Un natural Disaster Perspectives

[Firefly]

@IRONMAN

[quote=Firefly]Mate, I know that, but the French didnt originally found the City underwater, it expanded in the following years into these zones. You cant blame them.

Well, it wasn’t founded by anyone other than the French. They built it and expanded it for 100 years before the US was a nation. New Orleans is a very old city by American standards. It was around for over 100 years before the War for Independance. It had already grown well beyond the French Quarter by the time the US gained independance from England 230 years ago.[/quote]

Are you actually saying you blame the French for this?

[Crab_to_be]

This week’s Time magazine has a section explaining how New Orleans came to be so far below sea level. It’s not just that the original location was low lying, but the flood control measures have caused the land to sink, exacerbating the problem.

@Time Magazine

1. Over the centuries, the Mississippi flooded periodically, bringing downstream fresh silt that replenished wetlands and water that nourished the plants growing there.
2. This flow created a large delta of swamps and barrier islands that absorbed storm surges and protected inland areas.
3. When the river is constrained to a channel by levees the silt is funnelled out to sea.
4. Without water flow and natural silt replenishment, the land outside the levee dries and sinks under its own weight, allowing saltwater to intrude and killing plants that fed off the fresh water.
5. Drawing drinking water from outside the levees only makes matters worse, hastening the sinking.

Excellent graphical representation of this is provided here.

[system]

@Firefly

[quote=IRONMAN][quote=Firefly]Mate, I know that, but the French didnt originally found the City underwater, it expanded in the following years into these zones. You cant blame them.

Well, it wasn’t founded by anyone other than the French. They built it and expanded it for 100 years before the US was a nation. New Orleans is a very old city by American standards. It was around for over 100 years before the War for Independance. It had already grown well beyond the French Quarter by the time the US gained independance from England 230 years ago.[/quote]

Are you actually saying you blame the French for this?[/quote]

Someone implied that the city was built by Americans in a flawed location. I simply pointed out that it was the French who chose the location.

[Firefly]

Thats Bull, the French location wasnt under water, 200+ years of expansion has gone there though. Its not the original settlers fault that the expansion occurred.

[system]

@Crab_to_be

This week’s Time magazine has a section explaining how New Orleans came to be so far below sea level. It’s not just that the original location was low lying, but the flood control measures have caused the land to sink, exacerbating the problem.

[quote=Time Magazine]1. Over the centuries, the Mississippi flooded periodically, bringing downstream fresh silt that replenished wetlands and water that nourished the plants growing there.
2. This flow created a large delta of swamps and barrier islands that absorbed storm surges and protected inland areas.
3. When the river is constrained to a channel by levees the silt is funnelled out to sea.
4. Without water flow and natural silt replenishment, the land outside the levee dries and sinks under its own weight, allowing saltwater to intrude and killing plants that fed off the fresh water.
5. Drawing drinking water from outside the levees only makes matters worse, hastening the sinking.

Excellent graphical representation of this is provided here.[/quote]

If you will notice, the French built the original city in the crook of the river. They did not build it there because it was the higher ground, but because a river bend, as has been historically a good choice for a location, provided a means to ship goods up and down the river. The French Quarter is in this location: in the crook of the river where it can access both the upper North America and the Gulf from a single location that provides a slowing of the movement of the waters of the river and a natyural “bay” so to speak.

[PzKpfw_VI_Tiger]

Back and forth, back and forth :roll:

[system]

@Firefly

Thats Bull, the French location wasnt under water, 200+ years of expansion has gone there though. Its not the original settlers fault that the expansion occurred.

The entire area is silt land. It was not a good loction for a city to begin with. However, I don’t think the French had any way of knowing or realizing that NO would become as big as it was over time.

You seem to be trying to blame the disaster on the Americans for expanding a city that was a bustling enterprize and provided so much commerce for North America. The Dutch have done the same thing with levies to preserve their land. The only difference is that hurricanes don’t strike at northern Europe. Unfortunately, they do strike in the Carribean.

[Firefly]

Im not blaming the US for anything, get off the anti-US high horse.

Pz is right, Im not going round in circles on this.

[pdf27]

@IRONMAN

You seem to be trying to blame the disaster on the Americans for expanding a city that was a bustling enterprize and provided so much commerce for North America. The Dutch have done the same thing with levies to preserve their land. The only difference is that hurricanes don’t strike at northern Europe. Unfortunately, they do strike in the Carribean.

You don’t necessarily need a hurricane to have massive flooding and dyke breaches. I would refer you to the North Sea Flood of 1953

[Man_of_Stoat]

Well, it’s nice to see that the Northern Irish don’t need an excuse such as a hurricane to riot, shoot at and petrol bomb the security services:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4236208.stm

[Firefly]

There cant be any rioting in Belfast. The Troubles are all over and everything is rosy and peacefull in the Emerald Isle.

This is obviously a small event blown out of all proportions by the Left wing BBC yet again.

:lol: