Did you know that portions of most of America's largest cities lie on a floodplain? *
Actually, 39 of the 50 largest American cities lie partly on a floodplain! **
Historically that's because towns and cities developed on rivers to supply daily water needs and also for affordable transportation of commerce.
And in more recent times, the trend is for people to locate near rivers and coastal areas for recreational reasons and continues to be popular. ***
"But FEMA's flood plains might be different from God's floodplains," notes Ricardo Pineda, Chief Floodplain Management Branch, CA Dept of Water Resources, and Member SE Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - East.
"God does not recognize 100-year floods and some levees," says Pineda. "Bottom line, you need to look at the geologic or paleo history of the floodplain."
All of the following cities have portions in a floodplain according to the National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics (NCED):
Albuquerque, NM
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Colorado Springs, CO
Columbus, OH
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
El Paso, TX
Fresno, CA
Fort Worth, TX
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Jacksonville, FL
Kansas City, MO
Memphis, TN
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
New Orleans, LA
New York, NY
Omaha, NE
Oklahoma City, OK
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Sacramento, CA
San Antonio, TX
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
St. Louis, MO
Tulsa, OK
Virginia Beach, VA
Washington, DC
Wichita, KS
So the next time someone tells you that New Orleans should not be rebuilt if it's on a floodplain, you can say,
"Most major American cities lie on a flood plain and for very good reason!"
To find out why we should expect New Orleans and the region to have a bright and prosperous future, click here and watch the short video.
[ I originally posted this October 20th,2005, mere weeks after Katrina. It was reposted in January 10th,2006 after one of the King's shameless Jim Beam swaggered Visit. Impeach and Imprison remains my solution...]
I wrote this and called it" Why NOLA has to be Rebuilt". At the time on TV there were lots of Experts arguing about rebuilding NOLA, mostly the Business Sector. But I was concerned about it's Heart& Soul.....it's Culture, it's Way of Life. Now I just call it remembering NOLA, that is all I can call it. It is about What Katrina did to this country, it reminded us that Racism alive and well.
And that Poverty is not hidden, it next door, it is young and old, Black and White.It is about People, our People being Abandoned. We have been given a Wake Up Call.
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Lessons Unlearned....
It is now August 2008, and yet another Hurricane bears down on Louisiana, and this time there is more trouble on the Horizon. This time there is NO Dome of Horror to shelter 1000's, there is NO Shelter at all set up to shelter the People. The "Evacuation Orders" have been given, but this time the People have NoWhere To Go.....There are not enough Prayers.
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REMEMBERING NOLA...
It is a Way of Life,
It is deep hearted Blues,
It is gin soaked Jazz,
and grits,hushpuppies,and
fresh cornbread.
It is panfried shrimp with limes and hot sauce.
It is three day Gumbo that leaves you sweating and
thirsty.
It is Sunday Church where the buildings rock and
seismic sway.
It is the slideguitar pleading in the still of the night.
It is another Lonely Crooner sending shockwaves in an old
riverfront garage.
It is women swaying in gauzy dresses and men in
timeless suits.
It is granmommies lullabying babes, and singing
This Ol'Man with a hum and a roll.
It is where old folks are tended with loving gentle hands
and Respect.
It is where Family is a Way of Life.
In New Orleans a clock is merely an instrument,
But Time is a Place to be.
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