Why New Orleans Should Not Be Rebuilt After Hurricane Katrina

Introduction: A City at Risk

Throughout history, humans have learned the hard way that living in some parts of the world is risky because of any number of factors — such as living near an active volcano like Pompeii, or in earthquake- and flood-prone regions like the Yangtze River valley, where millions of lives have been lost over the centuries. In some cases, the geographic attributes of such regions are so compelling that people have ignored these dangers and rebuilt their cities time and again, only to have them ravaged by the destructive forces of nature. In other cases, the decision was made to abandon the affected area in favor of more hospitable living areas where the chances of yet another disaster were far less.

Today, the City of New Orleans faces this same type of decision as local, regional, and federal officials seek ways to avoid a recurrence of Hurricane Katrina and its heart-wrenching aftermath. Yet Katrina is only one of the latest in a long series of weather-related events that have destroyed New Orleans over and over again. This paper reviews the relevant literature to show that the decision should be made to abandon the existing city environs in favor of a more suitable location further inland at the earliest opportunity. A summary of the research and important findings in support of this thesis is presented in the conclusion.

A History of Recurring Disaster

Founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste le Moyne and named for a regent of France (New Orleans history 2011), New Orleans has a long history of battling the elements for its survival. This history has been fraught with the same types of disastrous events, with only the extent of the devastation and the dates differing from the most recent catastrophes. In this regard, Colten (2005) provides a useful description of the devastation caused by one such weather-related event on the citizens of New Orleans: "The high water destroyed several bridges, interrupted business throughout the city, contributed to health problems, disrupted the lives of thousands, and caused extensive property damage throughout the city" (Colten 2005, 28).

Although that quotation appears to describe the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in eerie ways, it is actually a description of the Sauve Crevasse disaster that occurred in 1849 (Johnson 2006). In fact, following the onslaught of a hurricane just a year after the city's establishment, the construction of a massive system of earthen levees began in 1723, and — judging them inadequate — engineers further reinforced them in 1724 to protect a city already noted for the frequency of hurricanes (Clark 1970, 4). Described by Johnson as "one of many environmental events in the history of New Orleans that have either blown away or waterlogged part of the city," the Sauve Crevasse was the handwriting on the wall for all to see, but the warning signs were ignored to the peril of the city's citizens. As Colten puts it, "On 3 May 1849, a weakened portion of the levee on the Sauve Plantation 17 miles above New Orleans was breached, creating a 30-foot-wide gap. Water poured southward into the city, approaching the French Quarter by 17 May. The devastation was massive" (2005, 26–27).

If this had been an isolated event, the Sauve Crevasse disaster could be dismissed as an anomaly, but the historical record shows that it was just the beginning of a long list of similar events that would destroy or cause massive destruction to New Orleans over the years. Hurricanes have ravaged the New Orleans area time and again (Ludlum 1963, 55). McCarragher (2011) reports that "Louisiana was hit by 49 of the 273 hurricanes that made landfall on the American Atlantic Coast between 1851 and 2004. On average, one major storm crosses within 100 nautical miles of New Orleans every decade" (1).

Johnson (2006b) emphasizes that the Sauve Crevasse "incident is one of many that have periodically left water in streets and homes. For people living in New Orleans these events serve as historical benchmarks: 'Where were you during Hurricane Betsy? The flood of April 1983? The flood of May 1995?'" (139). Likewise, McCarragher suggests that "New Orleans history offers its own perspective, including the four most destructive storms of the twentieth century: the Hurricane of 1947, Betsy, Camille, and Georges" (3). These hurricanes exacted an enormous toll on New Orleans and its people, but they did not receive the same high-profile media coverage as Hurricane Katrina and have therefore been largely forgotten by the rest of Americans despite their severe impact (McCarragher 3). As McCarragher concludes, "The people affected never forgot Camille, but the nation as a whole allowed the memory of the destruction, the importance of efficient preparation, and the cohesive recovery methods fade into the background" (4).

Works Cited

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Clark, John G. New Orleans, 1718–1812: An Economic History. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1970.

Clayton, Richard L., and Richard L. Spletzer. "Worker Mobility before and after Hurricane Katrina." Monthly Labor Review 129, no. 8 (2006): 11–13.

Colten, Craig E. An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2005.

Colten, Craig E., and John Welch. "Hurricane Betsy and Its Effects on the Architectural Integrity of the Bywater Neighborhood." 2003.

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Johnson, Merrill L. "An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature." The Geographical Review 96, no. 2 (2006a): 325–327.

Johnson, Merrill L. "Geographical Reflections on the 'New' New Orleans in the Post-Hurricane Katrina Era." The Geographical Review 96, no. 1 (2006b): 139–140.

Ludlum, David M. Early American Hurricanes, 1492–1870. Boston: American Meteorological Society, 1963.

McCarragher, Barbara. "New Orleans Hurricane History." 2011.

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