Re: OT New Orleans: The City that Couldn't Afford to Die

Alex Terrell wrote:

As for the other towns. make sure new buildings can withstand
hurricanes. Hurricane proof houses are not rocket science.

Houses which can withstand 150 MPH sustained winds are feasible (albeit with severe cost and design flexibility issues although damage from flying debris is a problem), but the storm surge of 25 feet of water? Unless you want to pay to build a house as a reinforced concrete bunker, your house is not going to withstand the sheer weight of water in a powerful storm surge.

The obvious solution is not to build so close to the ocean, but stopping this is close to politically impossible. Storm surges from a hurricane as powerful as Katrina are rare events, but I would like to see the government not offer flood insurance to people who insist on building private residences close enough to the ocean that it gets damaged or destroyed by every run of the mill topical storm or category 1 hurricane that comes along.

 Alan F

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