Physical effects of Katrina

[Southtown]

Course that means rebuilding NO and trashing Baton Rouge....hmmm, think *that* will happen? :lol:

 

Cheers,

Buffy

Seems kind of callous to talk about cities like that, but it illustrates our need for adaptability in contrast with our now-obvious lack of it.

[nemo]

On a structural level, what would be wrong with simply assuming that the current flooding will happen again? The city will be rebuilt, the levee system will remain, and there will be more hurricanes. Learning from the present construction methods and similar sinking feelings in Venice and other parts of the world, why not simply require commercial buildings to be built with the idea that they will, at some point, become temporary islands? Residential housing will always be focused on getting the most bang for your buck (while the weather is good), but commercial structures are generally held to a higher standard anyway.

 

I was talking about retiring to the Gulf coast with someone the other day. My idea was to build a four-story, reinforced structure that would withstand a Category 5 storm and use it as a sporting goods / convenience store during the nice weather and have it be one of the few buildings standing after a storm. Set up agreements with local government to supply law enforcement with materials during an emergency at a fixed price (billed later), and you can be the only store in town to survive a storm and have the only police force in the area not subject to the same lack of supplies as everyone else. After reading the news recently, my only modifications would be a desalinization capability that can be set up on the roof, and a few gun turrets at the corners.

 

If NO had a handful of buildings that were capable of remaining intact and waterproof to retain emergency supplies, I've got to believe things would have been easier on the post-storm rescue personnel. A quick Google search indicates that bedrock is between 40 - 70 feet below NO. I'm thinking that gives you plenty of space to put a parking garage below your store for revenue during the good weather, a cost-effective way to ensure your foundation is built upon something that won't slide out from underneath it, and plenty of storage space during a storm (assuming you can seal the entrances effectively). Hmm... NemoMart. Maybe... :lol:

[IrishEyes]

... and a few gun turrets at the corners.

... Hmm... NemoMart. Maybe... :lol:

Hey, that was my idea!! :)

And NemoMart would just drive the kids into a frenzy... they already think that anything worth having can be obtained at 'stuff-mart'. (aka - wally world!)

[Turtle]

___I like your thinking Nemo. We have a thread here somewhere that Orby started & we started planning a floating Country. Your sale of services fits right in. Call it a Parbor (Portable Harbor). I'll find the link:

http://hypography.com/forums/showthread.php?p=33448&highlight=floating+country#post33448

___In the mean time, 10's of thousands of gallons of fuel, solvents, cleaners, etc. have started pooling up as the water recedes. No way to clean oil but chemicals & all to flush out the lake into the ocean & the oyster beds. The losses mount! :shrug:

[ldsoftwaresteve]

Nemo:

If NO had a handful of buildings that were capable of remaining intact and waterproof to retain emergency supplies, I've got to believe things would have been easier on the post-storm rescue personnel. A quick Google search indicates that bedrock is between 40 - 70 feet below NO. I'm thinking that gives you plenty of space to put a parking garage below your store for revenue during the good weather, a cost-effective way to ensure your foundation is built upon something that won't slide out from underneath it, and plenty of storage space during a storm (assuming you can seal the entrances effectively). Hmm... NemoMart. Maybe...

I LIKE this idea. Let me know if you need investors.

[goku]

if we fail to see the unforseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities

we may find ourselves subject to any one or thing that can not be classified, categorized, or easily referenced. Mulder

 

hind site is 20/20

[goku]

price of building suplies will go up

polution will dillute then disappear

 

nature abhores a vacum

Spok, Star Trek VI

[Qfwfq]

I've heard "Nature abhors a vacuum" before, quite often, and I don't believe Spock was the first to say it. Sure enough, it was Aristotle, some five centuries BC.