Katrina :: Storm Effects
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Effects of the Storm :: Hurricane Katrina :: Long-Term Repercussions : Reconstruction
Over 150,000 properties in New Orleans were damaged or destroyed by wind, water, and fire in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This section attempts to outline the immense reconstruction efforts that will be needed after the water has been drained from the City.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_Hurricane_Katrina_on_New_Orleans
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Long-Term Repercussions : Reconstruction
Over 150,000 properties in New Orleans were damaged or destroyed by wind, water, and fire in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This section attempts to outline the immense reconstruction efforts that will be needed after the water has been drained from the City.
The Army Corps of Engineers had determined that it will take around 40 days to drain the water from New Orleans[38]. The wind damage was not as severe as had been projected by meteorologists and most buildings survived intact. However, the failure of several levee systems caused extensive flooding in New Orleans and surrounding parishes and resulted in extensive water damage to most affected buildings. Many buildings that withstood the storm and the direct force of the flooding probably were damaged beyond repair by the deleterious effect of long immersion. Among the threats to buildings is the rapid propagation of mold. [39]. It is unclear how planning for reconstruction will proceed.
The flood waters were contaminated by a very high number of sources, and interactions between these sources and the urban environment are very hard to predict. It was feared that the mixture of chemical and biological contaminants would not disperse naturally for months or years. There was concern that contamination from these pollutants remaining in domestic and street environments would be pervasive and ubiquitous, thus presenting considerable difficulties in ensuring a complete decontamination of affected areas. However, testing found these floodwaters were not unusual.
Some people, including Dennis Hastert,[40] questioned whether federal funds should pay to rebuild New Orleans. Others considered New Orleans's unique cultural heritage and history as important to the United States as, for instance, that of Venice is to Italy, and maintain that to not rebuild and reoccupy the city would be an immeasurable loss in that regard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_Hurricane_Katrina_on_New_Orleans
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