Gulf coast residents:Is gulf coast going to sink????

[cycloneye]

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s1128.htm

I posted this in this off-topic forum because it is the most visited by the members and this is very important news for all the gulf coast residents to read what noaa says about this.

[Lindaloo]

Thanks cycloneye. Hard reality to swallow. New Orleans and the LA coastline have always been considered to be below sea level. Which is why a major hit there would be catastrophic indeed. I noticed with the close calls we had this past summer from those two storms... that beach erosion was greater and there was more damage than ever. Also the flooding of places that have NEVER flooded before. I am thankful that NOAA took a great interest in this and have found the problem. Hopefully it can be controlled before we see a major storm, especially for the LA coastline and for the Biloxi, MS coastline, as there are more casinos and condos being built right on the beaches.

[cycloneye]

Lindaloo yes the most worrisom thing that noaa says is about the population at the gulf coast that is growing very fast and that may be an invitation for big disasters but I hope that it is resolved before a big cane goes into some part of the gulf coast.

[Lindaloo]

You would not believe how much the Biloxi coast has grown just in the past two years!! More condos are in the planning as well. The casinos used to be on barges so that they could be moved in case of a major storm. Since we have not seen one in a while (they are fools) they became more confident and set up permanent dockside and did away with the barges. One casino in particular (Treasure Bay) is still on the barge but can't be moved. It suffered severe damage from BOTH storms this past summer and they were near nothing in my book. I guess they should have informed those casino owners on Hurricane Camille. If we ever have another CAT 5 storm like that again, there will be no more casinos.

[cycloneye]

I didn't know that casinos were on barges but who were the person or persons with that bad idea?

[sunny shine]

I think Lindaloo meant that in a sarcastic sense cycloneye. Actually the casinos were "cruise ships" converted to casinos and could be moved in the event of a hurricane.

[cycloneye]

Ok ss

[weatherlover427]

Let's hope this doesn't happen.

[Derek Ortt]

Well, has anyone ever given the thought of not building on the coast? What a novel idea that would be

[Lindaloo]

I agree Derek. And I never thought the idea of building casinos right on the water was very smart. Never understood why people build homes right on the beaches either. That is why our homeowners insurance rates are out of sight too. I was paying 500 a year just three years ago. Then it jumped to 800, then 1100 now I am faced with 1500 a year. It is not fair and I do not live on the beach. But I guess somebody has to pay for their life of luxury.

[Guest]

This is a problem on the MA coast as well......Take the MD and DE coasts where in the last 25 years the towns along that coast have built on every piece of land just about on the ocean front not to even mention the bayside where in most cases Like Ocean City MD the distance from the Ocean to the Bay is at most a 1/2 mile and the highest point is about 6ft above sea level.......In the summer places like this and ones up the coast In Delaware have probably a total of atleast a million+ people and whats worse unlike the bigger cities on the Atlantic or Gulf coast there is no interstate highways which imo equalls disaster if a cane comes rolling in these areas anytime before Oct 1st and these towns have to evacuate all them people.....Whats worse for these areas is the fact that they havent seen a major cane in almost a century let alone a direct hit from any cane so far as the records go at the Delaware coast.......Which i cannot believe any coastal area is safe from a cane.......It just tells me that DE must be very over do for one :o ....Yea i have another post about Gloria but even that was a sideswipe for the MD-DE coastal areas.........................But either way this is a real serious problem for both areas and hopefully somebody is paying attention to what is going on in the MA as well....... :o :o :o

[streetsoldier]

Well, if the Gulf Coast DOES sink, archaeologists in the distant future wil be hard-pressed to explain all those plastic beads and pink flamingo statuettes...

(At a press comference in an undisclosed future millennium...)

"We have reason to believe that the savage inhabitants were bird-worshippers, and these beads were most likely votive offerings..."

[vbhoutex]

Streetsoldier!!! Leave it to you to add humor to this situation!!!! You are probably right!!!

And now to be serious. I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD which part of BARRIER ISLAND or COAST LINE people don't understand. I saw the destruction after Camille, in fact I experienced major effects from her. The destruction was all but complete and what was left for at least a quarter mile inland wasn't recogniazble as a habitation. I saw houses knocked off their foundations over a mile inland in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian. I could go on and on. Basically the destruction from Camille is almost undescribable! Now Biloxi etc. is MUCH more built up than it ever was and I don't even want to think what a CAT5 would do there, much less a strong CAT3!!! CATASTROPHIC comes to mind.

All a long the GOM coast this problem exists. Here in Houston subsidence has been a HUGE problem! Areas near our ship channel have sunk up to 12 feet over the last 30 years. Many areas of the city have sunk at least 2-3 feet in that time. This was due to the pumping of ground water for consumption. Within a few years Houston will be on only surface water, about half the city is now. Much of the subsidence has slowed or stopped, but the damage is done and many places in the Metro area are much more vulnerable to storm surge because of it. In a CAT5 storm the surge could come inland up to 15 miles due to it!!! It is definitley something that needs to be dealt with and watched so as to take measures to protect lives and property.

Of course there is a simple solution to the problem-DO NOT ALLOW PEOPLE OR PERMANENT BUSINESSES TO BUILD ON THE COAST! Make them stay inland a certain distance that the agencies deem "safe".

[vbhoutex]

Streetsoldier!!! Leave it to you to add humor to this situation!!!! You are probably right!!!

And now to be serious. I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD which part of BARRIER ISLAND or COAST LINE people don't understand. I saw the destruction after Camille, in fact I experienced major effects from her. The destruction was all but complete and what was left for at least a quarter mile inland wasn't recogniazble as a habitation. I saw houses knocked off their foundations over a mile inland in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian. I could go on and on. Basically the destruction from Camille is almost undescribable! Now Biloxi etc. is MUCH more built up than it ever was and I don't even want to think what a CAT5 would do there, much less a strong CAT3!!! CATASTROPHIC comes to mind.

All a long the GOM coast this problem exists. Here in Houston subsidence has been a HUGE problem! Areas near our ship channel have sunk up to 12 feet over the last 30 years. Many areas of the city have sunk at least 2-3 feet in that time. This was due to the pumping of ground water for consumption. Within a few years Houston will be on only surface water, about half the city is now. Much of the subsidence has slowed or stopped, but the damage is done and many places in the Metro area are much more vulnerable to storm surge because of it. In a CAT5 storm the surge could come inland up to 15 miles due to it!!! It is definitley something that needs to be dealt with and watched so as to take measures to protect lives and property.

Of course there is a simple solution to the problem-DO NOT ALLOW PEOPLE OR PERMANENT BUSINESSES TO BUILD ON THE COAST! Make them stay inland a certain distance that the agencies deem "safe".

[Lindaloo]

You are right vb. More and more people are moving inland (in the process myself) to get away from the high insurance rates. The people who build right on the shorelines definitely do not think of the future and the potential threats of hurricanes. I remember when Gulf Shores, AL was nothing but beach. You could walk across a two lane road and see nothing but white sandy beaches and ocean. NOW, you have to walk across 4 lanes of heavy traffic and walk through a maze of condos just to get to the beach.

[j]

I just don't understand why Insurance companies have to spread the cost of high risk coverage to all their customers. I say let them pay for the choice they have made ....they obviously can afford it, AND..nobody put a gun to their head and told them they had to live there.

[mf_dolphin]

Lake New Orleans! Has a certain ring to it doesn't it?

[Lindaloo]

Lake New Orleans! Has a certain ring to it doesn't it?

'nuff said with that statement. If they ever have a Cat 2 or higher direct hit on that city, it will probably be renamed Lake New Orleans.

[Amanzi]

WOW. This situation looks to be very dangerous!

Here in flagler the beach erosion has washed a few mansions into the sea, such a shame to see these beautiful homes washed away like that. Sad thing is most who live right on the beach are holiday homes (so they can obviously afford the outrageous insurance rates) and the poor folks who live here permanently have to bear the brunt of it.

There is also a sense of complacency with regards to a major cane. Seems the residents here think this part of the coastline is "Immune" to a big hit.
Last season added to that. Eduardo came ashore right here on Flagler (or what was left of him) the biggest gust we got was no worse than an ants sneeze. The talk amoungst the locals was "well you see, nothing worthwhile ever comes this way"