This is not unlike the person who builds a home near a national forest or remote wooded area. And when fire breaks out, instead of letting natural burn occur, the government spends millions (and risks the life of firefighters) protecting these homes. Of course their insurance is high, and it should be.

Thing is, New Orleans very seldom sees hurricanes -- and the last big ones pre-Katrina all hit when there was still that huge wetlands buffer that extended nearly a hundred miles out from the Delta, acting as a stretch of speed bumps that moderated the force of storms. Put back the wetlands and New Orleans is fine.

I live in a 100 year old house in New Orleans. When it was built, there were hurricanes and floods, so my house was built on raised pilings, 3 feet above the ground. I am trying to rebuild smarter, adding hurricane proof windows and shutters. It is unrealistic to expect residents of New Orleans, one of the largest ports in the country, not to rebuild our homes.

I am glad that people are finally starting to talk about this issue....which should have been talked about long ago, but it is too politically sensitive!

It is also unrealistic (or it ought to be, if only people were not so good at denying reality) for you to expect the rest of us to pay you for rebuilding your homes in harm's way. The ports of New Orleans and South Louisiana will have to be abandoned sooner or later. Never mind sea level rise associated with global warming: the subsidence caused by the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya waterways is enough to do the job.

Do you really think we will abandon this city (New Orleans), because of one storm? Thank you for all of your help in rebuilding my home, which, as I said in a previous post, is being rebuilt in a smarter way. I, along with the million plus people who live here, don't think it is dumb to rebuild. Here's what the Port of New Orleans says about our city.
Port of New Orleans Overview
With the Mississippi River moving about 500 million tons of cargo each year – including chemicals, coal, timber, iron, steel and more than half of the nation’s grain exports, the Port of New Orleans is America’s gateway to the global market.
New Orleans has been a center for international trade since 1718 when it was founded by the French. Today, the Port of New Orleans is at the center of the world’s busiest port complex — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Its proximity to the American Midwest via a 14,500-mile inland waterway system makes New Orleans the port of choice for the movement of cargoes.

The Port of New Orleans is the only deepwater port in the United States served by six class one railroads. This gives port users direct and economical rail service to or from anywhere in the country.

New Orleans is one of America’s leading general cargo ports. A productive and efficient private maritime industry has helped produce impressive results, including the USA’s top market share for import steel, natural rubber, plywood and coffee.

In the past 10 years, the Port of New Orleans has invested more than $400 million in new state-of-the-art facilities. Improved breakbulk and container terminals feature new multipurpose cranes, expanded marshalling yards and a new roadway to handle truck traffic. The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans is committed to building a port that will serve the needs of the global marketplace well into the new century.

sorry to be hogging this post, but there was a report on the news the other night that State Farm Co. will no longer insure any homes within 1000 feet of the beach. Existing policies will not be renewed and new policies will not be written. My homeowners insurance has increased 700% since Katrina and the state guaranteed policies are the most expensive ones that anyone can find, the policy of last resort. It looks like the marketplace will address your concerns about returning to flood prone areas.
Patrice, RE: views from below sea level.

The political realities of this situation overwhelm any rational decision making. The coastal areas have to many votes, electoral and otherwise for the Federal government to come up with rational decisions. After the Mississippi river flooding in 1993, an interagency task force suggested major changes. Many of these were a complex of local, state and federal policies that encouraged cost effective behaviors in land use practices and government spending. Some progress was made, including whole towns relocating to a higher ground with federal help. but it was a local decision. Intelligent coordinated goverment policy with strong central leadership is a requirement for these types of things to happen. The only way we will see that is if the people recognize that the anti-government minority is counter productive to an improved politic and vote the fools out. This seems unlikely.