Once the levees are fixed and the pumps empty all the water out what will really be left? Homes that have been submerged for weeks will be rotted beyond repair. Floors, wallboard, framing will be so waterlogged that very little will be salvageable. So, should the government simply bulldoze 50,000 houses and clear the land for new development?
The most feasible way of rebuilding New Orleans would seem to be mammoth public housing projects built to withstand future hurricanes. Also, the levee system will have to be upgraded as the Army Corps of Engineers have done along the river. This would unfortunately lead to a kind of "slum city" within the affected area. Not the kind of place most families would want to move into, but it might be their only chance. It will most likely have be government financed(a huge can of worms!), as I can't imagine too many lending institutions will want any part of it. Our country will effectively have a publicly subsidized refugee haven for generations to come.
During the construction I would expect we'll see huge refugee "cities" for at least a couple of years. Temporary housing with full facilities will have to be set up for hundreds of thousand of people in another state while the work progresses. Jobs will have to be found for the displaced, and their lives will effectively be put on hold for a few years. This is going to be one of the largest refugee crisis the world has seen in the last century. Ironically, as bad as the tsunami was, it didn't leave many survivors in need of shelter. Here we have to find a way to incorporate a million people into neighboring states
The only positive side to the whole process is the potential for huge job growth in the construction industry. When the new housing "boom" of late winds down their will be a lot of excess labor capacity. As the massive rebuilding project takes shape, there will be a need for tens of thousands of workers which will take in the slack. It's a classic case of turning lemons into lemonade, and we should hope that it fills the need. The cost will be massive, but I can't imagine turning away a million of our own citizens(even though it's their own damn fault for living in a stinking bowl 20 feet under sea level in an area that is known for hurricanes) :doh:
Re: Can New Orleans ever be rebuilt? Should it be?
I think that New Orleans is finished. It will never be the same after this hurricane, I guess it will go down in the history books when New Orleans got swallowed up.
Re: Can New Orleans ever be rebuilt? Should it be?
If business rebuilds the port and manufacturing plants, then workers will rebuild their houses, and businesses that support workers will rebuild grocery stores and restaurants. Etc.
Re: Can New Orleans ever be rebuilt? Should it be?
It makes me think of the people here who build homes on cliffs and then wonder why the homes fall into the ocean one day. It surely is a tragedy, but it makes you wonder if the city should have ever been there at all. I mean, dykes work okay for Holland but they don't have hurricanes either.
Re: Can New Orleans ever be rebuilt? Should it be?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schill
If business rebuilds the port and manufacturing plants, then workers will rebuild their houses, and businesses that support workers will rebuild grocery stores and restaraunts. Etc.
That is a very, very slow process though. What about the million people left homeless today!
Re: Can New Orleans ever be rebuilt? Should it be?
A lot of those houses were tile. Tile roofers are pricey in the states. You can't use the typical mexicans for that. But I got the hookup for importing quality tile roofers for cheap if anyone is interested in doing business.
