Their Levees vs. Our Levees

[PA Democrat]

Here's how the British hold back the waters from flooding London:






And the Dutch solution to protecting an entire nation that mostly rests below sea level:






The Italians are defending their city on the sea, Venice:





And...
Here's how the richest, most powerful and technologically advanced
nation on earth protected against the long-forecasted flooding of New Orleans:



http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0112-15.htm

[pitohui]

1. those floodwalls aren't worth crap

i used to live by london ave. floodwall and we were led to believe it was perfectly safe, the other couple who lived in the house w. me are dead now by drowning

no more floodwalls, i don't even ask for modern flash like the london etc. examples, just a good old traditional levee like what protected french quarter and uptown will do perfectly well

[gizmo1979]

2. Pretty sad isn't it

and there are no plans to improve it.They want people back but won't improve the levee's .You're not going to put your family in danger again unless they prove they can protect you better.

[Ilsa]

3. Emailed out & Recommended. Thanks a bunch! eom

[PA Democrat]

4. Kick

[Ilsa]

5. NPR has been running awesome reports on the continuing

suffering of poeple in the NOLA area.

In one report they said that emergency mental health care waiting had stretched from two days to a month. In another report, they said there were only six emergency rooms in NO, and anyone with difficult and serious chronic health problems should stay away because of the long waits. They said the emergency vehicles have an off-load wait of 400 minutes! The chief of an emergency dept was dreading what Mardi Gras could bring, because that is always a bad night anyway.

And :kick:

[PA Democrat]

6. I received this story from an autism listserve and I have to say that

my heart just broke. The response to Katrina has been so inadequate in so many ways, but especially so for our most vulnerable citizens.

Police: La. couple die in murder-suicide

Associated Press

AUSTELL, Ga. - A New Orleans couple who had been chased from their home by Hurricane Katrina died in an apparent murder-suicide, leaving behind an infant and a severely injured 4-year-old boy.

<snip>

Police Lt. Gordon Firth said they found the woman dead in the living room, and her injured son strapped in a nearby high chair.

A SWAT team found Jerome Spears, 28, in a back bedroom, dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot, Starrett said.

Starrett initially said the boy had been beaten so severely that both of his eyes were shut, but authorities later said he might have been shot. The boy, who Firth said is autistic, underwent surgery Wednesday morning at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/13708275.htm

[Ilsa]

8. Sigh. As the mother of an autistic child, it breaks my heart.

I hope he ends up with a family who knows what they are doing and can work with him and love him.

[dooner]

7. excellent photos, thanks for posting. n/t