Sancho Panza
Well, so tell me if you were placed in charge of establishing hurricane protection for the united states what level of protection would you establish for cities that have seen hurricanes before. Would it be the highest possible protection no matter the cost? If so how do you pay for such over protection - and who pays for it. That is what you are asking for in N.O. after the fact.
If you are going to offer something less than the maximum then would it be to withstand the last hurricane seen in 10 years, 50 years...one hundred years? How do you handle localities that were hit once 75 years ago by a strong hurricane.
It's easy to talk with 20-20 hindsight, as you are. So tell me how do you plan for future disasters of unknown proportion?
Here's another toughie. Should we rebuild New Orleans given that it sits in a bowl below the water table and depends on pumps to stay dry. To many it is a disaster waiting to happen. Or should we just tell those who used to live in N.O. to find somewhere else to live as was done with some small communities along the Mississippi.
