Lizard Breath writes:
Probably end up being a WPA type project to help out during the up coming depression.
That’s a distinct possibility.
The temp repairs will be more vulnerable than the original levy structure. The total rebuild will probably be too expensive.
Temp repairs will make no difference towards future prevention, but need to be done to return the system to pre storm status as a minimum.
The existing levee system was designed to withstand a Catagory 3 hurricane. It doesn’t matter how much money is spent on the current system, it will still only withstand Cat 3 because that is the design.
A total rebuild is on the magnitude of $14 billion and would take 12 years to complete, (ballpark estimate). There have been projects of that magnitude completed many times in this country. It is only prohibitively expensive for the State of Louisiana. The Federal government can pay for it. WPA all the way. Are you listening FDR?
Americans will not allow this level of human catastrophe to happen again in Louisiana IF it can be avoided.
People will always die in severe weather. But we can control the severity if we choose to. We have the capability to permanently prevent a similar disaster of this magnatude in New Orleans by constructing a Cat 5 levee system and wetland remediation.
Louisiana has finally received a strong advocate for a permanent flood solution that has more political clout than Ted Kennedy, her name is Katrina.
This message has been edited by Monk, Sat, 09-03-2005 12:14 AM