Raze It or Raise It

Last September, it looked like Hurricane Ivan was headed for New Orleans. Evacuees were directed to the Superdome, or to evacuate vertically into towers, to avoid the complete flooding of the city that was a sure thing with such a powerful storm. Ivan turned and missed New Orleans... but 11 months later, the same scenario has played out nearly to the letter with Katrina.

All this time, we continued to hear how New Orleans is shaped like a bathtub, in a bowl, sitting below sea level. And it's continuing to sink lower all the time. (link from Andymatic) I wonder how many people have moved into the city since last year's warnings — post-Ivan, pre-Katrina?

Inevitably, billions of dollars will be spent reconstructing the city. Since probably every structure in the city will need some form of repairs, why don't we tear it down and do all the reconstruction somewhere else — somewhere above sea level? Granted, the name New New Orleans is a bit cumbersome, but would ultimately be a better long-term use of resources.

Alternatively, why not raise the city to be above sea level? I'm sure there's an emotional attachment to the place, and the current spirit of American defiance would certainly balk at just abandoning the spot. But it's not like raising a city is unprecedented: Seattle, Chicago and Atlanta have had neighborhoods raised ten feet or more, and this was done using ancient technology. It should be a far simpler task these days to raise the street level to be safely above sea level. And it can be "strongly encouraged" by the insurance companies, who could refuse to insure any structure whose base floor is lower than, say, 10 feet above sea level.

I could even see how one could justify leaving the French Quarter — or what's left of it — at its current elevation to maintain its historical factor... and its on-the-edge-of-sleaze feeling. Just imagine what the character of a complete "Underground New Orleans" environment could play out — even be enhanced — if New Orleans II were built up two floors.

Don't get me wrong: there are not words powerful enough to describe adequately what has happened there this week. However, I think it would be foolhardy and ignorant of this experience to rebuild as-was and risk an identical tragedy in the future, however potentially distant-future we wish it to be.