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Page 9
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dibble, and government offi-
had to make the. best
decisions they could. No one
that the hurricane
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Sevilla Trevisani
Staff Writer
Averaging six feet below sea-
.level and surrounded by three
massive bodies of water, the
danger of flooding is well known
in New Orleans.
Even as the city remains sub
merged in 20 feet of water mixed
with raw sewage, oil, and toxic
chemicals, plans to rebuild are
underway. I do not think the city
should be rebuilt. An Associated
Press poll*reveals that 54 per
cent of Americans would agree
with me.
New Orleans was established
in 1718 as a major port city
because of its location near the
Gulf of Mexico, and the
Mississippi River. According to
the 2003 World Port Rankings,
the Port of South Louisiana is
the largest in the United States in
terms of cargo tonnage. The port
was essential for exporting the
nation’s grain and importing
petroleum.
New Orleans is surrounded by
three massive bodies of water:
Lake Pontchartrain, the Gulf of
Mexico, and the Mississippi
River. In 1910, engineer A.
Baldwin Wood developed a plan
to expand the city by using mas
sive pumps to drain the water in
surrounding areas. This allowed
the city to build on land that was
once a swamp.
New Orleans ranges between
one and ten feet below sea level,
the lowest city in Louisiana and
the third-lowest in the nation. A
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Curry Robison
Staff Writer
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson
bought New Orleans as part of
the Louisiana Purchase. Since
then. New Orleans has been
one of the most important cities
in the southeastern economy.
Despite the horrible effects of
Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans
should be rebuilt in its original
location because of its wonder
ful history and its importance to
the U.S. economy.
New Orleans has been rebuilt
before. According to the novel
Rising Tide, the great flood of
the Mississippi River occurred
in 1928. The flood ruined areas
from St. Louis to New Orleans.
New Orleans rebuilt after that
great flood, and it can rebuild
again, after the great hurricane.
New Orleans is in one of the
most dangerous locales in the
United States, at the junction of
the Mississippi River and the
Gulf of Mexico. However dan
gerous, though, it is necessary
to have a major city at that loca
tion in the United States. A large
amount of shipping moves
through the mouth of the
Mississippi River and the Gulf of
Mexico.
If New Orleans were to move,
all of the transport from this
area would be abandoned. The
country needs a city at the end
of the Mississippi River to
house water vessels and goods
coming down the river from the
north, and to regulate vessels
entering and exiting from the
Gulf of Mexico.
The monetaiy con
cerns come only after
the fact that it is
potentially
life-threatening to live
there.
complex series of levees,
pumps, and dikes keep the sur
rounding bodies of water from
flooding the city. As we saw with
Katrina, a major storm surge
caused by a hurricane can
cause flooding and massive dev
astation.
Katrina is not the first time New
Orleans experienced large-scale
flooding.
Hurricanes
pounded the
fragile city as
early as 1722.
Perhaps the
most memo
rable hurri
canes before
Katrina were
an unnamed
hurricane in
1947 and —
Hurricane
Betsy in 1965 which both took
132 lives as reported by
Globalsecurities. org.
City officials project that drain
ing efforts will be complete by
early October, and then the long
process of rebuilding will begin.
The only problems are that
October and November are his
torically the most active months
of hurricane season, and the lev
ees were built only for protection
from category-three hurricanes.
It is entirely possible that just
as the draining finishes in
October, another massive hurri
cane could bombard New
Orleans, flooding it once again. It
would not be unprecedented for
As important as the shipping
industry in New Orleans is, the
oil business is more important.
Without New Orleans, a good
amount of U.S. oil would not be
found or refined.
Not only would losing the oil
be a national problem, it would
also be a local problem. The
Louisiana economy is based
primarily on oil. Losing this
industry would destroy the
majority of the state's income.
Agriculture would be the pri
mary industry of Louisiana.
Although the state produces a
significant amount of rice and
sugar in our nation, this industry
can not support the state alone.
There is a more important
reason to restore New Orleans
in its original location, despite
the economic impact.
more than one hurricane to hit
the same spot in a season. Last
year, four hurricanes hit Florida
within weeks of each other.
I argue that New Orleans
should not be rebuilt in the same
location.
The city was built on unstable
ground, and the levees are in
effect sinking. Petitionspot.com
reports that the city should not
be rebuilt
=^= because the lev
ees will require
extensive and
long-term work
that will cost bil
lions of dollars.
The monetary
concerns come
only after the fact
that it is potential-
ly life-threatening
to live there.
Petitions.com notes that when
it rains, water is pumped out of
the city and into Lake
Pontchartrain at a rate of one
inch per hour. Should the rate of
rainfall exceed one inch per
hour, as in a hurricane, the city
floods.
Rebuilding the city will only put
more people in harm’s way.
A Katrina-like catastrophe is
certain to happen again. The
value of life surely outweighs the
historical significance and
ambiance of New Orleans.
New Orleans is a bowl sur
rounded by water. There is prac
tically a "flood me" sign right on
top of the city.3€
New Orleans is a very historic
city. It has been controlled by
the French, Spanish, and the
United States, which have
greatly influenced the city, and
have all contributed to its
unique culture.
The most important thing that
we stand to lose is Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras is one of the most
famous festivals in the world.
New Orleans has the largest
and most extravagant celebra
tion of this holiday on the plan
et.
Losing New Orleans could
end this traditional celebration.
New Orleans should be
rebuilt not only to maintain
Louisiana’s economy, but also
to preserve New Orleans’ rich
history, amazing culture, and
timeless traditions.38