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Non-Tech : Alternative energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Big Bucks who wrote (2084)	9/1/2005 12:42:48 PM
From: Rock_nj	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 16955

Yes! I know under our system the lines between federal and state responsibilities are often unclear. But, certainly the federal government does assume responsibility for many infrastructure needs that would be too much for the states and localities to handle on their own, from Interstate highways to airports. Flood control is also something the federal government should share a major burden in, especially since the negative consequences affect the whole country like the fuel shortages we're now witnessing. Granted, there has been a federal flood control project for SE Louisiana, focusing on New Orleans, for the past four decades. I'm sure this flood control project has spared the city a few floods over the years. But, the project has been underfunded, epecially given the knowledge that a major hurricane could swamp the city and cause serious problems. It appears that especially in recent years, funding has been cut dramatically for this flood control project. Is this good public policy? I don't think so. I know you can't protect against every possible hazard or natural disaster. But, the New Orleans flood potential was well known and there were mitigation plans on the table that were never built due to a lack of funding and resolve on the part of the feds. The estimate I've read is that a $2 Billion leveee system could be expected to protect New Orleans from a Cat 5 hurricane. Seems like a alot of money, until you realize just how much money this flood disaster is causing in New Orleans right now, perhaps $10 Billion plus years of lingering costs and loss of prestige. Many times that amount and it's affecting the whole country. Our priorities are misplaced. One thing to keep in mind is that the levee system actually did its job during hurricane Katrina (Cat 4). The flooding occurred 24 hours after the hurricane had passed as the lake to the north filled up with floodwaters and the pressure on the levees was too great for them to hold. Now that is a preventable problem with proper engineering controls (which of course require proper funding levels), including a spill way system to divert the water away from the levees can be constructed to ensure that the levees aren't burdened with too much water pressure. The levees can also be enhanced and inspected to repair weaknesses. I know we can't ensure that New Orleans won't flood, but we certainly weren't doing all we could to prevent this current flood from occuring. Another mystery is why would engineers rely on electric pumps to pump water out of New Orleans during a hurricane?!? We all know electricity fails in a big way during hurricanes, and thus the pumps will stop working. That needs to be corrected. They need to run the pumps off diesel in times of severe storms to ensure operation under extreme conditions. In the long run if mitigation steps are not taken to control floods in New Orleans a good portion of the city will have to be simply abandoned, given back to nature. Because nature wants New Orleans to be a wetland. If man wants to live there we have to invest in better flood control measures.