The Inefficiency of New Orleans

I was just reading an article online about Hurricane Ike, who has just reached category four and is picking up more steam. Projections estimate that it will hit New Orleans dead on with the power of a category five storm. This prompts the question: will Ike be a bust like Gustav, or will it be a national disaster like Katrina? Hopefully the former will happen, but realistically, America must realize that the worst will happen again, and New Orleans will probably be the target of such an attack. I feel that New Orleans is going to get demolished sooner or later, so we should take the initiative and bull doze the entire place now.

I realize the New Orleans is one of America’s greatest cultural centers, and it is home to some of the best Cajun food in world, but the location of New Orleans is one the worst choices in America.

The city itself sits 23 feet below sea level. Why in the world would a city be built below an ocean? It seems extremely stupid. I understand it was vital trading post to the French in colonial times, considering it was at the mouth of the Mississippi, but now that America’s infrastructure is no longer dependent on river transportation, why shouldn’t the city be moved farther back? It would stop tragedies such as Katrina and save lives. It would also save money and the futures of many residents of New Orleans. The city can stay the same as it was, just 60 miles farther back. It can even still be on the Mississippi River. Many would say that it would cost too much, but we already rebuilt New Orleans once, and honestly, it’s only going to meet the same fate again and again until America moves it farther back or make drastic improvements to the city’s fortifications.

The best idea is to just move the city back farther, so no one will ever have to experience the pain and suffering of Katrina ever again. It may hurt to move such a great city from its noble foundations but if it doesn’t move, the inevitable re-destruction of New Orleans will hurt much worse.