New Orleans Reconstruction

A wonderfully objective and thorough Wikipedia article on the situation in New Orleans is found at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_preparedness_for_New_Orleans

We will go further to tell you in our opinion what should probably happen in New Orleans. Although we think that a below sea level bowl is a horrible place to locate a city, we concede that the people and government of New Orleans and Lousiana will not totally relocate the city because of emotional and traditional attachments. Therefore, we advocate a compromise. Rebuild the city starting with the locations that were not flooded, the French Quarter specifically. Rebuild north and west of that location. Do not rebuild the areas of New Orleans which were flooded. Bulldoze and clean the soil in the flooded areas. Build parks and day use areas in the flooded areas, do not build dwellings or allow residents to move back into dwellings below sea level. We think that it would be folly to rebuild or move into anything under sea level, even businesses, hospitals, and skyscrapers.

Form a think-tank type reconstruction board to create the direction in rebuilding New Orleans, made of local authorities and experts, and also experts gathered worldover. The Dutch flood control system and other innovative flood control ideas need to be totally considered for use in New Orleans. First, the present population needs to be protected by conventional flood control based on what is already in place. A flood control plan does need to be devised immediately for the future. If New Orleans is to be rebuilt in its present location, then a new flood control system capable of withstanding and controlling damage from a level 5 hurricane and worst case scenario storm surges. If that is impossible, then building in New Orleans should be severely restricted. Common sense and scientific reasoning should be the guiding principles in planning for the future of New Orleans. I do not believe that anyone should be allowed to move back into the 9th ward or any other flooded areas.... ever. New Orleans should be very creative, innovative and thorough right now, not jumping into action based on emotional attachments or a desire to get "back in business".

Downtown with hospitals, hotels, and all the skyscrapers where people could be trapped by flood which are based on below sea level foundations should be torn down and relocated northwest of uptown and the French quarter above sea level. Radical in some circles, but necessary in our opinion to recreate a viable city less victim to destruction from natural disaster.

We also want to emphasize that the Federal Government needs to foot the bill for all this without hesitation. The Feds owe it to New Orleans in a big way for their slow response to Katrina which cost lives, and for their negligence in failing to finance flood control in New Orleans over the years. If it means that we have to pull out of Iraq to be able to afford infrastructure improvement in our own country, specifically New Orleans in the immediate future, so much the better. If our country does not reduce our deficit soon, we won't be able to help any other nations anyway. We owe China so much money that China will be dictating our national policy soon, if they don't already.