Rebuilding Plans and Insurability

[azskyman]

Back on the mainland, so I am ready to join in some of the "productive" discussions. Glad to see an entire section related to recovery and aftermath.

The fingerpointing will continue for months and years, and there should be and will be much dialogue, discussion, and open review of all the preparations, plans, evacuation schemes, mid-storm assessments, and post event responses by everyone from the individuals right on up to the President.

For now, though, there is a grim task of assessing the death toll and still seeking out possible survivors. And co-mingling with that will be the slow restoration of control and order, followed then by a planned scheme to bring New Orleans and other port cities back to life.

As dark as these times are, they have been predicted for years by those who follow tropical weather. There have been many wakeup calls. And there have been many instances where the bark had been worse than the bite. But not this time.

There is a great lure to live by the sea. To listen to it at rest. Lapping waves in the darkness relax our souls.

But look at a map, any map surrounding our world's oceans and seas will do. You will find major cities and countless millions living at risk. By choice and with fingers crossed and silent prayers to be spared a direct hit.

But as the Gulf coastal areas begin to assess the losses and the damage, and they calculate the financial impact of years of lost revenues and costly infrastructure rebuilding, I hope that from this sad reminder we can learn the importance of the lessons of nature. We will certainly all feel it financially. And we carry a sadness in our hearts.

As the cities and ports look at options to rebuild and restore, I believe that the only responsible course is one which will now consider and account for a repeat performance by another Cat 4 or Cat 5 storm.

To anxiously react, not responsibly plan, will serve no long term purpose.

Insurers should demand, and governments should concur, that rebuilding on sites destroyed by Katrina is unacceptable.

As a taxpayer and an American, I will do what I can to help our fellow citizens and governments respond and rejuvenate themselves. But we should be ever-so-mindful of the next Cat 5 somewhere on the horizon.

Those who would encourage rebuilding on such shifting sands will likely be developers and selfish short-sighted takers of our dollars.

New Orleans is where the new standards should begin....and spread around our country along every mile of coastline.

Happen this time....it did. Happen again...all of us share the blame.

[aumoore]

One big problem with not building near the sea. Where do you bring in shipping? The USA brings in millions of ships each year and we ship out millions of ships worth of goods and produce. We have to have some building near the sea. What about when you want to go to the Beach and the nearest hotel is 5 miles inland? Not much fun.

Now for a private citizens building a home on the beach and expecting to pay maybe 4 times what I pay for insurance when his home is worth 7 to 10 times what mine is I have a problem. The Insurance companies need to treat these homes like drunk drivers. If the risk is high charge a fee that reflects that. If you can afford a 1 million dollar home you should be able to afford to pay 1% of the cost of the home to insure it along with a large Hurricane deductible. My home is 20 miles inland and I have to pay a $500 deductible for anything except Hurricane damage then it jumps to 2% of the current value of the home. If you live within say 1/2 mile of the ocean/gulf maybe this should be a 10 to 15 % deductible for Hurricane damage.

I have read that New York is just as susceptible to a major Hurricane as New Orleans. Most of the Big Apple is only a few feet above sea level. But remember it is also a major port as well.

[Terry]

I understand your comments, azskyman, but I don't think they are realisitc.

We will conitunue to build and re-build along the coastlines, because we can, we want to, and because we have to.

We'll learn to build better buildings, we'll create better evacuation plans and response plans. Some day, may be we'll learn to redirect or tame hurricanes.