USA: Rebuild or move?

Former Member

Do you think once things settle down that they should rebuild all the places flooded in the south by the Hurricane or simply move inland to areas in the USA that are safer?

if I lived there I think I'd probably feel safer moving!

Former Member

It will be interesting, since a lot of the places are below sea level anyway so in effect they'd need dam bits off and pump all the water out. And though it's not the same, look at the tsunami in SE Asia. Coastal towns and villages were obliterated, but the people have bounced back building back their villages and towns, hotels rushing back in to set up etc. and in effect it will have many positive offshoots to come (get rid of the old, in with the new, so to speak).

So as to whether Americans will or not remains to be seen. I think as a people, the UK included btw, they're 'spoilt' so to speak - houses are just there and they pick one up off the property market. So in all likelyhood many of them will just go find a new home. Americans are very migratory and normally live where they get a job (rented accomodation being very common there).

Former Member

The problem with a city like New Orleans, surrounded by water by practically all sides and actually below sea level, is that no matter how good a defence you build there is always the chance of Nature getting one better.

It is possible to build truly excellent defences, invulnerable to everything but catastrophic, one-in-a-thousand-years storm. The current levees were only built to withstand category 3 hurricanes anyway. If the US government is really prepared to upgrade all defences to category five and to upgrade pumps/ other emergency measures, I guess New Orleans should have a future for at least a few centuries. But simply repairing existing defences won't be much help in the long or even mid term.

Former Member

TheShyBoyInTheCorner wrote:

houses are just there and they pick one up off the property market. ).

like apples from a tree?

Former Member

morrocan roll wrote:

what planet are you from?

earth, you?

Former Member

TheShyBoyInTheCorner wrote:

earth, you?

Jupiter (dr octagon )

Teh_Gerbil

Im from Uranus.

Anyway, I'd just grab a trailer and hitch up somewhere. I may do this anyway.

Former Member

I'm watching this programme on BBC 1 showing people fleeing by car out of New Orleans and they're showing the hiways, on the left the roads going towards new Orleans are totally empty - on the other side of the road the roads are packed with cars and at a stand still - why not just block all incoming traffic and drive on the other side of the road as well and make use of those extra 3 lanes?

Former Member

DiamondGeezer wrote:

I'm watching this programme on BBC 1 showing people fleeing by car out of New Orleans and they're showing the hiways, on the left the roads going towards new Orleans are totally empty - on the other side of the road the roads are packed with cars and at a stand still - why not just block all incoming traffic and drive on the other side of the road as well and make use of those extra 3 lanes?

that side was kept empty so news teams from all over ythe world could get in ...