Rebuilding New Orleans on low-lying land a bad idea
It bothered me to hear the President of the USA tell the world, on national TV, of his plans to have the city of New Orleans rebuilt on the same site which is reported to be seven feet below sea level. If it must be rebuilt with taxpayers’ hard-earned money, let’s do it on a location that is high and dry. Move it, if anything. Perhaps he should have consulted his brother, Jeb Bush, who is governor of Florida, the state with the most experience with coastal development. I was a resident of Florida for 21 years, lived on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and have firsthand knowledge of their building requirements. Same body of water, different location. Each and every building permit application processed in Florida must be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, local and state building code enforcement, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Insurance companies and the federal flood insurance program will not insure any property, either residential or commercial, that is built below sea level in Florida.
Does the right hand not know what the left hand is doing, or are emotionalism and political considerations more important than common sense? I am under the impression it is stupidity to perform the same act over and over, and expect a different result each and every time.
For those of you with a desire to write him, here is the address: G. W. Bush, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500. His e-mail address is 222.whitehouse.gov.
Robert E. Workman
Connellsville