I don’t care about New Orleans, or how historic it is. If your house is below sea level, it is your fault. I will gladly help anyone in need, but if you are helped out of a hole, and you move BACK into that hole…… You are on your own!
#gnome, in what magical location do you live to be free of any environmental dangers? According to the logic of #gnome, no one should inhabit locations where previous natural disasters decimated man-made structures. No houses should be rebuilt in areas where the the following natural disasters typically wreck havoc: hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, supercell thunderstorms with tornados, blizzards, mudslides, droughts, etc.
Since practically every housing location comes with the potential for natural disasters, we can’t completely avoid them. What we can do is enact proper safety measures: ensure structures meet disaster-specific building codes; invest in and maintain infrastructure designed to the highest reasonable standards; and obtain, train, support and improve emergency services and equipment. The breakdown of these safety measures compound the destruction wrought by an intense natural phenomenon.
Living in New Orleans involves self-imposed hazards since it is below sea level while surrounded by the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Borgne. New Orleans had weathered previous hurricanes due to the levee floodgate system and the natural defenses of the surrounding marshland and the barrier islands. In the case of freakishly severe Katrina, the intensity, size and duration of the storm produced conditions that exceeded the capabilities of the outdated safety measures. To further complicate the situation, the levee system was designed mainly to prevent flooding from the river and lakes. The whole system woefully unprepared for the once-in-a-lifetime level of destruction by Katrina. The levees were not built to withstand hurricanes past Category 3 and hadn’t been properly maintained due to insufficient funds. The natural defenses had been dwindling because of the negative impact of recent environmental changes.
In short, it was the cumulation of all these factors, not just lack of elevation, that caused the widespread devastation in New Orleans.
gnome over 4 years ago
I don’t care about New Orleans, or how historic it is. If your house is below sea level, it is your fault. I will gladly help anyone in need, but if you are helped out of a hole, and you move BACK into that hole…… You are on your own!
Fuzz Therapy over 4 years ago
#gnome, in what magical location do you live to be free of any environmental dangers? According to the logic of #gnome, no one should inhabit locations where previous natural disasters decimated man-made structures. No houses should be rebuilt in areas where the the following natural disasters typically wreck havoc: hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, supercell thunderstorms with tornados, blizzards, mudslides, droughts, etc.
Since practically every housing location comes with the potential for natural disasters, we can’t completely avoid them. What we can do is enact proper safety measures: ensure structures meet disaster-specific building codes; invest in and maintain infrastructure designed to the highest reasonable standards; and obtain, train, support and improve emergency services and equipment. The breakdown of these safety measures compound the destruction wrought by an intense natural phenomenon.
Living in New Orleans involves self-imposed hazards since it is below sea level while surrounded by the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Borgne. New Orleans had weathered previous hurricanes due to the levee floodgate system and the natural defenses of the surrounding marshland and the barrier islands. In the case of freakishly severe Katrina, the intensity, size and duration of the storm produced conditions that exceeded the capabilities of the outdated safety measures. To further complicate the situation, the levee system was designed mainly to prevent flooding from the river and lakes. The whole system woefully unprepared for the once-in-a-lifetime level of destruction by Katrina. The levees were not built to withstand hurricanes past Category 3 and hadn’t been properly maintained due to insufficient funds. The natural defenses had been dwindling because of the negative impact of recent environmental changes.
In short, it was the cumulation of all these factors, not just lack of elevation, that caused the widespread devastation in New Orleans.