I have been thinking for a while now, and think I have come up with a solution for the rebuilding of New Orleans - yes, the city that many have called the sin-soaked city of America's south, with her voodoo and sexual decadence. I'm not going to debate about those sins. I believe the city should be rebuilt, although it will probably never be the city it once was ever again. In fact the city could learn a thing or two from Galveston and the hurricane of 1900.
First let's look at the similarities:
- 1900 Galveston was considered the "New York of the South" and was expected to become the nation's largest city over time (after the hurricane that shifted to Houston now the 4th largest city), in the same vain New Orleans was the largest city in Louisiana and the "apple of Louisiana's eye."
- Like New Orleans who ignored warnings to strengthen the levee around the city,Galveston also pushed it off saying no major storm has come through our city. (the end result for Galveston was 6,000 to 12,000 dead, depending if you count just those in the city, the island or the entire metropolitan area.
So what lessons can New Orleans learn from Galveston?
- The most dramatic effort to protect the city was its raising. Dredged sand was used to raise the city of Galveston by as much as 17 feet above its previous elevation. If New Orleans would do the same that would make the city 16 feet above sea level instead 1 foot below. (In 1900 Galveston was 4 feet above, the additional 17 feet made it 22 foot above sea level.)
- Galveston built a 17 foot high sea wall. Together these efforts have protected the Texas city thus far.
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Article comments
1 - Kc
Am I the only one that wonders why New Orleans sat there for over 100 years and did nothing about their bowl situation? They knew that Galveston had lost about 12000 people in 1900 due to a storm surge. Galveston was about 8 ft above msl (mean sea level) at the time. They scrimped and got a 15 ft seawall built. It paid off in 1915 when a storm like in 1900 came and took about 300 lives. If Galveston lost 12000 at 8ft above msl, what did New Orleans think was to happen to them at 10 ft below?