Katrina - Has America Forgotten?

[Camille_2_Katrina]

people... the personal attacks are ugly here...

[TSmith274]

people... the personal attacks are ugly here...

I know that wasn't A2K's intention. This arcticfire guy/girl refuses to understand the situation. It gets frustrating when people don't understand anything about the situation and then proceed to insult everyone in Louisiana. If he/she would just read over A2K's and my responses to his/her wild accusations, we wouldn't be having this problem. Then, he could Google all of the issues to get confirmation on every point. But no, he/she has to keep posting misinformation and wild accusations. The issues here are so simple to understand. They are VERY straightforward. Problem is, people get insulted when it comes to light that it was their own government that failed. It's not personal... it's just a fact. Believe me, I wish it wasn't true, but it is. The federal government adopted the Flood Control Act in the 60's to take control of all levee responsibilities in south Louisiana. They are bound by this contract.

We've recognized our failures on the local level, and we're working to correct them:
1) Poor planning for evacuation and aftermath: Mayor and Governor got together and created a new plan, providing trains and busses for future storms.
2) Levee board corruption: Disbanded all boards and created two professional boards for each flood basin, Ponchartrain and Barataria.
3) Deep cuts into the state budget to keep the state self sufficient.
4) In two weeks, Mayor Nagin goes bye bye.
5) Created a constitutional ammendment to guarantee that any funds from oil and gas revenues are earmarked for hurricane protection and coastal restoration ONLY.
6) Realizing that some areas may not be inhabitable in the future, and constructing buyouts for those families.
7) Reduced the size of city government by half to ensure that no money is spent uselessly during the recovery.
8) Basically stripped all public schools from the control of the local school board... a board that did not allow the use of their busses.
9) Opened up 4 miles of riverfront, converting the areas from industrial to residential and mixed use to better make use of the high elevation areas in the city.
10) Adopted strengent statewide building codes and adoption of new flood elevations is in progress, requiring many to elevate their homes.
11) Fully funded the state's own flood insurance program... "Louisiana Citizens", because many carriers are no longer writing policies.
On and on and on.....

[Audrey2Katrina]

people... the personal attacks are ugly here...

I don't see any "attacks"... but what I do see is colossal insensitivity, along with a lot of indignation over comments being made. Had it reached the "personal attack" level, something would have been done long before now. Bayou pretty much hit the nail on the head inasmuch as some folks are baiting, while others are jumping at the bait, and I confess to falling in the latter as I just find it difficult to allow my statements to be so grossly mischaracterized. This is NOT an attack, it is a response.

See TSmith's post above for a pretty decent summary of the issues.

A2K

[Pearl River]

If calling someone hard headed is an attack, then I guess I'm guilty. There are too many insensative people who come on these boards just to bait. If they had gone thru what so many of us had, maybe then they could see the light. It's just so funny that so many national people have come to the Gulf Coast and have left with their eye's wide open. They tell the world that unless you see it, it cannot be given justice by mere pictures in print or on tv. Yet there are still people who believe that it wasn't that bad.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but as I like to say " Opinions are like rear ends, everybody has one and it stinks." The thing is, there is a difference between an opinion and an attack. Especially an attack without knowing all the facts or giving wrong information.

[Pearl River]

Apparently S.E.LA isn't the only area sinking. See the article from NOAA magazine.

http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag101.htm

I'm trying to find the article, but I've heard that some area's of Houston are actually sinking faster than New Orleans.

[Pearl River]

From the N.Y. Times reference Houston sinking.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E6D71138F935A1575AC0A964948260

[Audrey2Katrina]

Interesting articles... makes one wonder about just about any city built along the Gulf Coast.

A2K

[Stratosphere747]

From the N.Y. Times reference Houston sinking.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E6D71138F935A1575AC0A964948260

Houston is NOT sinking!!!!

[CajunMama]

From the N.Y. Times reference Houston sinking.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E6D71138F935A1575AC0A964948260

Houston is NOT sinking!!!!

Do you have an article backing up your claim? I'm not picking on you but just curious as to why you dispute the article.

[vbhoutex]

Houston was/may still be sinking. Note the article date is September 1982. Some metro areas of Houston had, at that time, sunk up to 9 feet from previous elevation. That was because Houston was pumping water out of the ground constantly for drinking water. We are now nearing going to totally surface water transmission from lakes, etc. so the sinking has slowed to a crawl and or stopped in most places. If you want more information google the Houston/Galveston area Coastal Subsidence District. That should tell you what you want to know.

[CajunMama]

Thanks David. I missed the date on the article. Must be these old eyes of mine.

[Pearl River]

This a more recent article on Galveston from Dec 24th, 2005.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tech/news/3546961.html

[Dr. Jonah Rainwater]

Manhattan Island is sinking too. Subsidence happens in any former floodplain that's paved over with concrete and steel.

[Pearl River]

I missed the date too. Darn old age.

[Stratosphere747]

From the N.Y. Times reference Houston sinking.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E6D71138F935A1575AC0A964948260

Houston is NOT sinking!!!!

Do you have an article backing up your claim? I'm not picking on you but just curious as to why you dispute the article.

No problem.....

I should have clarified the term "sinking", though David cleared up what is happening, or not happening so to speak.

[Audrey2Katrina]

I guess with all this talk we should make another bumper sticker:

Subsidence Happence

A2K

[Pearl River]

A2K wrote

guess with all this talk we should make another bumper sticker:

Subsidence Happence

A2K

[BigO]

My house was elevated to a height of 1 foot above sea level. I was adequately insured for homeowners, flood and even earthquake ( there are deep faults in the alluvial soils of LA).

I received not one penny from the Red Cross on disaster relief. I only received the initial FEMA relief and the 3 month housing voucher. No SBA loans, no extended benefits...not even any unemployment benefits for me and my wife in the aftermath.

I moved my family to Atlanta and built a new life. Yes, I had some help from friends and family, but we did this on our own, we are recovering on our own and we are leading a life with two homes supported (mortgage notes are still due even if the house isn't habitable and rent is due on the house you are living in too).

We are not rich people. We are not even what you would call upper middle class. My wife is a nurse and I am a librarian without family money or a trust fund to draw on. We are fiscally prudent. We are well-insured. We understood the risk and prepared for it.

We are not asking for a dime of Federal money and could have survived without the money we did receive.

For those of you that think we're all just sitting here bellyaching and expecting a federal bailout for faulty planning, I have only one, single digit salute for you.

No, I am not going back. I am also not asking the government to spend one thin dime on my behalf. Yes, I will likely lose money in the end, but I knew the risks and I took my chances and hedged my bets as well as was possible.

And, I miss it all more and more with each passing day. I know it is gone, but that doesn't diminish my nostalgia for it.