Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Midas ...which were ABOVE 1000's of homes and businesses. Once I saw this and upon further discussion, I realized how much the city was below sea level, I thought...this is insane!
...I'm no engineer, but if you live in a "soup bowl" below sea level, then you have to prepare for the worst of all flooding and/or hurricanes!!
Anybody you talk to knew it was just a matter of time of not IF a hurricane with flooding rains would hit, but WHEN!! |
Midas I hear you. There is a town called Devils Lake in North Dakota which is named after the lake that was originally next to it. In the last 20 years the lake level has risen well over 30 feet. Although this doesn't sound like much it has resulted in the lake swelling to more than 10 times as large in surface area. To keep the lake at bay the city built a leeve(dike) around the city edge. Originally it was a couple feet high. In some places now it is 30 feet high and the lake is with in 1 foot of breaching the dike.
The funny part is when the town was originally established in 1800's the lake was as big as it is now. During a dry cyle the lake shrunk and people didn't realize that the decrease was temporary. For years I have considered anyone who still lives within the low area to be an idiot.
After learning about the elevation of New Orleans I believe them to be even more idiotic. I do feel for the people and for there loss but the huricane damage estimates have been around for years. Heck one agency even predicted this exact huricane event to happen. Yet even with this info nothing was done to alleviate the situation except build leeves. They should have been slowly shifting the city towards high ground. This is something years and years of public government should have been working towards.
I am an engineer and I know that leeves, dikes and dams are only mans attempt to control mother nature. But man never thinks big enough. The only people that truly realize how powerful mother nature can be are usually considered to be crack pots and dismissed. Man only assumes what the worst case scenario is and usually learns shortly thereafter that he was wrong.
The most irritating part is having to listen to the mayor complain about the help they have not recieved. Especially since he is sitting in his hotel room eating fancy and drinking wine. I agree that we, the government, have reacted in a horid fashion, but so have they.
