As the gulf coast braces for a second storm and a new article in Science Magazine, via ClimateArk.org shows clear links between global warming and the intensity of tropical storms, its clear that we need to take a longer term perspective on these storms. We can’t afford a $200B bill every time one of these hits.
But is that really the case? Of the $200B in damage, a huge portion was caused by the flooding that rocked the city in the days after the hurricane. The costs the fix the levees are a powerful demonstration of prevention economics:
| Project | Status | Cost | ROI if successful |
| 2004-5 Levee Maintenance | Funding Cut, Projects not completed in several parishes | $35 M | 571,429% |
| Thorough Re-Work of Levees | Never Implemented | $2.5B | 8000% |
| Gulf Coast 2050 (Thorough Wetlands Restoration) | Under Investigation | $14 B | 1429% |
Any business person would blush at those ROIs. Compare even the most outlandishly over-run levee project with todays situation: a budget of $400K for each of the 500,000 displaced victims of Katrina.
Global warming exhibits the same dynamic on a much more massive scale. The only question is whether the world be a little smarter with how we deploy our resources.
