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[Mac Atom]

Originally Posted by Lester Burnham

*serves them right for building below sea level*

What!?!?!?! It serves the hundreds (if not thousands) who may have died right?

Is that what you're saying?

Sorry to maybe be a little ott about this but for fuck's sake, a huge number of people in New Orleans and the surrounding area couldn't afford to "choose" where to live, they didn't expect the levee defence system (built to withstand extreme weather conditions, unfortunately not strong enough for Katrina, an unprecidented level 5 storm) to crack.

Nobody said of the victims of the crushing tsunami at the start of the year "Serves them right for setting up home in such a stupid place" Those poor people didn't have a choice on where to make their homes and to some extent neither did victims in the worst affected around the mississippi.

Again, I hate to get a little sensational about this but I read this and it helps put it in perspective a little bit. This was a catastrophe, people who were just happy to have a roof over their heads had there entire lives washed away.

taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4197200.stm

One of the worst affected areas appears to be Mississippi's coastal town of Biloxi, where some 30 people were reported to have died at a beachfront apartment complex.

Biloxi resident Harvey Jackson said his wife, Tonette, was missing after surging waters hit their house.

"The house just split in half. We got up the roof and the water came and just opened up, divided," still visibly shaken Mr Jackson told America's ABC television.

"My wife, I can't find her body, she gone."

"I held her hand tight as I could and she told me 'you can't hold me'. She said, 'take care of the kids and the grandkids'," Mr Jackson said.

"We have nowhere to go. I'm lost, that's all I had, that's all I had. I don't know what I'm going to do."

My fiancee and I are worried at the moment.

A girl we went to uni with in Dundee lives in New Orleans with her husband, and a girl from Louise's course was over visiting them.

No word of them being listed as missing though, so hopefully they are ok.

[Mac Atom]

Here's hoping they're ok mate.

Thanks, we would have probably heard through the grapevine if there was a problem, but until we get confirmation either way, the uncertainty doesn't really help.

I was over there for a week last year for work, great place. We were getting a bus tour and they pointed out the facilities to cope with the high waters, unsurprising it never coped with this. I hope the government provide funding to do something with it, christ knows what though....

[Rachie]

It would certainly be a shame to lose the Big Easy

Tragic stuff, visited a few years ago. Bourbon Street, like many world famous locations is pretty skanky and tacky, but places like the French quarter were really cool.

Good backdrop for films as well, Tightrope, Easy Rider and Runaway Jury to name but a few.

[Lester Burnham]

Ah... no, that's not what I meant at all.

To initially build a settlement there was dumb (we're talking a very long time ago) however, even if they'd build further in land towards the river the damage wouldn't have been any less... but re-building would have been far easier (now they're going to have to spend months pumping out
polluted water - which naturally will not and cannot drain due to it being below sea level.

Yes, the levees where built to withstand extreme weather conditions BUT do remember that they have failed before.
My hearts go out to those who are lost or have lost.

[Hogisbald]

The song by down is true "New Orleans is a dying whore", mmm, ok , not the best way to describe things.

Its a shame, it looks likes a lovely city which has been totally ruined. Poor people

The very sad thing is that New Orleans is one of the USA's poorest cities.

[fli$]

Yeah, those idiots, I mean seriously, to build a city in an area which may fall victim to extreme enviromental conditions? So dumb, they really should just abandon the whole thing, whats the point? One day it will happen again and man will they feel stupid. While they're at it they might aswell abandon most of California, I mean, earthquakes? Who would be stupid enough to build cities which might fall victim to earthquakes? Hawaii too, all those volcanos and tsunamis! Building in these places is just pointless, even if these kind of disasters to this scale very rarely happen, its better to just not run the risk. And those people who suffer from the effects of drought and famine in Africa, it's their own stupid faults for inhabiting these places in the first place!

Seriously, to all these people that are saying "it's their own faults for living there" wise up. Yes, people live there, build there. Why not? You can't abandon entire areas because of the risk of environmental disasters. Hurricane Katrina is the biggest hurricane recorded since 1900, the second biggest was Hurricane Camille in 1969 - which came to shore in the exact same place as Katrina. Camille completely destroyed southern MS then, but in the past 36 years the economy has boomed, casinos were legalised which has brought tourism and business to MS which in turn has brought in millions of dollars to the once very poor state and has created thousands of jobs. What would have happened if they just abandoned the area after Camille? After the paper companies moved on there would be no proper economy and nothing bringing money or jobs into the state, leaving people stuck in a poverty trap. I'm not saying MS is now a fantastic place or anything, but it's a hell of a lot better than it used to be. All because of the businesses and attractions on the coast.
Much and much the same with New Orleans, despite being an encredibly poor city, brings in so much money for the state of Louisiana, something which is sorely needed. The reason behind New Orleans being built in the first place was the fact that it is at the mouth of the Mississippi River, making it a very important link between the north of the USA, and the Gulf of Mexico. It also made a good port when the battles between the french, english and spanish were taking place.
It will take a few years and a lot of money for everywhere affected to get back on their feet again, but storms of this size happen so rarely that it is worth it. It would be more of a disaster to abandon these places. Not to mention an incredibly immature and simpleton idea.

Anywhoo. Rant over!