Why not rebuild it? Do they wanna make it "Lake New Orleands" or just a deserted wasteland?

Facts: I agree with you , the city should be rebuilt. Time needs to be taken and it can't just be "rebuilt" but done right.



HOWEVER. The people who do not want to rebuild the city view NO as an episode of MTV's "Pimp my ride"

A city in it's present state that ( other than rich culture and history) holds very little value. And they can't see the sense in putting a shit pot full of money into a city that will still have very little value ( other than history and culture). Kinda like throwing 5000.00 rims and 30k worth of stereo into an AMC Pacer. After modifications the car is still worth 50.00bucks on a good day.


I think what most don't understand , is to rebuild the city "right" is going to take 10X the estimated damages. To make it safe( against this type of damage) is going to be a fortune. ( I support rebuilding remember). When it's done The issue is going to be all the poor people who lived there who can not afford to build, rebuild or purchase in the NEW NOLA. And the city will be a mere characture of its former self. filled with stories of what used to be.

This is an awful tragedy, and I fear no matter the outcome it's not going to end well.


( I should note when I speak of the low apparent value, I am speaking of the residential NO and surrounding areas)

seriously think about what you say when you are talking about the city at the mouth of the Mississippi./

Do you people forget how important the Mississippi port is to our country?

jesus h christ, one of the MOST IMPORTANT cities in america and you guys act like its a village in Africa.

25% of oil, i wont go into the importing new orleans does, but as you see prices go up youll notice.

the city at the mouth of the mississippi will forever be one of the most IMPORTANT cities this country has.

just because you guys dont pay attention to the amount of steel, lumber, spices, sugar, and oil that comes from that region does not take away from its importance.

The Battle Of New orleans states EXACTLY how important new Orleans is to this country, because a city that controls that river is as valuable as anything to this land.

It controls Americas most important port. New Orleans.

last time i checked there was a big gaping hole in the ground. nothing rebuilt

the mouth of the Mississippi will be there if NOLA is or not.

Rebuild it with insurance dollars, not public funds

yeah im silly like that, i havent slept much the past week. and it was 06:13 AM when i started this.

i think ive proven over time i am goofy like the rest of you

how are the tower plans coming?

I think they should rebuilt it about 20 miles in shore

I watched a discovery channel special about NO and Katrina. It mentioned this exact thing about the marshlands and how in the past they would take the brunt of a Hurricane. Now that so much wetlands have been eroded/destroyed Katrina was able to make it's way all the way into NO.

Looks like the tree huggers and environmentalist aren't so bad after all.

bit different IMHO...make no sense to rebuild it below sea level, was stupid to begin with...if they do, then make it a 'bit' higher...

Your post assumes, we can not level the existing city and still have a port structure, at the mouth of the Mississippi. Release the levees, and lets see where the ocean ends. Then we can logically say, "HEY, this is where the water ends on a normal day." We can now fall back, build the new port here, with no risk of what transpired happening again.

Your post also assumes that New Orleans was Utopia. The people that ran it were corrupt (google: New Orleans + corruption), the city was a crime mecca (google: New Orleans + crime statistics), the schools were a mess, etc etc.

You have to take this opportunity to agree or disagree, this place had GONE from a great place to an African village (your words). The city was abandoned by the productive a long time ago. When your best and brightest leave, this is what happens. They will not return.

LA's GSP (Gross State Product) is $138bil, the entire state. New Orleans producing a large portion of this money. From a tax perspective, they pay about 30bil a year to the federal government. Is this a wise business move, to commit Federal Money (tax dollars) to rebuild a place most (who look at this clearly) was a shit hole.

FletchXXX we're on the same side here. and I did note that I was speaking of the residential not commercial areas.

Everything common sense would indicate in the present geological state this is a terrible place to build homes. This is not a secret and has been known for years.

And to reiterate my point, if the necessary steps are taken to make this area safer and less prone this type of mass destruction, I fear that many who lived there will not be able to afford to live there any longer. It's one thing to rebuild an area that was blown down. It a different story to rebuild and make an area safe that given the right conditions ( that are not so uncommon) will become a part of the gulf of mexico.

51 rebuild its !!!

NOLA has way way too much charm, soul not to rebuild
I just hope they bring in tons and tons of dirt and make it about 50ft in elevation higher...

BIG B
CECash.com

So where are you located, just curious?

Must be a great place where there is no crime, and no curruption.

This is my point exactly. And if this is done, NO will turn into Malibu. It's a very beautiful area, Weather is a tad hot, but with proper steps taken, It's going to turn into Hi rises and condo's before our very eyes. When the word goes down that this will be done properly. I pitty those who used to rent their home. Because the real estate vultures will swoop in and the cash will begin to flow.

I live in Barcelona, Spain and in Citrus County, Florida. Compare these two place's crime and corruption (by population) to New Orleans. Why would I endorse the rebulding of a place that could not keep its shit in order? It is a vote of approval for the way it was run previously.

I would not stay in a place that falls to shit, it is called voting with your feet, which I have done many times in my life. I was born and raised in Boston, it turned to shit, so I left. If it was vaporized tomorrow, I would not be screaming for it to be rebuilt.

Sometimes, the harsh reality is, not everything should be fixed or rebuilt if it is destroyed. Insurance companies realize this and they will write things off. Should a love of one's home and perceived value, outweigh the real value?

This same exact thread was started by me, the day after the hurricane. I have reviewed the situation over and over. The city should be deemed a 'total loss', the people should be paid off, and it should be leveled.

There was an example of this during a previous natural disaster, the govt and insurance companies came in paid off all the land owners, and said "Do not build here again". The name of the place slips my mind, but it has happened in the past.

It seems to be fairly cut and dry. They saw rich white people running after 9/11, this time all they see are poor black people. Sadly, a good chunk of your country is still extremely hateful and racists, and this storm is really proving that. These people don't want money going to help poor blacks.

people like you are the reason racism is still an issue in this country. "bill didnt get the job? probably cause the owner was white and he didnt like that bill was black." not everything has to do with race, so stop making it out asthough it does. i dont want any of those people getting a 2k debit card. why? because in 2 days when its gone, they'll be back where they are now getting food and shelter from the redcross. 2k per person would go a lot further in the hands of the redcross then in the hands of people who've proven they cant manage money worth a damn.

newsflash shit for brains. we haven't rebuilt the twin towers.

;) Put down the pipe, the rock is killing your brain cells.

Wealthy cities, what you are describing, are only possible with the surrounding economy's size.

You are trying to tell us all, that after a disaster such as this, one of the poorest states in the Union is going to become like California (the richest state in the union).

If none of this was done previously why would it be done now (hi rise, condos, etc)? Everyone I speak to all say the same thing, "Marti Gras was cool, great town to get fucked up in". Other than that, from the time you get off the airplane, into one of the lovely cabs, and descend (below sea level) into N.O. it was like entering a 3rd world nation.

Almost every place in the world I have visited, I always inquire about the cost of real estate... a subconscious "I wouldn't mind living here". New Orleans was one of the only places I ever went to that I said, "Jesus Christ, you could not pay me to live here". I am obviously not the only one, as everyone else abandoned the city long ago.

Google: "New Orleans" + "Net Migration Rate"

ahem... california, one of the most in debt, poorest of the states. Education sucks, 1/3 of ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT in america live in california.

california, white flight has been taking part in california for a dcade. the rate of native born californians LEAVING has never been higher.

just for the record. :)

uneducated idiot. what exactly do you think would happen to all that if the usa decided to concede new orleans to the ocean? All of that would be re-established at the new coastal area. i realize you are an idiot trying to look intelligent, but please, try a LOT harder.

There were areas that were not flooded. A few key improvements could have mitigated a lot of the damage. Not sure why or if the city has internal pumps to remove water but that could have helped. Of course it would need its own power source.

This city is an import and export point for a large percent of our goods and services. Add in the oil refineries etc and we have to have something there. I think it will be smaller and more expensive. The lowest level was displaced as we saw on TV and very few contractors will build slums as the first step. This leaves a nice middle and upper class city filled with tourists and new construction. Sounds pretty attractive from that stand point.

Let me clarify, as I have stated since my first day on GFY, for those that do not know. I despise California.

You are also speaking to someone who knows and watches "White Flight" as it is an indication as to which areas to buy real estate in ahead of the rush. I recently sold a few lots to an entire family who 'fled' Los Angeles. Why did they leave... for the reasons you listed.

The point of my comparison was to show how crazy it would be assume Lousiana could go from a poor state to a rich state. Thus allowing for the sale and demand for Malibu, California style housing in New Orleans, Lousiana.

So although I do not agree N.O. should be rebuilt, I will agree with you that California is losing its best... And if you agree with that statement, then you should also agree that when New Orleans lost its best (YEARS, DECADES AGO) it is pointless to rebuild a place people do not want to live in.

As soon as you find where the ocean begins and put a new city there (like nothing is build already) you will begin the process all over again. It's retarded.

Ahahaha go show the people how to manage their $20,000 a year income. What a bunch of idiots in this world.

You said it much better than myself. but this is my point.

from what ive heard and read, its more like $8,000

Right, it's my fault people like yourself are hateful and ignorant. I apologize. I guess you're right, we shouldn't give these people who lost everything a God damn thing. Fuck them, it's there own fault for being poor and being born in a city where there's a possibility of a natural disaster. Now I see the light. What a bunch of morons. Thank God we're better than they are.

I want to go to mardi gras damnit... rebuild, lol

im not hateful or ignorant. we should give EVERYONE food, shelter, and medicine and get them back hopefully to a better place then they were before the storm hit. i dont see how that can be accomplished with $2k debit cards but if you think it'll help thats great. just stop making it a racial issue. there are poor whites in NO aswell and i doubt they're getting moved to the front of the line. it just really gets old seeing people make every issue involving minorities into something based around racism.