Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
> Frank F. Matthews wrote:
>
>
>>
>>Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
>>
>>>Frank F. Matthews wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
>>>>
>>>>snip
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>And neither side will admit that New Orleans has been a doomed city for
>>>>>decades and will continue to be so even it it is rebuilt. It sits on
>>>>>active Gulf Coast down to the basin faults and is sloughing off into the
>>>>>Gulf of Mexico. I have been telling people for years that the
>>>>>Government should be honest with people and move the city and let the
>>>>>river claim what
>>>>>it intends to claim. I worked as a Gulf Coast Geologist for over 20
>>>>>years.
>>>>>I know what I am talking about. It is time to let science be at the
>>>>>heart of decision making but I fear this will not happen and there will
>>>>>be a repeat of this disaster but the next time may be worse even though
>>>>>some may think this is not possible - IT IS.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>If you are going into the business of moving doomed cities I can think
>>>>of a few others that need it. Galveston comes to mind. And, perhaps, a
>>>>few in Florida.
>>>
>>>
>>>Yes, Galveston is vulnerable but NOT AS vulnerable as New Orleans. Even
>>>if a hurricane never hits New Orleans again, it is SINKING and sliding
>>>down
>>>into the Gulf Basin. The Corps of Engineers can never defeat mother
>>>nature
>>>in this situation. They have been and will continue to fight a loosing
>>>battle. Just think what will happen when a Mississipi levee breaks in
>>>the middle of the night with NO advance warning and with NO evacuations -
>>>not
>>>even rich white folks. I have no respect for the Speaker of the House,
>>>Dennis Hastert, but when he initially cautioned against rebuilding, he
>>>was
>>>absolutely correct. The decision to rebuild New Orleans will be based on
>>>"Faith Based" levee(s) and NOT science.
>>
>>In case you hadn't noticed most all of the gulf coast is sinking
>>including Galveston. I wonder if anyone has surveyed Florida lately?
>
>
> Yes, the ocean is encroaching on ALL the US coastlines. The reason for most
> of this is a rise in sea level. AGAIN, New Orleans is in an ESPECIALLY
> high risk category because it is ALREADY below sea level.
>
>
>>Personally I think that we should quit insuring and providing
>>infrastructure to building on barrier islands. After that we can
>>consider not rebuilding the port of New Orleans.
>
Triage is more what I was proposing. Barrier Islands first. Now that I
think upon it start with Miami beach and, perhaps, Miami.
>
> Let's start with New Orleans and then consider the barrier islands. It is
> called Triage in the Medical profession. Treat those most at risk of dying
> first.
>
>
>>By by to the midwestern grain crops for a few years.
>>Most of the Port of Houston is subject to storm surge as well.
>
>
> True, Houston was built on wet lands and was a real estate scam by the Allen
> brothers back in the 18whatever year. I lived there for 24 years and in my
> opinion it is best suited for mosquitoes and alligators and not human
> habitation. Houston also has large areas that have been sinking due to
> huge amounts of ground water withdrawal by industry and the subsequent
> compaction of the dewatered shales. I did volunteer work for the USGS and
> helped map areas of subsidence in the Houston area. There are now areas
> that flood that never used to flood because of piss poor city planning and
> the issue I mentioned above.
>
The ground water withdrawal has pretty much been stopped for a good
while. It's a nice place to live especially in what would normally be
winter. Lots of wildlife & birds.
I think you will find the compaction a problem in the clay beds not shales.
>
>>Better
>>shut that and all the associated refineries. Maybe give folks a year or
>>so to bring refineries in the Hudson Valley on line.
>Put them in all the
> solid Republican States. As they say, the smell of the refineries is "The
> smell of money".
>
>
>>If the corps would only dump all the upstream flood control measures NO
>>would be a good bit better off in 30-40 years. No we can't do that
>>Hastert's district might get damage.
>
>
> The Corps as already .ed up by building the numerous levees they have on
> the upstream Mississippi. They are turning the Mississipi from a natural
> stream into a drainage ditch. Of course this helps barge operators ship to
> New Orleans but it also provides a fast track for the water down there
> also. The farm lands that were naturally fertilized by periodic flooding
> no longer get the flooding from waters topping the natural levees. A case
> in point - The High Aswan dam in Egypt has stopped a lot of the natural
> flooding of the Nile delta. The delta farm land is becoming nutrient poor.
> Now a lot of the energy produced by the dam goes into producting chemical
> fertilizer because the natural nutrients no longer get to the fields.
> |