Innotech wrote:Windy wrote:Innotech wrote:the more I think about the levee design in New Orleans, the angrier I get. It is so half assed its not even funny. They need to consult with engineers from the Netherlands, who have the finest dike and levee systems in the world. It is highly important that these levees have thresholds far above even the strongest hurricane. It would cost a lot but so does search and rescue and extensive flood damage. Personally Id rarther spend a hundred million on getting the levees right than dealing with the social and political repercussions of a disasterl ike Katrina. but then again, Im not a Louisiana politician.
Oh, it's way more expensive than that -- it'd be billions up on billions. But I agree; if you're going to have a major metropolitan city below sea level that is very prone to getting hurricanes, you should fortify it so you don't have to drain the place every 20 years. It's not like we live in Haiti and can't afford it that kind of protection.
my point is, price shouldnt matter when youre talking about protecting a major historical city, critical port, and population center. IT should have one of the finest levee systems in the world but its so amateur looking.
New Orleans is ultimately doomed. Not in our lifetime, probably, but it's going to continue to subside and get further and further below sea level. And it has nothing to do with global warming or rising sea levels. It has everything to do with the natural geologic processes that have been going on for millions of years.
It's the way of the Gulf Coast. We can't stop it.
We can continue to build higher levees, but can we build them 2000 feet high? 5 miles high?
New Orleans is going to continue to sink below sea level and there is not anything we can do to stop it.
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