Superstorm

[cjolley]

...
They definitely need to put some planning and money
...

Planning and money for something in the future!?
Good luck.

[cjolley]

If they made the flood control system properly a catastrophic flood like this wouldn't have happened in the first place. It's a classic example of penny-pinchers looking only at the short-term, the tens of billions that might be saved if a major hurricane were to hit was not considered as important as the couple billion it would have cost to upgrade the cities protection at the time.

Bingo!

[cjolley]

...
As something extra:
http://www.wired.com/news/planet/0,2...tml?tw=rss.TOP

http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php?t=53991


PS postcount++

[Jessterw]

Yeah, I read those too. All of it leads back to the same thing. Negligence.

And yes, I know putting an earmark on funds for preventative measures is ludicrous when it comes to urban planning, but that doesn't change the fact that they need to do it.

[Jon P. Inghram]

A leading risk assessment firm is projecting the economic loss from Hurricane Katrina and flooding in New Orleans at over $100 billion.

Risk Management Solutions says the losses are the result of two separate catastrophic events: the landfall of Hurricane Katrina last Monday, and the New Orleans flood which resulted from failure of the levee systems that protect the city.

The company says at least 50% of the total economic loss is expected to come from flooding in New Orleans, in addition to hurricane losses from wind and coastal surge, infrastructure damage, and indirect economic impacts.

On Monday, RMS issued preliminary insured loss estimates of up to $25 billion for Hurricane Katrina, prior to evidence of the levee failure and flooding.

Credit rating agency Standard and Poor's has said that damage from the hurricane could reach $50 billion once damage to bridges, roads and other public infrastructure is counted.

I wonder what their return on the cost of the flood protection will end up being...

Just for an example, the Tuttle Creek lake here in Kansas cost 80 million back in the '60s, and, after saving more than 3 billion in damages, has made a return of $37.68 for every dollar spent.

[cjolley]

...
Just for an example, the Tuttle Creek lake here in Kansas cost 80 million back in the '60s, and, after saving more than 3 billion in damages, has made a return of $37.68 for every dollar spent.

Different time different place.
The general attitude twards government has completely changed since then.
Try getting the tax payers to feel good about spending $80 mil in 1960 dollars nowdays to prevent something that might possibly not happen.

If we can have tax cuts durring a war, paying for anything preventive in the way of public works is way past the doable.
There's just no way to pay for it.
Untill we are forced, which now we are.
At a much higher price.

[UtwigMU]

Re attitude, support.

Have you heard about floods in central Europe few weeks before, has Bush offered support?

I'm not trying to be mean, I deeply sympathise with people. I'd like to just offer insight in how Americans are generally less informed about disasters arround the World sometimes, although recently with Tsunami this was not the case. So you might get some of the "They don't care about us, we don't care about them attitude." Otherwise I'd say most people on the streets are touched and sympathise with people struck by disaster.

Besides Russia, EU, other countries have offered their support/aid and like others have pointed out, it has been number one news for the past few weeks.

[The PIT]

Well I guess none of you are bothered about saving people. No wonder the mayor is going nuts. Costs don't come into it unless you're really worried about spending a dime on a nigger or a doller on a white person. At the then end of the day lives are being lost and headless chickens ain't doing a lot of saving. I see those people and what happening is pathetic.
America Government should be ashamed.

[KvHagedorn]

Re: JW's link:

It predicted that 200,000 people or more would be unwilling or unable to heed evacuation orders and thousands would die, that people would be housed in the Superdome, that aid workers would find it difficult to gain access to the city as roads became impassable, as well as many other of the consequences that actually unfolded after Katrina hit this week.

I can see the response to this by management types.. "You have personal problems. You're depressed. You must be the most negative person on the planet. We just can't have negative attitudes around here. You're fired."

[The PIT]

You know the worst thing the season isn't over yet.

[Jessterw]

Well you can blame some of the lack of life saving on the people of New Orleans. Rescue helicopters have been shot at when trying to evac people from hospitals, and the same has gone for police and National Guard members.

Point blank, if you're shooting at the people that are trying to help you, well, then you don't deserve to be saved.

You're also ignoring that rescue efforts have gone much better in the other parts of the country that were hit. Yes, NO is not the only place that was hit hard. For that matter, the current crisis is do more to the flooding than the hurricane itself, which was not the case for other areas. Half of the National Guard forces are in New Orleans out of the four areas that were hit hardest.

Yes, things have not gone as well and as fast as they should have, but this is hardly the sole fault of the US Government; part of it can fall into the lap of the very place that is placing blame elsewhere. The system as a whole has failed.

What's pathetic is how fast we as a people degenerate in times like these. Rape, murder, looting. I can understand the looting of necessities, but there were/are people with carts full of things like Nikes, selling them on the corner. The aforementioned shooting at of rescue units. I can sympathize with the anger and distress the people there feel about relief efforts taking the time they are, but there is no reason for much of what has happened.

It's a terrible time for all involved, horrid for many. It's easy for everyone to blame everyone else, but people are doing the best they can at surviving and providing relief. The time for blame will come soon enough, but right now some human compassion is what is needed.

[Jessterw]

You know the worst thing the season isn't over yet.

Unfortunately so. Floridians know this better than most (having been one myself). Sadly this is the worst aftermath I've seen, and I don't mean in terms of destruction wrought by the hurricane itself.

[The PIT]

Modern Hmm Civilised world everyone expects something 24hr a day.


Go back to the dark ages and a lot of those people would have built boats and gone off hunting.

[Jessterw]

I don't want to sound callous, but many of the people complaining aren't willing to help themselves. And we live in a society of speed, where everyone wants everything right now.

No one should have to suffer as many of these people have had to, but if you're able-bodied, then you should be helping out instead of whining.

Ahem. Sorry. I really do feel for these people, but I've seen people pull together better in worse disasters.

[The PIT]

Name it 10,0000 dead possibly maybe more nothing be done