Why rebuild? (New Orleans: insuring, homes, neighborhoods)

[Miborn]

The thing I see about it is this. Ca earthquake victims do not blame the Gov for their disaster they know it to be a part of where they live yet they do get money to rebuilt it of a different mentality same as when tornado's happen.
There is a difference between them and a hurricane which only hit coasts unlike earthquakes and more so tornado's which can be almost anywhere
Hurricane victims want and expect some even demand the Gov take care of them! That is the part that rubs people wrong I think.
Instead of taking the responsibility of I choose to live here and that is part of it.
I lived in Texas years ago and went through a hurricane one was enough for me I moved. I did not loose anything I just chose to not deal with it although I did love the people in the area I was in. Florida does not even expect what New Orleans has expected from America.
Not that America wishes ill on them they just don't want to pay for their choice to live somewhere where this is an issue to the degree in which it is.

[bullfish15]

Miborn, you viewpoint is refreshing. You hit the nail on the head.

Let's take this one step further... What disturbs me is the chatter from some politicians in regards to nationalizing and increasing flood insurance for coastal areas, namely the gulf coast. Katrina rebuilders are having a hard time insuring their houses. Since no insurance company wants to hemorrhage their assets, let's just make the American people pay for any flood damage. It's a win-win for the coast but a lose-lose for everyone else.

[Jezer]

Originally Posted by darylwi

I can completely agree with that assessment.
It is a shame that we are having to go through this again. But until people and government step up to the plate and make drastic changes to the way things are done down here, I'm afraid these disasters will only get worse. Beaucoup amounts of money are being poured into the state for storm protection post-Katrina, but a lot of it is being wasted in some form or another. Typical government I guess. Not to mention there is a ton of personal resentment with the government possibly taking over land for levee construction. Resident A gets left out of the proposed huge hurricane levee project, but Legislator B gets to extend the levee in some oblong form to secure his camp. That's wrong. Scientists and engineers should get together and decide what the best route is and what will have to be sacrificed. Politics and/or favortism shouldn't decide it.

Also, for California, I hope I didn't sound like I didn't care. I was kind of sorta just making a point. I don't wish ill will on anybody.
Of course, we'd love to see this thing shift over to the east or far west at the last minute, but not at the expense of our friends and neighbors in Texas and Mississippi. Best case would be for it to dissapate altogether, but that's not likely now. If anyone should take the hit, maybe it should be us. We should be best prepared and maybe it will continue to wake people up to the problems we have down here.
Earthquake victims do get it worse because unlike hurricanes, you can't see those coming.

As we English say, Here Here! or well said.

I lived in Texas and got to visit NOLA a few times. I love it's history and vibrancy. i JUST WISH THAT IT HAD BEEN BEEN BETTER PROTECTED AND THAT IT REALLY WILL BE IN THE FUTURE.

Oops- caps lock.

Oh well!

[Farouche]

Originally Posted by missionhome

As a Californian who is constantly risking it with earthquakes and fires, I totally understand the mentality of New Orleans residents. That place is their home, the place they love, and the culture they appreciate. I certainly hope that when a big earthquake hits the Los Angeles area everyone isn't going "Told you so, you deserved it" and realize that this place is our home. When the brushfires nearly burnt the backyard of my coworker and nearly destroyed her house, you would think she would move? She didn't though because she loves that neighborhood and the people in it. If New Orleans and CA residents share anything in common, it is that we understand people first, buildings later. Buildings can always be restored, but a culture and people can't.

I am praying for you New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast. Best of luck to you all and even if everything goes wrong, your city will again rise.

Great and thoughtful response, Missionhome!
Let's hope the levees continue to hold for the great city of New Orleans.
The city did a remarkable job this time of handling the crisis, and I am proud of all of you New Orleanians!
I hope you all get home safe and sound very soon.

[wandererpt]

I haven't seen any complaints that Waveland, Biloxi, and Gulfport (all in MS) were rebuilt after Katrina. Federal dollars were also used here. Some people were even still in FEMA housing. These cities are all over the news coverage right now as Gustav comes on land. The difference was the media coverage at the time and since Katrina. People in MS left for Katrina or were in much smaller shelters than the Superdome. The damage in MS was similar to a tornado in that everything was just completely destroyed. Unlike a tornado, the water took much of the debris when it receded. It's much easier (though no less emotionally draining) and somewhat less expensive to rebuild on an empty slab. Images from Katrina made better TV. A mandatory evac was ordered. Officials stated that they knew at least 100,000 residents had no way to evacuate. The Superdome was opened as a 'shelter of last resort.' You know the rest. Rebuilding a house that sits in water is more difficult than starting from scratch. You have to remove all of your filthy, destroyed belongings. Then, you have to gut the house and treat it for mold. Then, you can rebuild. Much of the rebuilding to this point has been done by church groups from around the globe, many of whom have made multiple trips, and people who drive back from wherever they relocated to and repair at a snails pace because the company designated by the local government to distribute recovery money has been slow to do so.
Also, NOLA is not the only city affected by levee breaches. The flooding in the Midwest this summer as well as in 1993 caused levees to break. Some spots were not rebuilt but many were. Tax dollars get used for these also.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Miborn

The thing I see about it is this. Ca earthquake victims do not blame the Gov for their disaster they know it to be a part of where they live yet they do get money to rebuilt it of a different mentality same as when tornado's happen.
There is a difference between them and a hurricane which only hit coasts unlike earthquakes and more so tornado's which can be almost anywhere
Hurricane victims want and expect some even demand the Gov take care of them! That is the part that rubs people wrong I think.
Instead of taking the responsibility of I choose to live here and that is part of it.
I lived in Texas years ago and went through a hurricane one was enough for me I moved. I did not loose anything I just chose to not deal with it although I did love the people in the area I was in. Florida does not even expect what New Orleans has expected from America.
Not that America wishes ill on them they just don't want to pay for their choice to live somewhere where this is an issue to the degree in which it is.

So is your problem just with New Orleans, or every hurricane area? I live in Alabama and was hit by Ivan in '04, and then again by Dennis in '05. I never expected the government to take care of me and I never received any government money. I really get tired of the generalizations, especially from people who don't know what they are talking about.

[pennel]

Originally Posted by bullfish15

I understand that this question might sound harsh, and I apologize if this has come up before, but why would you want to rebuild a city that is on the coast which lies below sea level and in a hurricane zone? Camille, Katrina, now Gustav... When is enough enough?

I was just talking about this with my daughter today. Those areas right along the coast in LA cannot be built and rebuilt everytime a disaster happens there. They are going to have to do something different for that area. The developers want to build High Rise living there, that can with stand the hurricanes. No more single homes. It makes sense to me?????
That state will go bankrucpt???
Pennel

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Who wants 2 million people resettled in their area? Competing for your jobs, pushing house prices up, taking more social sevices, raising school taxes to deal with their kids, causing more crime. Any takers? No? Then let LA rebuild where it wants to.

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Who wants 2 million people resettled in their area? Competing for your jobs, pushing house prices up, taking more social sevices, raising school taxes to deal with their kids, causing more crime. Any takers? No? Then let LA rebuild where it wants to.

Interesting point. Didn't Houston have an outrage over this with Katrina?

I live in the Portland, Oregon, area, and we didn't have many Katrina "refugees", but I often wonder if many of them remained. I know of one couple who opened up a successful shop and are happy here. Met a few others from N.O. and Metairie that moved here shortly before the storm.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Originally Posted by Bluesbabe

Interesting point. Didn't Houston have an outrage over this with Katrina?

I live in the Portland, Oregon, area, and we didn't have many Katrina "refugees", but I often wonder if many of them remained. I know of one couple who opened up a successful shop and are happy here. Met a few others from N.O. and Metairie that moved here shortly before the storm.

Houston and, I believe Atlanta, saw a surge in crime rates with the evacuees. Salt Lake City got about 600 people who were put on a plane and not told where they were going. It got colder fast. About 300 are supposed to have stayed in the area and we didn't see a rise in crime rates. There was 1 notable arson case but he was mentally ill.

UT has a low unemployment rate and basically anyone who wanted to work got a job. Most were so impressed with the charity of the local populace and wanted to stay. Also, the racism here is more towards Hispanics than AAs, another inducement to stay, as well as good public schools.