It will be interesting to see if the billions of taxpayer dollars spent rebuilding and upgrading New Orlean's infrastructure were put to good use. Also interesting to see how well these systems were maintained - after all, it has been about ten years without a serious trial (Katrina happened in 2005 and I am assuming that it took a couple years for the stuff to be rebuilt/installed).
From Associated Press:
Nate aims at New Orleans: Will pumps to drain the city work?
When Tropical Storm Nate formed and forecasts put New Orleans in its projected path for this weekend, one big question loomed for residents and business owners: Will the pumps work?
“That’s now a thought in everybody who lives in New Orleans,” said Devin Shearman, a manager at Katie’s restaurant and lounge, which flooded during an unexpected rainstorm Aug. 5. It was one of two flash floods this past summer that led to revelations about personnel and equipment problems at the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, the agency that runs the pumping system that drains the city.
Some pumps weren’t working. Some turbines that provide power to the pumps were down. There weren’t enough people on hand to man the system.
“Since early August, we have made substantial progress,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said of work to upgrade the city drainage system. But he warned at a Thursday news conference that extremely heavy rain and storm surge from Nate still could pose flood dangers.
I would not live there if you paid me. The government is too corrupt and the big construction contracts go to friends and relatives, not to those qualified. The citizens get bailouts and free government stuff so they don't bother voting in anyone who will make a difference. They need to just let it sink under its own weight. Nice try, some fun times but bye bye...
Don't be so sure that New Orleans is ready. I was surprised to find out that much of their flood control pumping was on a 25(!!!) hertz AC system installed back in the early part of the last century. They depend on generators run by steam turbines that are the same age. You can imagine the horrors of trying to get parts to repair these things.
There's an estimate floating around that a billion dollars would fix it, but you'd have to spend three in New Orleans in order to pay off all the cronies and brothers-in-law.
MC