In this editorial from the Sacramento Bee, what is missing is the fact that Sacramento is the most flood endangered of any city in the country near major rivers, as noted in previous posts—here and here—and while we are heartened that New Orleans appears to be reaching a better level of flood and surge protection than previously, we would like to see the hometown newspaper pay a little more attention to the flood danger here.
An excerpt.
“Five years after Hurricane Katrina, Congress has committed nearly $15 billion toward protecting a major American metropolis – the New Orleans region – from another devastating flood. Those investments are resulting in a flood control system far more protective than the one that existed prior to Aug. 29, 2005.
“Will it be enough? Hardly.
“More than any other floodplain city – even Sacramento – New Orleans is living on borrowed time. Much of this metropolitan area sits below sea level, upon old marshland that is subsiding. It faces possible inundation from both hurricanes and Mississippi River floods. With sea levels rising and the potential for climate change to generate ever-more powerful storms, the ability of engineers to design a foolproof fortification of New Orleans is fanciful, at best.”
