After the Deluge, Some Questions - New York Times: "Op-Ed Contributor
After the Deluge, Some Questions
By JOHN M. BARRY
Published: October 13, 2005
Washington
THE most important questions about rebuilding New Orleans are simple ones. Can the city be made safe, and if so, how? Who should chiefly bear the burden? Only by answering these questions can the city restore the confidence of would-be residents, investors, insurers and visitors that a rebuilt New Orleans won't be devastated by another hurricane.
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David Suter
Without that public confidence, the city will never be able to thrive. But earning it will require two important measures, both of which were recommended by the flood control working group I recently headed at the request of the Louisiana congressional delegation. Clearly, New Orleans needs a new comprehensive flood control plan for the future - yet no legislation yet introduced has called for developing one. Just as important, we need to understand the failure of the city's old levee system, both in order to build a better one and in order to apportion responsibility for the losses that New Orleans suffered. As it turns out, much of the destruction resulted not from an act of god but from human error."
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