Earthtalk

It is almost a year since New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and the city is still without a reconstruction plan other than those initiated by citizens hoping to rebuild their neighborhoods.
    As commendable and courageous as these efforts are, there is an elephant in the room that no one seems to want to talk about: the idea that all the neighborhoods should not be rebuilt.
    The strong political and cultural opposition to this opinion makes it one that few are willing to seriously propose, and yet it is a decision that common sense and science dictate should be made.
    The lowest-lying, most severely impacted areas of the city should not be rebuilt, since there can be no guarantee that they will not be inundated again, perhaps with even greater devastation than wrought by Katrina. What reputable engineer or scientist would make such a guarantee for even a few years into the future?
    As painful as this reality may be to accept, relocation of certain neighborhoods and reconstruction of a smaller, safer New Orleans are the best options.
                                   

Published in NY Times Aug 24, 2006