New Orleans - The Natural History

I set out to understand why my hometown is where it is. Certainly not for the weather, mosquitoes, threat of disaster... It turns out to be the only place New Orleans can be and my discoveries led to fears of how precarious its future is. Created by Walter Williams of Mr, Bill and SNL fame.

[@patricklush4363]

There’s nothing like trying to go to sleep but staying up at 3:00am to watch a documentary about the logistics of life in New Orleans.

[@friedcash9815]

lolol same here

[@smurfmaxineblue6833]

Life down here is beautiful.

[@iRip555]

Cyrus Ambrose you know you didn’t have to expose me like that ....

[@prodbycams2130]

LOL

[@taliabenet6352]

I'm trying to tell ya!! lol

[@michelelara5982]

No ads. I appreciate that

[@anamango9311]

I love this documentary. It was made before hurricane Katrina. I'd be thrilled to see a follow up to this that discusses what happened and how the city has changed.

[@lordthorby6199]

@Digby Dooright it's expensive and it like la but with massive water damage. Los Angeles is already shitty to begin with so that says alot about new Orleans.

[@sweetkandy9502]

Id love to see what a lot of the people interviewed in this would have to say about Katrina.

[@charliecrackers4643]

I thought it was made before Katrina, Its well put together. Be nice to see something updated in 2022.

[@MsRhondaRandy]

I can never understand how the "system" has always had problems with following up, accountablity, elaborating on subject instead of these VAGUE ONE-LINER'S that is never followed up with QUESTIONS, justa really BAD SYSTEM which has caused half of AMERICA to be HOMELESS TODAY starting in 2021 and just SKYROCKETED!!!!!

[@BookOfFaustus]

This video was oddly prophetic about the imminent danger of Katrina

[@Braedenfish]

The weather Channels...It Could Happen Tomorrow.....had an episode prior to Katrina put on hold that in 2006 became called....Katrina:TheLostEpisode. Like this....prophecy fulfilled. And it continues between loss of wetlands and redirection of river ..... prophecy awaiting fulfillment.

[@positivechic1463]

@@Braedenfish I remember that!! Yes I miss that show

[@sweetkandy9502]

And now with Ida.

[@guitaoist]

I was in New Orleans in August of 2005 when Katrina hit because i had just gotten into Loyola University, we evacuated to Baton Rouge and i slept on the floor of a church, little did I know I couldnt go back until 2006 because of all the damage done. I'll never forget that city, I lived there for almost 2 years until moved back to my hometown Houston TX. Now I want to move back there again.

[@smurfmaxineblue6833]

Come on back.

[@unconquerablepresence4360]

Wow that's so nice yall

[@bohanland9869]

Cone on back naw , ya hear

[@calebsmithwick8470]

Man, I lived in Houston Texas all my life. Went to New Orleans pretty much just cause. Best city in the world if you ask me. The food, the people, music, the entire vibe. Beautiful.

[@tiffprendergast]

Caleb Smithwick yup

[@englishedge1988]

I've just come back from visiting New Orleans, I'm from the UK, what an extraordinary City it is, so much culture and beauty.

[@tjtardo3380]

Love from the 504 ❤️

[@merrynethery5853]

So happy you enjoyed it. So many warm souls that love food, music and dance. It is special.

[@diegaspumper8501]

One thing that was left out in this video is the reefs just a couple of miles off the coastline were destroyed from the 1940’s to the 1980’s. Digging up those shell reefs had a devastating effect on the speed of erosion on coastal marshes. The reefs also slowed down storm surge from hurricanes. It would take hundreds if not thousands of years for those reefs to come back if they can. No one ever thought that digging up rocks and shells offshore could have such horrible consequences for our environment.

[@lepotatoes]

wow thanks for this information, really interesting read and I’ll be looking more into this. :)

[@missKushite]

Thank you for this information ☺️ℹ️ How could they not know that they were digging up shell reefs?! 😭💯

[@hollzie7348]

Thank you for the great information and insight into something that most people would never think of unless studied.

[@Valleylifeeightysix]

Cool facts❤

[@stelladonaconfredobutler9459]

they did a similar move in florida when they removed all the Mangrove trees which naturally kept the water levels low and protected the cities. does anyone actually think why the reefs and mangroves are there and what do they do instead of how much $ the resorts will make?

[@rustyshackleford8819]

It’s eerie to hear them talk about the pumps post-Katrina. Being half-proud of the fact they were close to 100 years old hurts. Then talking about Betsy being the worst storm to hit the city, it just hurts your heart

[@angelecintron]

This doc was made before Katrina.

[@isidoreaerys8745]

This documentary is so charming. Such a Disneyland vibe. “We have a very short winter season. Last year it was on a Wednesday 🙂”

[@thomasjamison2050]

I live in Rhode Island. Before global warming, we used to say the same thing about summer even though it is far more true for upper New England than for coastal New England. The Gulf Stream moderates for Rhode island.

[@mbgal7758]

I was in New Orleans 20+ years ago in late January and there was an unusual cold snap and not many people were in the hotel. It was cold in my room so I turned the heat on. Well apparently it had never been used before, it set off the fire alarm and the fire department came, in retrospect it was hilarious. Your comment reminded me of that.

[@JayWhiteMadden]

Dude: "New Orleans is #2 in the universe in pot holes..." Everyone from Jackson, MS: "I know who's #1..."

[@masonparis5823]

Jackson is terrible!!! Destroyed my car!

[@kevinnapier8996]

I'm here in Galveston. And I have been here through the entirety of the beach restoration process. My Opinion is this. The City of New Orleans needs to buy or build, so that it owns outright, 3 Dredgers. Those Dredgers shall become part of the Transportation Industry budget, and should work all year. Have another as back-up during drydocking or repair-times. THAT is a constant way to successfully tackle some of these issues. Treat the necessity in the same way as the need for Ferry Boating. This is a good way to create jobs, and bring in that valuable silt. By contributing the silt, where needed, it will offset the leavies' negative affects. This is also a fair way to battle the natural Mississippi River shifting, which has been interrupted by Economic Developments. I'm not the smartest Guy. But I cared enough to this Resolution. We cannot stop Nature, but we can continue what Nature used to do. And maybe in 50 or 60 years.. We will start building those lost acres back at the base of 'The Boot'. #StaySafe Everyone. Much Love & #GodBless!

[@martycarr1477]

I went on a Katrina relief trip in 2005 and have been in love with the city and LA ever since. Hope to live there some day.

[@kenclark5433]

My new Orleans Louisiana baebae!!! Everybody who from & represent the boot say yeeahhhh!!!

[@blackconclave1962]

Y’all better get the hell out of there

[@los33010]

😂🤣

[@los33010]

Real talk

[@rei9817]

Hearing them talk about how Hurricane Betsy 1965 was the hardest hit they have ever had was wild. Little did these white haired dudes know, the worst was yet to come. 😩 Always praying for the wonderful city of New Orleans, what a magical place.

[@leannwilliams2130]

They just did a podcast abot katrina call floodlines pretty interesting By atlantic on Instagram

[@mooroller2529]

I live in new orleands it flooded like a few weeks ago and my friends car floated away.. it rains a bit but other wise it good

[@someonespecial3149]

My grandmother was in hurricane . Besy she has plenty stories

[@jonathanmouton1457]

Look who is in charge now. Chocolate city.

[@kingMT514]

@@jonathanmouton1457so edgy. We get that you’re a racist

[@deefree9570]

Watching this while watching hurricane ida pass on the Westbank of NOLA !!.. GOD BLESS NOLA

[@spacequeenruby]

Then Katrina hit and everything they feard came true. It's crazy how NOLA is still standing. Great documentary.

[@spreadneck2063]

It hardly is with all the violence in the city.

[@sconley9922]

​@@spreadneck2063mannn, shut up

[@troydanielboy]

We have wasted so much of our resources and budgets on trying to defeat Mother Nature, when it is a losing battle. If we had from the beginning of our country focused on allowing wetlands, and moving into elevated areas, think of the resources and lives and dollars saved over the centuries. Mountains can be moved, but eventually, they'll come right back.

[@ljs5757]

Apparently you're one of those slow learners and didn't hear word of what the documentary was talking about they didn't have the technology or the wherewithal that's sailing ships and canoes why not move the City to North Louisiana because you want to be as close to the resources as possible

[@1982nsu]

@@ljs5757 An honest conservationist would see that the best solution would be to relocate the city to higher ground and let Mother Nature reclaim the ecosystem. New Orleans sits on hundreds of feet of silt which is extremely soft. The city has subsided (sunk) two feet since it was measured in 1970. Also the city itself is below sea level. The location of New Orleans with the exception of the old French Quarter, has always been untenable from an engineering point of view. Engineering band-aids will only make the problem worse. All the money in the world cannot remove the triple threat of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

[@JeanEDeaux]

@@1982nsuWhat exactly does relocating an entire city involve pray tell?? I’m so so very curious as to what that would look like.

[@1982nsu]

@@JeanEDeaux Hello Jean. I should have more specific. Relocate the people of New Orleans to higher and more stable ground. The levies that surround New Orleans is what keeps the Gulf of Mexico and Mother Nature from utterly consuming the city. The residents of the city live there at their own peril.

[@ontherisewithcandyceevette3037]

Hearing them talk about the levee system and this is pre Katrina... Boy how confident they were and the worst had not yet hit em yet! Sad...

[@leannwilliams2130]

Yes listen to podcast with atlantic called floodlines

[@whyamihereweirdo9912]

The worst so far.....

[@JeanEDeaux]

I see realism, not confidence. We knew what could/would eventually happen but none of us chose the location for New Orleans. Blame Bienville nem.

[@Beautifully.Creole]

Very interesting and informative. Would love to see an update post Katrina to present day. Thanks for sharing

[@SomethingBizzare60]

Beautiful Vibes there’s still many vacant lots and I’m terrified of the potential gentrification

[@dudleythird6123]

Beautiful

[@didsomebodysaydmt8193]

Man I miss Nash!! Miss Frank Davis, and Phil Johnson.

[@armandazoulay5837]

Hello from Orléans

[@JeanEDeaux]

The original “Orleans”??

[@FuckYouWhosNext]

the problem with pumping stations is they dont work when they go underwater

[@alan6832]

The critical evacuation failure was their failure to evacuate the city buses, compounded because they didn't evacuate both carless residents and the buses themselves before the storm, the flooded buses were then unavailable to evacuate the holdouts after the storm as well. That was the number 1 inexcusable failure.

[@feltongailey8987]

It's curious to me, at what point did it become economically viable to devote such a vast amount of resources (electric, human etc etc) to continually "pump" water out to maintain a city which by any account, should be under water? I was born in NOLA and am still astounded by this. It does speak to the level of human persistence and insistence when we decide that nature be damned, we're doing this.

[@troydanielboy]

Au contraire, it speaks to the greed, selfishness and irresponsibility of the human animal. And all three cloud our intelligence. I'm no Christian, but the wise man DOES build his house upon the rock. And I don't mean Dwayne Johnson.

[@geneticallycurated]

Capitalism

[@rapman5363]

@@geneticallycurated thank God for capitalism, without it New Orleans would have disappeared many years ago!!

[@michaelweary4662]

It’s because of your GREAT cuisine and food there !

[@tswagg504]

LOCATION…New Orleans sits at the bottom of a river that spans the width of the country and is an open line to the Caribbean and further the Atlantic Ocean….it’s too strategic of a place for a port city and commerce epicenter for a major city to not have been built there.

[@ronnym1977]

When I think of New Orleans, the first thing that comes to mind is mosquitos, then gnats, biting flies, snakes-a-plenty and all of the insects and spiders breeding there. Wet climates are notorious for hordes of insects. You can have it.

[@williewilson8244]

I drove down 55 into New Orleans and there where so many bugs I thought about pulling over!!! It was like a brown fog that took about 8 miles to lift!!! Trillions of bugs

[@angelecintron]

We need the Pt.2 of this doc. It would be super interesting to see where we are now in the costal mitigation programs.

[@fratersol]

Myself and the entire Louisiana National Guard was in Baghdad, Iraq when Katrina hit. The irony of the situation is almost suspicious 🤔

[@MacioRodriguez]

They didn't want you all there 2 interfere with the evil plans

[@rapman5363]

Yeah, it was a master plan by the evil cabal. They wanted you gone so that the man made hurricane could destroy the city and then the evil capitalists could make money by rebuilding the city! Do you need to pass a psychological exam to enter the Louisiana National Guard? Asking for a friend. 🤣🤣😂😂

[@walterjohnson982]

Louisiana needs to look to the Dutch as example of protecting themselves from flooding.

[@tiffprendergast]

Walter Johnson yup

[@dlr0332]

We American indians know our land the foreign invaders still destroying the lands natural formation. Same in Houston,Tx covering the natural marsh with cement

[@LuziannMan]

@@dlr0332 wait they're coving marsh lands up with Cement in Texas?? What the actual fuck!?

[@nettieharris]

I’ve thought that The new system.... after Katrina... I’d rather impressive

[@kharystewart9084]

They have.

[@MortenK65]

Oh, that was surprisingly good.

[@codycutrer8818]

I’m from here we are just used to the way of life. Every region has it’s problems.

[@sarahcoleman3125]

When you realize this was made BEFORE hurricane Katrina and everything they're talking about happened even worse than it did before.

[@coonasschriscostarica]

So Proud to have been born and raised in Terrebonne Parish

[@brenthall393]

Nicely done! Thank you.

[@keanulechat2510]

New Orleans or the original version of French " nouvelle Orléans "

[@blickytalk5333]

I love I’m was born and raised in New Orleans I love my attitude my swagger It’s not place like my home , New Orleans is forever in my heart and when you say Deep South you know New Orleans is the first thing you think of

[@Softail77us]

I remember right after Katrina hit, half the cars in the Dallas Tx area had Louisiana license plates. I don't know if they went back or stayed here. I'm sorry we don't have any boudan here : (

[@chevy504]

30% of us r still here lol

[@Softail77us]

@@chevy504 Glad you survived the storm!

[@AlmostReady504]

Then Louisiana had thousands of Texas plates for the rebuild. Still many Texas plates remain

[@tswagg504]

Houston has boudan though

[@Softail77us]

@@tswagg504 Sounds good. Looks like they got the levees fixed, the hurricane last week, Ida wasn't able to do what Katrina did. I heard it pounded the beach for hours.

[@philliplyn2692]

Loving this one thanks for sharing keep up the good work knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention to this very important information giving thanks blessed love to all

[@Relaxation-Clips]

Were there last week, interesting place: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2rQqIqVZbR9f9U😀😃😄

[@toddcranenola4635]

Hi TP. I found you through suggested videos. First, your videos are great and your editing, top notch. I made a KZbin channel, so I'm doing my research. Thanks for all of your help! Please keep it up. Just subbed!

[@smurfmaxineblue6833]

Katrina brought me down and I never left.

[@twstf8905]

Betsy was an almost perfect preamble for Katrina, (and now Ida,) but when Katrina came through New Orleans, it had already passed through and was gone, people were busy cleaning up branches and taking boards off their windows etc. when the levees finally failed. Inundating the City and surrounding region. Then it was a failure of FEMA, who took more than two weeks just to get clean or bottled water to the people taking refuge inside the SuperDome. But, the bulk of the engineering issues had been worked out to withstand category four and even category five Supercells coming from the Gulf by the time Katrina came through. By the time Katrina had made landfall over New Orleans it had been downgraded to a two or three, and weakening as it continued to progress over the landmass further on. The subsequent disastrous flooding was a result of faulty engineering around the City's levees, which had been waterlogged and then weakened to the point of catastrophic failure, days after the Hurricane itself had moved on.

[@larryjones4096]

Look here,while i in the navy i was posted with public works at the naval center in orlando,fl. from calif.After 6 months,i received my orders for permanent duty at CBC Gulfport,Batt.7. You can imagine my dismay(i lived in calif. so was hoping to return there),until i discovered i was only a 60 mi. drive from New Orleans.That was in '88,and most of my home is now dedicated to my many visits(historic and otherwise),and friends made from there over a 20 yr period.Thank god i'm back home in houston,so my baby ain't never far away.

[@reececarr2784]

Wow, not sure what to do with any of that info. But ok

[@brianmitchell8422]

One of my favorite cities

[@tonysudano778]

They should build a pipeline going from Louisiana to California and sell them water instead of oil.

[@tonysudano778]

@Zed Love because new Orleans is built below sea level. I couldn't think of a worse spot to build a city.

[@Mkaela90]

Lol yes!

[@allin4395]

“Impregnable levy system”...

[@valeriefostercarter2585]

I loved the move Treme bring the showing back of course video dated 2004 viewers as myself would love to see the video and more sighten of the Indians .

[@reececarr2784]

Because that's what this video is about

[@DGMUSICisGOOD]

nice to stumble upon this among the other "guides" like top places to eat. Too much noise nowadays.

[@marke2233]

As a lifelong Louisiana resident i can honestly say there is absolutely nothing good about New Orleans unless you want to see drunks drugs and crime everywhere...I know I'm going to get blasted for saying that but it's true...New Orleans is horrible

[@shadrach6299]

You have not seen NOLA the right way. The art, music, food and architecture are incredible. I stay away from the nightlife on Bourbon Street.

[@jstud999]

Life long Louisiana resident myself, I second everything this man says. It’s 100% true unfortunately.

[@JeanEDeaux]

@@jstud999Without New Orleans, Louisiana would be Mississippi. Be grateful.

[@jstud999]

@@JeanEDeaux I’d take Mississippi over New Orleans any day of the week. You say that like it’s a bad thing or something.

[@IsaacBenjaminGrey]

Quelle belle ville! Vraiment intéressant comme d’habitude chez les Néo-Orléanais. Bravo 😀🙏👏👏

[@shadrach6299]

New Orleans is a national treasure

[@HiddenHighways]

Seattle artificially raised a large part of its land above sea level. I wonder if that could be done in NO.

[@1982nsu]

An honest conservationist would see that the best solution would be to relocate the New Orleans to higher ground and let Mother Nature reclaim the ecosystem. New Orleans and Seattle are very geologically different. New Orleans is in the middle of the largest delta in North America and sits on hundreds of feet of silt which is extremely soft. The city has subsided (sunk) two feet since it was measured in 1970. Also the city itself is below sea level. The location of New Orleans with the exception of the old French Quarter, has always been untenable from an engineering point of view. Engineering band-aids will only make the problem worse. All the money in the world cannot remove the triple threat of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

[@acousticmeow8403]

Where the cruise ships Dock and I believe Harbor Island

[@spideywhiplash]

Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill!😮

[@gregorycore9489]

Corps of engineers have killed the coast of my beloved state.

[@amibeingdetained3417]

who else watching this below sea level?!

[@nealroberts5844]

Last year it was on a Wednesday in the afternoon 😅🤣😂

[@haydenrobertarlozynski5260]

"The rules of this city are very unclear." -Stewie from Family Guy 🍍

[@centralcal6604]

Great doc thanks for sharing

[@TheDustin151]

After the hurricane in Galveston in the early 1900’s the island decided to raise the land to save it from being destroyed again. NO should have done that a long long time ago.

[@1982nsu]

Honest conservationist and politicians should see that the best solution would be to relocate the New Orleans to higher ground and let Mother Nature reclaim the ecosystem. New Orleans and Galveston are very geologically different. New Orleans is in the middle of the largest delta in North America and sits on hundreds of feet of silt which is extremely soft. The city has subsided (sunk) two feet since it was measured in 1970. Also the city itself is below sea level. The location of New Orleans with the exception of the old French Quarter has always been untenable from an engineering point of view. Engineering band-aids will only make the problem worse. All the money in the world cannot remove the triple threat of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

[@RobinLynnGriffith]

Smithsonian Magazine had a fantastic article about the Mississippi River (around 1998??) Which i think really spoke to the flooding possible.

[@Relaxation-Clips]

Were there last week, interesting place: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2rQqIqVZbR9f9U😀😃😄

[@Scrimjer]

This is definitely pre 2005

[@markkleindorf4151]

Tax the weed. Every bag of weed bag of sand......

[@s.a.morris8625]

... copyright 2002... ... 3 years before Hurricane Katrina, 2005...

[@edwardhunter3647]

Thanks,I trying to make a motion picture to be place in history for education about our state.

[@thomasjamison2050]

New Orleans has always depended on the kindness of strangers....

[@injesusnamewepray46]

Well, it worked until 2005, that is.

[@speedysteve9121]

Tell us about the Atchafalaya re-route.

[@merrynethery5853]

Nash Roberts...another great accent.

[@ussi0101]

I’m high

[@mooroller2529]

uh

[@mavrick45]

the sheer hubris of man will never cease to stun me. how clear of a picture does nature need to paint for us to understand: "live somewhere else"

[@M377ow]

Betsy - 137 mph Katrina-175 mph Ida- 150 mph

[@kparm5378]

The most foul smelling city I've been in by far.

[@eherna27]

Love New Orleans….our Venice… hopefully it will endure..

[@marcusmarkus3266]

New Orleans like every other major city has its good and bad issues.. They have a lot of culture and history which makes any city a great place to visit and the people are friendly. Things have changed drastically since Katrina. The city of New Orleans will never be the same.

[@JyvynShpdinterlude]

4:21 what it would've been if that river was still there...🤔 The Florida and the Desire are on the east of the pre river in blue marker.

[@JeanEDeaux]

NOT the Crescent City that’s for sure. Curvy City maybe¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@cnacma]

This documentary must be before Katrina

[@vudulove9345]

Long before

[@peteleoni9665]

Always interesting to see the sort of people who champion this sort of thing. (-:

[@_realsavyinvestor]

Anybody here during hurricane Ida

[@StKildaBlvd]

What year was this documentary made?

[@futurtv8213]

The copyright reads 2002. In other words, a few years before Katrina.

[@cocoapeach]

Futur TV That explains a lot.

[@raj1894]

I have driven 18000 miles in my car in USA Charlet North Carolina and New Orleans is my favourite from Louisiana that is Battan Rough to N Oreleans I drove from Houston I crossed one of the longest bridge in the world but I love my NEW ORLEON Great place

[@officiallyrivercomm]

New Orleans was a amazing French city until August 2005, my god it was awful

[@tiffprendergast]

brell 2-1-5 yup

[@JyvynShpdinterlude]

History of the Nola baby.🎺🥁🚙🏙

[@twink3448]

beautiful city

[@Relaxation-Clips]

Were there last week, interesting place: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2rQqIqVZbR9f9U😀😃😄

[@merrynethery5853]

I could listen to the lady talking about 49carpents all day long. We have the coolest accents in NOLA and they are disappearing to Kardashian-Paris-Clueless scratchy up-speak. 😭

[@JeanEDeaux]

And where exactly is that happening in the city?? 🤔

[@kentcourtney5535]

Good Job, Walter. Your film was so prophetic - especially considering it was pre-Katrina. Remember at Franklin High School how we got upset about DDT, the oil industries and modern civilization’s impact on our state? The operative word in our era was “conservation” - which morphed into “protect the environment”. It is a cause that is still important today.

[@theanagramman7359]

Nice video. Can someone tell me why the west Bank is to the south? Just wondering

[@phoenixjim0527]

Produced in 2002. Katrina was 2005.

[@BrandonNater]

Those flutes are killing me lol. Good info tho.

[@1982nsu]

New Orleans sits on hundreds of feet of silt which is extremely soft. The city has subsided (sunk) two feet since it was measured in 1970. Also the city itself is below sea level. The location of New Orleans with the exception of the old French Quarter, has always been untenable from an engineering point of view. Engineering band-aids will only make the problem worse. All the money in the world cannot remove the triple threat of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

[@Relaxation-Clips]

Were there last week, interesting place: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2rQqIqVZbR9f9U😀😃😄

[@JayWhiteMadden]

This shit is depressing. I guess we'll go to Memphis.

[@kathryncollings9421]

Great video!

[@brettbrignac7591]

@ 18:55, My Dad, as the video displays a date of 10-5-27, was 15 days young!!!!!!

[@pierredussart-flaherty8544]

Man helping nature to survive.

[@arthuryoungblood423]

To save this city in the future you should start hauling in more dirt and gravel and clay

[@briangibson8627]

I wonder if they look at the marsh now and think maybe letting all that freshwater into saltmarsh was a bad idea. Salt marsh is tough and can withstand storm surge because its just more saltwater and they killed it with fresh water. It was replaced with freshwater muck that any little storm surge kills and washes away. The freshwater diversion was the dumbest idea ever.

[@shelbybutler9714]

Why oh why did the city planners not pay attention to this documentary. Katrina's devastation was a direct result of runaway development and a disregard for wetland conservation. I stayed in New Orleans in July 2013, and the view from the plane was chilling. Walking around the city, you can see that the water level damage was up over a person's head. smh

[@alan6832]

Why didn't they dredge and fill instead of building below sea level, like Boston's back bay? who's bright idea was it to build below sea level? did they know they were building below sea level? Why, even today, don't they bring in fill, at least to sea level, instead? Or an alternative might be to build earthen levees with tops that are 50 yards or more wide, both wide enough to be structurally sound, but also wide enough to build houses and things on top of them.

[@melissajohnson2935]

Without going into to many confusing factors, the simple answer as to why we don't "fill" in New Orleans with dredged sediment is because of 1 thing.....water. it takes a long time to dry out sediment. And if you build before its dry, it sinks. Which is why new Orleans is actually several feet lower than when it was first settled hundredsof years ago. And the ground New Orleans sits on (and the rest of the state) already has a lot of water in it. I can go outside right now and dig a 1 foot deep hole and in just a few hours that hole will be filled with water. And I don't live anywhere close to New Orleans. Plus we can't just demo the whole city, fill it with dirt and rebuild it again 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@alan6832]

@@melissajohnson2935 There are plenty of places to put fill in New Orleans and there were even more after the devastation of Katrina. It is true that there are limits to how much fill you can pile up without it sliding onto nearby structures of value, but those limits were nowhere near approached. Drying may take some time, but no more than it did in Boston's back bay, not a prohibitive amount of time. and the idea of using fill to widen levees and then build on them was not addressed at all. Widened levees could be sloped to drain outwards, thereby reducing the watershed where rain must be pumped, further protecting existing low structures that cannot be raised and filled underneath.

[@1982nsu]

@@melissajohnson2935 Excellent point. An honest conservationist would see that the best solution would be to relocate the New Orleans to higher ground and let Mother Nature reclaim the ecosystem. New Orleans is in the middle of the largest delta in North America and sits on hundreds of feet of silt which is extremely soft. The more they deposit dredged material the more everything sinks.The city has subsided (sunk) two feet since it was measured in 1970. Also the city itself is below sea level. The location of New Orleans with the exception of the old French Quarter, has always been untenable from an engineering point of view. Engineering band-aids will only make the problem worse. All the money in the world cannot remove the triple threat of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

[@AlexCab_49]

I wanna go to New Orleans someday but during winter as I don't do well with hit humid weather

[@marloaffical6516]

Late winter and spring is the best time to be in NOLA

[@baylorsailor]

They knew Katrina was eventually coming. Sad that the levees broke. 😢

[@davidtipton3453]

They were in la la land in the day. Why the leves weren't replaced after so many years corruption or who knows. Blind sided.

[@ronniedelahoussayechauvin6717]

For Hurricane Katrina I was living in Sebastian, Florida

[@ronsevinsky1071]

New Orleans is truly a beautiful and historic city! But I think I'll stay here in Tucson. No floods, hurricanes, tornados, forest fires, blizzards, or severe storms. Just heat. ALL the heat!!!🤣