Here comes the story of the hurricane: Katrina Redux (Trees And Things)

thefadd: Re: Mayor flees in panic!

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:34:41 EST

Better than Ezra never said anything well.

pO157: Re: Why Private Carriers Can't Insure Floods

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 09:32:15 EST

I'm sure the riot and volcanic eruption clauses are allowed simply because they are viewed as being so unlikely as to be a chump's bet, and that they'll be removed permanently the first time we see them actually needed, as in for example after Ranier's

skeptic: Re: the future of New Orleans

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 08:37:11 EST
As it turns out, New Orleans is going to survive hurricane Gustav, not because it is now hurricane-proof, but just because the hurricane passed somewhat south of the city, rather than hitting it directly, and because the intensity had declined to category

Shy Elf: Re: the future of New Orleans

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 01:16:24 EST
New Orleans is sinking and the global ocean level is rising as a result of global warming, but both effects are much slower than your article would indicate.
The levees around the Mississippi keep the silt confined. With flow concentrated in the c

Shy Elf: Re: If You Manage To Avoid Gustav.

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:34:46 EST
Not to mention Ike, which is heading back into the Gulf and possibly to New Orleans, though the forecast that far out is a nearly random guess.

Shy Elf: Why Private Carriers Can't Insure Floods

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:31:19 EST
I'm sure the riot and volcanic eruption clauses are allowed simply because they are viewed as being so unlikely as to be a chump's bet, and that they'll be removed permanently the first time we see them actually needed, as in for example after Ranier's nex

Lou: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 18:17:53 EST
There is a difference between flood insurance in case the creek or lake spills into your garage and flood insurance covering an entire city needing to be rebuilt every 25 years.
Overall, not really. Floods is floods. All that comes in

pO157: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 17:47:19 EST
How many of them are build primarily below sea level in an area that gets actively attacked by major hurricanes on a regular basis? There is a difference between flood insurance in case the creek or lake spills into your garage and flood insurance covering

Lou: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:37:00 EST
and people don't live there anymore. It's win/win.
New York City, Long Island, Savannah, Jacksonville, Miami, St. Petersburg (my home town), New Orleans, Houston (too close to New Orleans), San Diego, Los Angeles, every single town along po

wetkarma: no choice but to abandon

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:36:51 EST
So in the US-focused nature of the news cycle, its worth mentioning that these storms affect caribbean countries far more than they do the USA. In Jamaica the southern coast line has changed over the years such that neighborhoods have been wiped out during

pO157: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:06:19 EST
Yeah Stachybotrys is a bitch. It is becoming such a cottage industry --- I've seen home "test kits" for it in hardware shops for $10-20 where the cost of materials is probably just pennies of that. Yeah. If I was unscrupulous I'd think about going

Lou: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:55:11 EST
Why can't the private insurance companies do a better job than the .gov?
I don't know that they can't...part of it may be that they don't want to. Flood insurance is a risky business (npi). Unlike with a fire where there are clear ind

pO157: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:28:41 EST
Why can't the private insurance companies do a better job than the .gov? For example, my father in law was just notified that his vacation cabin will not have its insurance continued because of various reasons (all of them completely understandable) with t

Lou: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:33:11 EST
So why is there a national flood program to encourage people to continually put their lives on the line every year and then have the taxpayers (indirectly) pay for the reconstruction?
It's not quite that simple. In order for a homeowner to

pO157: Re: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:01:52 EST
Right. The problem is that it may be unwise to live in certain places like New Orleans (there are parts of the city above sea level, am told, so it might be cool to live there) with current construction. So why is there a national flood program to encourag

Lou: Just so you know...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:55:18 EST
Why not abolish the National Flood Insurance program?
Flood insurance ain't cheap...and least in these parts, whether you should get it or not depends on your mortgagee. That being said, I doubt any carriers would even offer it unless done

pO157: Mayor flees in panic!

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:49:30 EST
MSNBC is reporting over topping of the levees at the Industrial Canal barrier in New Orleans.
Perhaps "Better than Ezra" said it best: God save the King of

pO157: Let the market decide

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 09:46:11 EST
Why not abolish the National Flood Insurance program? Demand coverage for flooding by homeowners' insurance and let those companies adjust their premiums accordingly. Eventually the problem will work itself out. Preferably on a Friday.

port1080: Re: the future of New Orleans

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:52:38 EST
While it may be possible to save New Orleans, the cost might be prohibitive, as the city is sinking. Basically, we've created a Catch22 situation with

profwhat: Re: the future of New Orleans

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:13:16 EST
Surely it is possible to rebuild New Orleans in a way that it can survive annual hurricanes. Maybe you don't rebuild all the buildings in the same place, and maybe you get better levees; but the thought of abandoning an entire city is too difficult t

Lou: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:24:36 EST
Isn't that the one where she has to choose between Ad Hominem and False Dilemma?

MayorBob: If You Manage To Avoid Gustav.

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:51:31 EST
Look out, because Tropical Storm Hanna is moving along behind Gustav.

MayorBob: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:58:45 EST
I hope he doesn't rent a copy of "Sophist's Choice" starring Meryl Streep. That movie is a total downer.

Lou: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:46:14 EST
I can see that...please for you own sake, go see a comedy this weekend. ;-)

zyxwvutsr: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:38:56 EST
That's right, Lou, I take everything seriously.

Lou: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:36:12 EST
So you admit you don't have a sense of humor then?

zyxwvutsr: Re: What am I then?

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:35:55 EST
The term is "sophist."

MayorBob: What are you then?

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:17:47 EST
Borrowing from Steve Urkel's lexicon, are you an argumentalist?

zyxwvutsr: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:14:44 EST
I'm not a conservative.

Lou: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:31:27 EST
I thought you conservatives had a sense of humor. Jeez.

zyxwvutsr: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:46 EST

Where did I say anything about racism
Ah, so you're the racist. My mistake: I thought you were trying to point out racism in others.

Lou: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:15:28 EST
That link supports what I said...one picture shows a black couple was looting (the caption), and another picture shows a white couple foraging (the caption). Where did I say anything about racism. I'm talking about pictures...what are you talki

zyxwvutsr: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:50:27 EST
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/09/01/photo_controversy/index.html

Lou: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:36:53 EST
I missed the debunking...got a link?

zyxwvutsr: Re: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:32:09 EST
Perhaps you hadn't heard that the "black looter / white forager as an indication of racism" meme was thoroughly debunked? Or are you aware, but just want to stir up racial animosity for some reason?

Lou: Opportunities

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:30:32 EST
Some see a storm while blacks see it as a change to "loot" and whites a chance to "forage".

MayorBob: You Want To Become A Storm Tracker?

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:26:38 EST
But, you're either too far away or don't want to get soaked, go to this link and keep current on the track Gustav is taking. Not that they've officially declared an eva

Steve Urkel: I remote viewed this

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:19:43 EST
Picture a scenario where New Orleans is hit again, the levees break again, and then one of those Jazz airline flights crashes into the flooded streets and everyone drowns because they have no life preservers.

skeptic: the future of New Orleans

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:45:24 EST
New Orleans may or may not survive Hurricane Gustav, and it will be very interesting to see how well the post-Katrina reconstruction protects the city. But there is every reason to expect that there will continue to be hurricanes every year which wil

pO157: Re:

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:56:04 EST
Unfortunately the track now has it heading straight for eastern Louisiana, but it is expected to curve off to the left once it makes landfall. I hope th