[Mr. Wyndham]

I've had the "pleasure" of doing extensive research on the Katrina disaster in school....

She was a Category 5 in the gulf, and it hit New Orleans as a Category 3. The majority of the structures the city were designed to handle a Category 3 Hurricane -- however, they were poorly maintained over the years. Consequently, the levees broke when the storm surge from lake Pontchartrain hit AFTER the Hurricane passed over. (It's a common misconception that the Hurricane itself actually destroyed the city) This resulted in a 80% total flooding and loss of the city.

Why? Because 80% of the city is BELOW sea level! The damage was estimated at approximately $200 BILLION, and the gov't has only allocated about half of that amount for a rebuild effort, 3 years later...

We held a debate in class over what the residents should do. Come back? Stay? Get out? I said that they should get out, and set up shop somewhere else. Take the allocated money and begin to build a new city somewhere...because eventually; this natural disaster is going to happen again, but worse. And any money we pour into the rebuilding of the city will be wasted in an utter destruction again. Moreover; why subject yourself to the same emotional pain and anguish that Katrina caused, again? It just made no sense to me to stay...and it seems that we're seeing why right now........