Restoring efforts
The future that is in stake for New Orleans is still unclear. It lies in the rebuilding efforts, new innovations, and restorations that will keep the city breathing. As of now, they have made a lot of progress in the re structuring of canals, levees, barges etc. and are now able to withstand category five hurricanes. With so many natural disasters beating down on the city more often, every hurricane season makes the city more on edge and more prepared. Since the storm, they have talked about adding a subterranean drainage system that would channel water more effectively and get it out quickly. Moving pumping stations is another simple possible way to prevent New Orleans from being flooded.
"Make it Right" Foundation
The foundation chose to set up in the Lower 9th Ward and rebuild there. Brad Pitt founded and is the face of the program. The foundation was created to build healthy homes, buildings and communities for people in need. New Orleans was the first place to see the newly constructed homes. So far, they have construction 90 homes and is working to finish the remaining 60 homes. Each home is LEED Platinum certified by the USGBC. Due to new innovations in construction materials and building designs, homes there can now withstand 200 mph winds and up to category 5 hurricanes. All the homes are made up of Hardie Board which is a type of wall board that if it gets wet, it will simply dry out, rather than it needing to be gutted out. It will remain structural even during major flooding. They also are using pervious concrete that will work to absorb water and reduce the amount of surface runoff. It was also fight against flooding. There has been negative feedback from the surrounding residents of New Orleans on the designs of the homes however. NOLA is very protective of keeping their classic architecture alive and in tact, however the homes are have been described as too modern and does not fit well with the rest of the city.
Major Constructions
By 2011, the greater New Orleans area was scheduled to have a 350 mile ring of levees, flood walls, gates and pumps to defend against the effects of a severe storm. Without these, the future of New Orleans will suffer from constant future and more frequent beating of natural disasters.
Loss of Wetlands
A major concern for not just New Orleans, but the state of Louisiana is the rehabilitation of wetlands. They need to be more protected from storm surges. Wetlands act as a natural barrier against wind driven water, but wetlands are being destroyed by saltwater intrusion everyday. Hand planting is very costly and time consuming, making it hard to implement. An average of 34 square miles of South Louisiana land, mostly marsh, has disappeared each year for the past five decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Most of this loss has occurred in the state of Louisiana, making it a constant threat for the safety of the state. By 2050, the city will be closer to and more exposed to the Gulf of Mexico due to the massive amounts of erosion of the wetlands. Storm surge and storm waves will increase if we lose more wetlands and the barrier coast. This basically means that New Orleans will become more and more vulnerable to inundation.
Restoration plans for Wetlands
In an effort to rebuild the state's wetlands, programs such as the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act and the Breaux Act are working on restoration projects and provide the funding for them. A total of 75 projects have already been built but are somewhat small in scale. Senator Mary Landrieu has also proposed a Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief and Economic Recovery Act which would provide $250 billion for hurricane reconstruction, as well as $40 billion in ecosystem restoration and levee improvements. It would also serve to help rebuild the wetlands and barrier islands of Louisiana.
Restoration plans for shrinking Barrier Islands
The damning of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers have reduced the amount of sediments that reach the gulf. Even the amounts that reach the delta are further lost into the deep waters of the gulf due to constant dredging for the navigation of ships. There is talk about connecting the barrier islands with additional levees or sea gates to create a continuous rim around the delta. The sea gates would allow a normal flow but would then close during heavy storms. It has a projected cost of $15 to $16 billion dollars though.
Turning lowest lying areas into parks
With flooding a constant problem, there are talks about turning high flood risk areas (those lowest lying) to parks and recreational areas. This is very controversial in the sense that the areas that are lowest below sea level are areas of New Orleans that are currently home to the poor African American's who cannot afford to relocate or simply do not want to leave.