Official Hurricane Katrina Thread

[ObiwanGinobili]

http://www.issues2000.org/Domestic/J...nvironment.htm

and here's a news story about it...
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-break...1827-9045r.htm

By Phil Magers
United Press International


Two of Louisiana's top political leaders Wednesday proposed legislation to push ahead with restoration of the state's vanishing wetlands, but they might not be on the same page.


Sen. David Vitter, R-La., unveiled a five-bill package that he said would avoid pitfalls of past campaigns, but apparently not in coordination with Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

"Louisiana loses a football field of land every 38 minutes -- and the clock never stops ticking," the senator said in an announcement of his comprehensive package.

Vitter said his legislation is an action plan, not just another study of the problem that Louisiana politicians have argued for years should be a concern for the whole nation.

Meanwhile, Blanco was proposing a state cons utional amendment that would assure Congress that any new federal oil and gas royalties would be used for coastal restoration.

Blanco called Vitter's proposals a "good beginning" but said she wanted to examine them in greater detail. She said her office had received a summary by fax Wednesday.

"I will probably have some suggestions to strengthen his proposals," she said.

Blanco called it "absolutely critical" for members of the congressional delegation to work with each other and the state on the long-sought plan to rebuild the coastline.

The outflow of the Mississippi River created the largest expanse of wetlands in North America, but years of oil and gas production, river-control measures and hurricanes have eroded 1,900 square miles of land.

It's a national issue because the marshes offer habitat for migratory waterfowl, the fishery off the coast produces 30 percent of the nation's commercial catch, and more than 18 percent of the nation's oil and gas comes from the coast.

The restoration of the coast, where more than 2 million people live, is also important to the oil industry. It would protect important infrastructure like Port Fourchon, a major access point for oil and gas that goes across the nation.

The Louisiana restoration campaign originally sought $14 billion in federal money over 20 years, but federal budget cutters forced supporters to scale back. Congress has failed to act on recent bills, and Vitter wants to press ahead.

"I have carefully put together this action plan to avoid past pitfalls that kept legislative solutions for saving Louisiana's coast from passing, and through my service on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Senate Commerce Committee, I'll work to shepherd these bills through," he said. "This is a crucial issue to Louisiana, and to the nation."

One of the bills, The Comprehensive Ecosystem and Security Enhancement Act, would set up a state-federal framework for long-term restoration, including the authorization of $1.9 billion in federal money to get the ball rolling in the next few years. It would ensure that the project is operated in a cost-effective manner, the senator said.

A mul ask force led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be created, and $100 million would be provided for a science and technology program to ensure that taxpayer money is spent only on proven restoration methods.

Another $100 million would be authorized to coordinate the re-use of earth dredged from the bottom of the Mississippi River and other Louisiana waterways to help rebuild the coastline under the supervision of the Corps of Engineers.

Another measure in Vitter's package would address an issue Blanco and the state's congressional delegation have pressed for years as the answer to long-term funding of the restoration project: a more equitable share of royalties from oil and gas production.

Currently, the federal government keeps all but a tiny portion of the royalties from offshore Louisiana oil and gas production. Three years ago the federal government collected more than $5 billion in royalty receipts, but Louisiana got only about $30 million of it, or roughly 1 percent.

In contrast, inland states with federal lands get 50 percent of the royalties from oil and gas production on those lands. Louisiana wants a bigger share of the royalties, but it's been a tough sell in Washington because of tough fiscal times.

Blanco's cons utional amendment would require that new offshore royalties go into a trust fund dedicated to coastal restoration, apparently a move to allay fears of some members of Congress that it might be used for other purposes.

The amendment would have to be approved by the Legislature, which goes into session April 25. If approved, it would go before Louisiana voters in the fall of next year.

Vitter also wants to rectify another disparity in the collection of royalties that he said punishes Louisiana and two neighboring states. They can't collect as much in royalties as Texas and Florida because they have more extended offshore boundaries.

The boundaries of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama extend 3 miles out in the Gulf, while Texas and Florida's boundaries extend 9 miles. Under a 1952 law, the boundaries were based on whether a state could prove claims to those waters existed prior to their admission to the union.

Vitter said his bill would eliminate "this unfairness" by making all the boundaries 9 miles. The extension of the boundaries would mean from $500 million to $1 billion in additional royalties for Louisiana, he said.

Other measures in the package would encourage alternative energy uses of federal offshore waters for such projects as wind power, with a royalty-sharing mechanism for states, and the coordination and sharing of resources by federal agencies working on the project.

Earlier this year, the Army Corps of Engineers completed a 15-month study that supporters of the coastal restoration plan believe will help make the case to Congress. It offers a detailed feasibility study on the first critical projects of the restoration project.

[SpursWoman]

Effot to sandbag at the breach failed, about to overload the pumping house at 17th st canal. East bank will rise 3 feet, 12-15 feet of flood water incoming.

what are you watching? (or reading?)

[Ginofan]

Effot to sandbag at the breach failed, about to overload the pumping house at 17th st canal. East bank will rise 3 feet, 12-15 feet of flood water incoming.

Good grief! The words "getting worse and worse" just don't cover it anymore.

[j-6]

what are you watching? (or reading?)

http://www.wwltv.com/perl/common/vid...props=livenoad

[Ginofan]

Thanks Obiwan, I doubt the Gov. can ignore the pleas of this project now.

[CosmicCowboy]

Yeah, it sounds pretty ty to say this, but maybe who ever is in charge of that type of thing needed something like this disaster to happen...to finally realize that rebuilding the coastline and such is long overdue.

Or maybe it's time to realize that this is a changing world and we a humans do what we have done for ten thousand years.

Adapt...

There are some things in nature you can't plan for and control and hurricanes are one of them.

FEMA is actually to blame for part of it. Take the federal insurance element out of the equation.

You want to build here? You want to plunk your money down knowing there is no insurance if you get wiped out by a hurricane? Fine...

we will rescue your stupid ass but we sure won't subsidize you rebuilding to live here again...

[ObiwanGinobili]

http://www.americaswetland.com/artic...ageid=3&cid=18

another good link on rebuild issue.

[Jelly]

There are some heartwarming stories and more evidence of the goodness of people.
Anderson Cooper is about to do a story about people trying to help a beached seal. He is stranded on pavement and they are bringing water to it.
It also touched me to see so many people saving animals and trying to stay alive and wading through the water but still holding onto their pets even though they could get by much easier if they just let them go.

[j-6]

They were only using one helicopter in the efforts to sandbag the breach, and they spent more time refueling the chopper than actually dropping sandbags.

Yuck, people are tying corpes to the poles when they see them floating around.

[j-6]

My god, look at all the people they rescued off of Airline Freeway just today.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Damn, Mississippi says over 100 confirmed dead.

[j-6]

WWL blog update:

6:41 P.M. - Efforts to stop the levee break at the 17th Street Canal have ended unsuccessfully and the water is expected to soon overwhelm the pumps in that area, allowing water to pour into the east bank of Metairie and Orleans to an expected height of 12-15 feet.

[Jelly]

They were only using one helicopter in the efforts to sandbag the breach, and they spent more time refueling the chopper than actually dropping sandbags.

Yuck, people are tying corpes to the poles when they see them floating around.

where are you guys getting this stuff? I don't see any of this.

[j-6]

where are you guys getting this stuff? I don't see any of this.

The reporter at WWL's transmitter in Gretna said all that, including the story about the 17th St Canal.

Here's the link:

http://www.wwltv.com/perl/common/vid...props=livenoad

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

6:41 P.M. - Efforts to stop the levee break at the 17th Street Canal have ended unsuccessfully and the water is expected to soon overwhelm the pumps in that area, allowing water to pour into the east bank of Metairie and Orleans to an expected height of 12-15 feet.

Looks like this guy was right...

When the computer models showed Walter Maestri what would happen after a hurricane hit New Orleans, he wrote big letters on the map: "KYAGB—kiss your ass good bye." Photo: William Brangham/NOW with Bill Moyers

[Horry For 3!]

My friend just said shes never going back to New Orleans that she has lost everything that there is no point. She is going to try to find a job in Miami and live there with her mom for now.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Mayor says it won't be 12-15 ft of water, only 9 in all of New Orleans.

Well, that's good news.

[j-6]

The reporter asked the engineer in charge of filling the breach how long it would take to fill it and the engineer had no answer.

Guess CosmicCowboy was right.

[SpursWoman]

My friend just said shes never going back to New Orleans that she has lost everything that there is no point. She is going to try to find a job in Miami and live there with her mom for now.

After going through this and the fact that her mom just got her power back from Katrina's first, does she really think that's a safer alternative?


In any case, the best of luck to her.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The reporter asked the engineer in charge of filling the breach how long it would take to fill it and the engineer had no answer.

Guess CosmicCowboy was right.

Not to discount CC, but it was pretty damn obvious looking at that huge ass gap in the levy that the city was going to become part of Pontchartraine before they could plug that gap.

Watch the faces of the people on that press conference the governor was giving (particularly the younger girl to her right). Those people know the city of New Orleans is ed.

Whoever said we'd wake up tomorrow to NO as part of the lake pretty much hit it on the head.

[AlamoSpursFan]

My friend just said shes never going back to New Orleans that she has lost everything that there is no point. She is going to try to find a job in Miami and live there with her mom for now.

There's an old saying about a frying pan and a fire that comes to mind right about now...

[timvp]

My friend just said shes never going back to New Orleans that she has lost everything that there is no point. She is going to try to find a job in Miami and live there with her mom for now.

You might want to tell your friend that Miami is probably the next big city to go.

Middle America is her friend.

[exstatic]

I think as the weeks drag into months, a LOT of people won't be going back.

[j-6]

Not to discount CC, but it was pretty damn obvious looking at that huge ass gap in the levy that the city was going to become part of Pontchartraine before they could plug that gap.

Watch the faces of the people on that press conference the governor was giving (particularly the younger girl to her right). Those people know the city of New Orleans is ed.

Whoever said we'd wake up tomorrow to NO as part of the lake pretty much hit it on the head.

, I'm not discounting him. Now that we know they only used one helicopter in the efforts, maybe it was a symbolic gesture. , I don't know. What I do know is that if they knew they couldn't fill the breach, they should have used that helicopter to save people, like all the citizens in their personal fishing boats were doing.

I'm not MMQB'ing, but I thought that breach was as obviously unsalvagable as you do. And every ing resource available oughta be going into getting the refugees the outta there.

[j-6]

****ALL RESIDENTS ON THE EAST BANK OF ORLEANS AND JEFFERSON REMAINING IN THE METRO AREA ARE BEING TOLD TO EVACUATE AS EFFORTS TO SANDBAG THE LEVEE BREAK HAVE ENDED. THE PUMPS IN THAT AREA ARE EXPECTED TO FAIL SOON AND 9 FEET OF WATER IS EXPECTED IN THE ENTIRE EAST BANK. WITHIN THE NEXT 12-15 HOURS****