The Dutch live below sea level. Their levies are way better than N.O.
Mother nature will always be in control no matter where one lives. That being said. Build the levies higher and stronger. We humans are pretty adept at keeping mother nature at bay, to the extent that we are able, with ingenuity and GOOD Engineering.
True, and living in an area not susceptible to hurricanes helps too.
agree. my real beef that FAR more money is wasted in chicago than NO. Why not cut off Denny's pork and take a collection.
Of course, NO should redeveloped with better levies and the ground raised. maybe in stages due to the cost.
"The Dutch live below sea level. Their levies are way better than N.O."
Yeah, but they don't have hurricanes.
They did have a huge flood in the 1950's -- the North Sea flood (combination of severe windstorm and high spring tide). 10 per cent of Holland's agricultural land was flooded, thousands killed, many more evacuated. They learned from that and built a massive system of dikes & seawalls, you are right, much better than ours. They were willing to invest the money -- we have not been. But the Dutch are really scared it could happen again even so, given the current rise of sea levels.
The Ducth don't have to put up with Cat 5 hurricanes, 160+ mph winds, 20+ foot swells, etc. They do have to put up with Muslim extremists .... but so do we in that regard ....
The American Society of Civil Engineers, considers what was done as one of the seven modern wonders of the world.
Netherlands North Sea Protection Works
"This singularly unique, vast and complex system of dams, floodgates, storm surge barriers and other engineered works literally allows the Netherlands to exist. For centuries, the people of the Netherlands have repeatedly attempted to push back the sea, only to watch brutal storm surges flood their efforts, since the nation sits below sea level and its land mass is still sinking."
The North Sea Protection Works consists of two monumental steps the Dutch took to win their struggle to hold back the sea. Step one, a 19-mile-long enclosure dam, was built between 1927 and 1932. The immense dike, 100-yards thick at the waterline, collars the neck of the estuary once known as Zuiderzee. Step two, the Delta Project, was intended to control the treacherous area where the mouths of the Meuse and Rhine Rivers break into a delta. The project's crowning touch was the Eastern Schelde Barrier, a two-mile barrier of tell gates slung between massive concrete piers, which fall only when storm-waters threaten. The North Sea Protection Works exemplifies the ability of humanity to exist side-by-side with the forces of nature.
Over 25% of the Netherlands is below sea level. The balance of land averages only 37' above sea level. Much of the land that was once below sea level is today reclaimed and protected by 1,500 miles of dikes.
America is a great country. We have done the seemingly impossible whether it is sending a man to the moon or settling a continent. Our landscape is littered with amazing feats of engineering. NO will be rebuilt. It can be done and will be done.
No, we're actually NOT real good at keeping Mother Nature at bay, she usually wins!