Mike Coslo wrote:
wrote:
OTOH, the mistakes of one generation (like pollution) *can*
affect following generations. (Why the heck did anyone
ever decide to build a major city on ground that is *below*
sea level and right next to three major bodies of water? And
in a hurricane zone?!)
It must be remembered that New Orleans has been sinking
at the rate of
3 feet per century. This has been accelerated due to the
deterioration of the Mississippi Delta.
Agreed!
When the city was founded, it was a low lying
coastal city, just like
most coastal cities. At that time, there was plenty of Delta,
and it
looked like a fine place to build a port city.
Sure - but that was centuries ago.
Over the years, as the geology changed, it was not at
such as fast rate
that relocation seemed necessary. Then as we learned
more, we found out
that essentially the city was doomed.
But how long has the sinking been known? How long ago did NO
go below sea level?
It's been known for years - decades - that if a big enough
storm came ashore in the right place, NO would be in big
trouble. A little more than a week ago it looked like
Katrina would hit NO dead-on with full Category 5 force.
Had that happened - and it was a real possibility - things
would probably be even worse there than today.
Yet even with all that warning, the levee system was only good
for a Category 3 storm. People kept building there. even as the ground
kept sinking. Why?
Most of all, why wasn't everyone evacuated *before* the storm?
I know some refused to go, but many more simply did not have
the means to go. Why wasn't there a better plan in place beforehand?
Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico aren't a new or
unusual thing.
Or is that sort of thing too "liberal" for this era?
Meanwhile, Americans keep building big expensive homes and
buildings in lowlying coastal areas. And in places where the
ground shakes every so often. Why?
btw, it was just about 105 years ago that the big hurricane hit
Galveston, Texas - with no advance warning. Look that one up....
73 de Jim, N2EY
"Wasn't That A Mighty Storm" (with kudos to Tom Rush)