Their New Orleans

I once asked the question, “What’s the next big city to flood?” The answer given was Sacramento, according to the city’s newspaper.

This shows that we are not alone.

The question shouldn't be: “Why rebuild in New Orleans?” It should be: “Why build in areas which may flood?” And the answer is because people live there. New Orleans is not the only place protected by levees, and the country needs to invest in plans to keep those places safe.

The LA Times gets it:

Most of Sacramento is saved from routine flooding only by miles of levees, many of dubious reliability. Area flood-control officials say that more than 300,000 people and 140,000 structures could be affected by a serious flood.

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In general, homeowners are not required by lenders to carry flood insurance, even if they live in flood plains. And many do not. That means taxpayers will doubtless be stuck with the bill when and if Sacramento becomes another New Orleans.

Pay now, or pay more later.

And, please, politicians, let’s invest in some infrastructure. When we privatize everything and leave it up to private companies or contractors to take care of public services, the public doesn’t get served. I guess there is just no money in building levees the right way.