed.
It will take no time at all for the XXX clubs, the sleaze, the bars selling lethal-sized drinks, and the vomit, piss, and spilled beer aromas to return to Bourbon Street. Just one good weekend. And I’m sure the Mardi Gras “gravy” (as it’s known to the locals) will be just as bad in 2007. I have great faith in the power of drunk tourists to restore the sleazy parts of the Quarter to their pre-Katrina state.
Has anyone heard that Mardi Gras will be cancelled in 2006, due to the flooding?
I read that somewhere, but it may have been an unfounded rumor.
It wouldn’t be surprising, but it does seem to be a bit early to worry about it. Especially when it brings such a huge influx of cash into the city.
Does anyone know if Pelopidas street (the Hebrew Cemetery) is flooded and how deep? I can’t seem to find any online maps that show exactly which areas are flooded. The company I’m working for at the moment has its head office right next door to the Hebrew Cemetery and our server is there. It’s on the 3rd floor so hopefully it will be ok although it doesn’t seem like it will be up and running for a while which means that a lot of the work that I’ve been contracted to do will be even more urgent when the time comes.
I know I’m silly for worrying about such a stupid thing when there has been such devestation and loss of life, but most of the ppl that I know evacuated when they had the chance, thank Og, and I pray for everyone left in New Orleans to get out safely.