Exploring the relocation option for Hurricane Katrina victims
As noted in Providing assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina responsibly, rebuilding floodplain areas should not be an option.
Porkopolis and others that are against rebuilding in the affected areas must then offer constructive alternatives. To that end, the following back of the envelope caluclations are offerred to start the discussion. This will be a working model that will be refined as more information is gathered. Thoughts shared here are just for initial discussion purposes to place the effort in perspective and explore alternatives to rebuilding areas that are geographically prone to flooding.
The population of New Orleans is about half a million people. Let's assume that at least another half million were also affected in Mississippi and Alabama; the major areas hit by Katrina. That gives us a starting total of 1,000,000.
Each individual could be relocated (food and temporary housing) for at least 1 year at a cost of $10,000 per person at a total cost of $10 billion.
Where would we place them? The U.S. is a very large country with with at least 100 major cities. Each city could host 10,000 individuals; or less that half the average capacity of a large sports stadium.
Even if we take this back of the envelope calculation and double it to a cost of $20 billion, you're looking at less than the $25 billion private insurance estimates of liability in the area.
All out-of-the-box thinking encouraged and welcomed in the comments.
Porkopolis and others that are against rebuilding in the affected areas must then offer constructive alternatives. To that end, the following back of the envelope caluclations are offerred to start the discussion. This will be a working model that will be refined as more information is gathered. Thoughts shared here are just for initial discussion purposes to place the effort in perspective and explore alternatives to rebuilding areas that are geographically prone to flooding.
The population of New Orleans is about half a million people. Let's assume that at least another half million were also affected in Mississippi and Alabama; the major areas hit by Katrina. That gives us a starting total of 1,000,000.
Each individual could be relocated (food and temporary housing) for at least 1 year at a cost of $10,000 per person at a total cost of $10 billion.
Where would we place them? The U.S. is a very large country with with at least 100 major cities. Each city could host 10,000 individuals; or less that half the average capacity of a large sports stadium.
Even if we take this back of the envelope calculation and double it to a cost of $20 billion, you're looking at less than the $25 billion private insurance estimates of liability in the area.
All out-of-the-box thinking encouraged and welcomed in the comments.
Labels: Hurricane Katrina
Posted by Porkopolis at 8/31/2005 10:00:00 AM
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2 Comments:
I made a donation to my local ARC chapter with a condition that it only be provided to an individual or family that has permanently relocated to my area, which is far safer than NOLA or any area along the Gulf Coast. I encourage others to do the same vs providing anyone aid toward rebuilding or returning to NOLA. Some of the disaster victims may be reluctant to relocate, but I'm not going to provide aid toward their destruction.
A report from Baton Rouge, La, looks at the gigantic task of relocating the hurricane victims who were left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. Baton Rouge became the largest city in Louisiana as residents from around the Gulf Coast look for shelter.
Cheers,
Lynn
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