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New Orleans, rebuilding thoughts
Sep. 2nd, 2005 10:01 pmI've been watching the NOLA news coverage, at least as much as I can take, and following Interdictor's adventures trying to keep their company going amid all the chaos. After looking at the satellite imagery of the flooding and comparing it with the Google map of New Orleans, the 'good news,' insofar as there is any, is that most of NOLA west of the 17th street canal floodwall breach is dry, as is the French Quarter, most everything south of Tulane Univ. (inc. part of Loyola Univ), and much of the central business district. In the non-flooded areas, the main challenge will be restoring power & sewage after cleaning up hurricane damage - that can be done in a matter of weeks, so at least the western half of the city might be somewhat livable by then, assuming the flooded portions have been pumped out - until then, the public health risk will be too great to allow reoccupation.
The flooded areas, on the other hand, include some of the poorest areas of NOLA - virtually all the housing projects, for example, were in the lowest parts of New Orleans. Long after the western parts of NOLA have started being occupied again, there will still be debate about what to do with the whole eastern side of the city. With how waterlogged all the housing and buildings are, most of them will be total teardowns, and the wisdom of rebuilding in place will (justifiably) be questioned. Leaving the lowest parts of the city near the lake undeveloped, or even reverting them back slowly to wetlands, might be the wisest move, similar to how Hilo, Hawaii changed their oceanside business district into a park after a tsunami wiped it out. The former residents of this area will be scattered as refugees, and probably lack the political pull to prevent this if FEMA and the state agree.
Over the long term this could result in New Orleans being a smaller but more prosperous city, but long-term in this case is talking decades if not centuries. The short-term will be hard - I don't know if there's another example of a modern city being emptied and abandoned for months on end. Maybe Sarajevo? Or Grozny? And the immediate future does look dire, with the public health and flooding problems likely to remain an issue for weeks.
I visited New Orleans in 1996, and walking the tree-lined streets & seeing the beautiful homes near Tulane, after taking the St. Charles streetcar across town from my hotel, is a cherished memory. I hope the city can rebuild.
The flooded areas, on the other hand, include some of the poorest areas of NOLA - virtually all the housing projects, for example, were in the lowest parts of New Orleans. Long after the western parts of NOLA have started being occupied again, there will still be debate about what to do with the whole eastern side of the city. With how waterlogged all the housing and buildings are, most of them will be total teardowns, and the wisdom of rebuilding in place will (justifiably) be questioned. Leaving the lowest parts of the city near the lake undeveloped, or even reverting them back slowly to wetlands, might be the wisest move, similar to how Hilo, Hawaii changed their oceanside business district into a park after a tsunami wiped it out. The former residents of this area will be scattered as refugees, and probably lack the political pull to prevent this if FEMA and the state agree.
Over the long term this could result in New Orleans being a smaller but more prosperous city, but long-term in this case is talking decades if not centuries. The short-term will be hard - I don't know if there's another example of a modern city being emptied and abandoned for months on end. Maybe Sarajevo? Or Grozny? And the immediate future does look dire, with the public health and flooding problems likely to remain an issue for weeks.
I visited New Orleans in 1996, and walking the tree-lined streets & seeing the beautiful homes near Tulane, after taking the St. Charles streetcar across town from my hotel, is a cherished memory. I hope the city can rebuild.
