New Orleans???????

[PhotoTJ]

what you don't understand is that there are people who don't have a
meaningful choice. they are old and ill. they are poor and without means.

those who could afford to, fled. those who couldn't, got left behind.
none of those people "chose" to be born in New Orleans. none of
those people chose to be born into the "survival," day-to-day
struggle of the working poor, who can't afford to move, to start again,
because they live paycheck to paycheck. none of those people "chose" to
be too poor, too ill, or too old to be able to help themselves.

NO had a population of 484674, and there are estimated to be 250000 refugees that were rescued from Katrina. So over 50% of the population was unable to leave with 3 days notice?

 

[underwaterangel]

I'm not going to vote because I believe the state to which New Orleans is rebuilt is up to those who lived there during the catastrophe. It's easy for us who were unaffected to say, "Yes, because..." or "No, because..." but in reality, if you're family wasn't affected, you shouldn't have a say in the matter. If you say "No" then how are YOU going to help those people who've been removed from their homes and jobs? If you say "Yes" are YOU willing to donate your time, money, excess clothes, etc. to reputible charity organizations to help rebuild? Personally, I think this poll is very inhumane and degrading. Hindsight is great for learning, but this is not the time for that. There are still evacuations taking place. There are still literally thousands of people who don't know about lost/missing family members. Do something worthwhile instead of arguing about whether or not a city should be rebuilt.

Well said. This issue is not black and white and the poll is. And those who vote one way or the other should be willing to help with whatever developes from the actions taken by the government. Should everyone move out of Florida? What about all those mobile homes in "Tornado Alley"? Or those affected by the tsunami last December? Should all of those areas be abandoned and the people move from thier memories, where they feel at home?
I agree with Firebrand, this poll is poorly thought out and very callous.

 

[underwaterangel]

NO had a population of 484674, and there are estimated to be 250000 refugees that were rescued from Katrina. So over 50% of the population was unable to leave with 3 days notice?

How many people stayed for Andrew, Hugo or Ivan? Noone ever expects it to be as bad as it is. And most of those refugees were in the poorest neighborhoods & could not AFFORD to leave.

 

[pants!]

NO had a population of 484674, and there are estimated to be 250000 refugees that were rescued from Katrina. So over 50% of the population was unable to leave with 3 days notice?

Hm, that's probably numbers from the city of New Orleans. I'm sure the metro area, plus all the areas of Mississippi, the north shore of the lake, southern LA, etc, have numbers that are much higher.

 

[SueMermaid]

NO had a population of 484674, and there are estimated to be 250000 refugees that were rescued from Katrina. So over 50% of the population was unable to leave with 3 days notice?

It's very easy to sit there in your comfortable home, surrounded by your family and your stuff, and judge those people who didn't evacuate. You don't know their circumstances, and you have no earthly idea what you would do in their shoes. It pains me a great deal to hear people spewing vitriol at this wounded city in this terrible time.
You obviously have NO idea what it is like to have that sort of threat looming over you. It's surreal, it's unfathomable, and it's highly variable. And it's expensive to get out, some people just did not have the means.
The last thing New Orleans needs now in this sad and horrible time is for people to scratch their chins and suppose about what "should" and what "shouldn't" have happened. What's important is now.

Shame on you for judging those who couldn't get out.

 

[PhotoTJ]

No one ever expects it to be as bad as it is.

That is my point, the hubris of, "Well, it won't be that bad when it happens to me." Why not? It's still a hurricane, and you don't enjoy some divine protection.

The people who actually could not leave, yes, I feel for them, and am donating as much as I can afford. It irks me, however, that people who should have had the common sense to leave, the means to leave, and did not, will share what I'm sending.

A lack of common sense is a pet peeve of mine. That, and people who are crappy drivers.

 

[PhotoTJ]

It's very easy to sit there in your comfortable home, surrounded by your family and your stuff, and judge those people who didn't evacuate. You don't know their circumstances, and you have no earthly idea what you would do in their shoes.

Shame on you for judging those who couldn't get out.

I'm not judging those who couldn't get out, I'm judging those who chose not to.

By the way, I had family there. They left.

 

[DennisS]

Should it be rebuilt, still below sea level or cleaned up and allowed to return to wetlands?

People own that property, they pay state and federal taxes, if they want to go home and repair and rebuild their houses, it's their decision.

If the government wants to get out of the business of protecting people from floods, they should immediately stop subsidizing flood insurance. It encourages people to build in areas where they own waterfront property that is prone to flooding. Ocean front developers are major campaign contributors, that will never happen.

People live in the keys and in high rise ocean front condos in a hurricane zone, how is living in New Orleans any different than living in Key West.

 

[Wildcard]

only if you are stupid, a real engineer would work out the erosion rate and build it far enough back to allow a decent lifetime for the building.



yes but they rebuild them to new regulations allowing them to withstand earthquakes



engineers look at why they were damaged and put measures in place to protect them in the future, which is generally put back natural features than man has removed.

if only everything were as simple as your comments!

at what cost?

10,000 lives and billions of dollars, practically bringing a country to its knees?

there is a point where you have to draw the line and say that it is not worth it, IMO NO well and truely crossed the line.

the low laying areas should be cleared and new flood measures put in to protect the higher areas.

The death toll is in the hundreds, not tens of thousands. and this by no means brought this country to it's knees, it made even more people stand up. You realy need to find a different news source.