What To Do After Katrina?

Dave Schuler, "against (his) better judgment," has some thoughts on what should and shouldn't be done in Katrina's aftermath. His first suggestion that "The federal government should not rebuild New Orleans" will likely be misinterpreted as meaning that New Orleans shouldn't be rebuilt, period. But that is not what he is proposing. (I am being preemptively protective, even though Dave can handle himself, and only because of my respect for Dave's intellect. And I know readers.) I agree that any rebuilding should be done through private investment, as has been done with much success in the past (as Dave outlines here).

I spoke at length with a resident of Houston yesterday, a long-time successful businessman. It is his belief that many of those evacuees now in his city are likely to stay. He also has been a frequent visitor to New Orleans, knows the city almost as well as a native and has a deep affection for it. He does not think that New Orleans will ever be "the same." This is both good and bad.

The real estate market in Houston is spiking as execs from NO have started to buy houses in Houston. Mid-market housing is also showing upward pressure. Jobs are already being offered to the displaced and many are expressing a desire to become Texans. This brings up Barbara Bush's comment from the other day:

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality," she said during a radio interview with the American Public Media program "Marketplace." "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

Now, the Bush family is not known for its command of the interview and this statement does demonstrate a whiff of Marie-Antoinette. However, the truth is that the Texas Exodus (hey, I just coined a phrase) may indeed turn out to be a leg-up for many people who have lost everything and may never have had much. If there is opportunity in Texas, why not stay? It really isn't all that scary, Barbara. Houston does like to call itself the "city of opportunity."

I think that the greatest threat will be to public health. We do not know if there will be any long-term health problems from the witches' brew that many of these people were exposed to.

As for NOLA itself, when I see pictures of black water being pumped into Lake Pontchartrain, all I can think of is Love Canal.

As the Gulf Coast rebuilds, there are some things that need to be addressed for the future. John Stossel was on O'Reilly last night talking about how he has scammed the system by building a house on the beach, only to get it paid for by FEMA when the sea took it. There is something deeply dysfunctional about having government subsidize luxury houses that are likely to be demolished.

Also, the rush to build a bigger and better levee and flood wall system for NOLA should be quelled. There needs to be a more far-sighted approach to the environmental issues of the Mississippi Delta and the river. We literally cannot afford to ignore this most important of waterways.

I also like Dave's suggestion for revitalizing Civil Defense. Not only would this make disaster response quicker and more effective, it would engage more regular citizens in the care and maintenance of our cities, states and ultimately, our nation.

UPDATE: I haven't had time to look through the website, but here is the link for The American Civil Defense Association. From the site:

"The mission of The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA) is to effectively provide information, tools and resources that empower American Citizens with a comprehensive understanding of reasonable preparedness strategies and techniques, in turn, promoting a self-reliant, pro-active approach to protecting themselves, their families and their communities in the event of Nuclear, Biological, Chemical or other manmade and natural disasters.
By joining with TACDA and becoming a member of The American Civil Defense Association, you too can play a significant role in strengthening preparedness efforts and moving America closer toward a confident civil defense

TACDA's ability to empower our members to learn about and understand validated threats, assist them in making reasonable and practical emergency and disaster preparations, and advocating improved civil defense measures nationwide is made possible by the financial support of our members and friends. This financial support comes via revenues generated from annual membership dues, direct gifts and donations, and other special fund-raising projects and events."

This looks more like fund-raising than actual training and organizing, but as I said, I haven't had the time yet to look through the entire site. I grew up in an area that was served almost exclusively by volunteer EMS and Fire Companies. There was a great deal of civic pride and service in there. We could use more of that.

 

Comments

[Dave Schuler]

Thanks, Dan. I've updated the post to include Alex Tabarrok's suggestion for expanding Section 8 housing vouchers to include Katrina victims. I think the idea needs investigation and fleshing-out but it could well be part of a solution.