When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts: Acts III & IV - 5 Star Poll

2006-8-22

Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans changing lives forever. Then
insurance companies and FEMA further the damage.

Troy.Heagy...

STOP BUILDING HOMES IN FLOOD AREAS. "I built my house in the
100-year-flood zone. I don't know why it got ruined." Gee... I
wonder?

David...

They didn't build their homes in a flood area. They built them in an
area that was supposed to be protected by the levees. Of course they

videonovels...

Which means it USED to be a flood area and will be again when the
levees fail. We (meaning us dumb humans) should not be building in a
river's natural and/or original 100-yr-floodplain. It's like playing
russian roulette with the river..... sooner or later it WILL get you.
Nature is more powerful than man's feeble levees.

As for houses *outside* the 100-yr-plain, I have no objections to
insuring them, because the owners were smart and built on higher/safer
ground.

videonovels...

assumed that people who planned and built the levees knew what they
were doing, or would at least listen to experts and numerous studies.

And would you also suggest that people don't live in California, New
York or on any coast? Lots of places are susceptible to "the big one"
(whether it's a massive earthquake, flood or hurricane) once every 100
years.

ravenlynne...

Yup...and don't build your homes in the plains states because you could
get hit by tornadoes?

The federal government failed to update the levee's to meet the needs
of the city. Stop blaming the victims and blame the army corps of
engineers.

Sorry but this is a sensitive subject for me, having lived in NO my
whole life and having watched all of my family lose everything.

Nick...

The engineers have to have money. Blame the people of New Orleans for
electing officials who spent the money elsewhere.

ravenlynne...

This had nothing to do with NO officials. NO officials asked for levee
improvements. The fed wouldn't allocate the funds.

videonovels...

Well to repeat what I said elsewhere: We (meaning us dumb humans)
should not be building in a river's natural and/or original
100-yr-floodplain. It's like playing russian roulette with the
river..... sooner or later it WILL get you. Nature is more powerful
than man's feeble levees.

So let nature have its floodplain, free of development, rather than
make lame (and ultimately fruitless) attempts to bottle it up.

David...

Well it probably never came up in the political ads.

ravenlynne...

Lots doesn't...I'm glad to say, though, that it no longer concerns me
as I'll never live there again.

I think such homes should be excluded from receiving insurance coverage
or gov't assistance. Encourage people to build *outside* the flood

Bert Hyman...

"f you buy a house in a designated high-risk area and receive a
mortgage loan from a Federally-regulated lender, by law your lender
must require you to purchase and regularly renew flood insurance."

Paul Richardson...

Just for the record, my bruver-in-law works reinsurance at Lloyds and is in
charge of settling the insurance companies claims on Axa to cover
themselves. All insurance companies providing buildings insurance for the
areas hit by Katrina have been instructed by the federales to pay for flood
damage even when the policy does not cover that. Whilst I am not the worlds
greatest fan of insurance companies, guess who gets to pay for Shrub's
largesse? Check for the hike in your buildings insurance renewal.

videonovels...

Which goes back to what I originally said: 100-year floodplains should
be excluded from insurance coverage or gov't funding. *WE* (us) pay
for the cost in higher insurance premiums & taxes, and those people
living in floodzones get free and/or cheap housing.

If someone is dumb enough to build in a 100-yr floodplain, let THEM pay
for the huge expense of rebuilding. (Or better yet, don't rebuild. Go
to a safer place; move further inland.)

Nick...

100 year floodplains aren't generally that bad. It is the people who
rebuild houses that flood every 2-3 years that really get me.

videonovels...

Agreed, especially since they are using OUR money (taxes) taken from
our wallets. Annoying.

And I don't think getting your house flooded once every hundred years
is appealing either. I certainly wouldn't choose to live there.

zone, not inside. Most of Orleans is within that zone, and future
rebuilding there should be forbidden.

Move the city further north to higher ground.

usual rating system

5 - Best. Episode. Ever.

0-1 - Worst. Episode. Ever.

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts: Acts III & IV - 5 Star Poll - Spoilers Ahoy!!