New Orleans: "We're Trying to Get a Real Commitment"

As President Obama prepares for his four-hour visit to New Orleans tomorrow, he could do worse than to call Nancy Sutley, the director of his Council on Environmental Quality, and ask her for the Lake Ponchartrain Foundation's report.  The report, released yesterday, lists the specific projects necessary for a basic restoration of coastal wetlands that buffer New Orleans from the severity of approaching hurricanes. 

The only project of any size the report praises for having been completed is, ironically, the closure of the MRGO canal that critics long predicted would funnel dangerous storm surge into the heart of New Orleans.  It's widely blamed for doing exactly that during the Katrina event.  The Corps of Engineers, while denying that assertion, bowed to the will of Congress and closed the canal.

Other projects rated as urgent languish for lack of federal funding. 

...the cost of a river diversion into the Maurepas Swamp could total nearly $150 million.

"What we're trying to get out of Obama is a commitment, a real commitment to that kind of funding," said Anne Rheams, the executive director of the foundation. "That's the only way it's ever going to happen."

Gee, $150 million...I guess that is asking a lot.  So is asking for "a real commitment"....But the town hall will be nice, and the school kids will be charming.

Follow Harry Shearer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/letwits

Comments

[Bogstomper]

This reminds me of a piece Bill Maher did a while back, about how America seems incapable of getting things done the way we used to. Four years after Katrina, and New Orleans is still looking for a "commitment?" Does it really have to take so long to make things happen?

[dkalbach]

Go back to the beginning and look at the politics. I have no doubt that if New Orleans had been a Republican enclave, its problems would have been fixed quickly. Letting Katrina get rid of Democratic-leaning voters in New Orleans was a no-brainer for the GOP.

[Cosatjockomo]

And now that the Dems are in control, they do nothing, because they don't want Bobby Jindal to look good.

[Bogstomper]

"I have no doubt that if New Orleans had been a Republican enclave, its problems would have been fixed quickly."

I'm not convinced this is a party-specific problem. I think it has more to do with the way we're choked by bureaucracy.

Example. If you want to know part of the reason we have problems like the poor response to Katrina, look at FEMA's "National Response Plan" that was in effect at the time. It's not about disasters, it's about "incidents of national significance." No more catastrophes; they're "catastrophic events." And FEMA apparently doesn't respond to disasters, they conduct "incident management activities."

Using FEMA's own language, the title should have been "National Incidents of National Significance Incident Management Activities Plan." That kind of muddled language encourages muddled thinking and muddled action.

I know that's just one piece of the puzzle, but I think it's an important one. The muddled language favored by bureaucrats makes it harder than necessary to get real results.

[Bill Gardner]

Of course you are right the money is not enough, then again no amount of money will save New Orleans, with the coming warming of the planet New Orleans will be under water all the time, so throwing money into a hole maybe noble but it is not smart. Unless you want to go Holland model on New Orleans and that is $300 to $500 billion which will be needed all along the gulf coast and then eastern seabord. We cannot afford billions we send to Pakistan, but unlike New Orleans, they have nukes so, New Orleans is not a priority to anyone except people of New Orleans.

[RegDame]

YAY! MRGO has got up and gone. It should never have been dug. The problem with the Corps of Engineers is that their Engineering flunks. Any geek taking Hydraulics 101 should understand Bernoulli's theorem, which says that a fixed amount of water will pile up (like a tsunami) and speed up when it encounters a narrow channel that it absolutely has to get through. But of course the Corps brass didn't listen to all those smart folks who tried to warn them from the beginning. Now maybe Nature will be allowed to rebuild the natural delta out past the city, with some intelligent assistance. And maybe people will become at least as important as shipping.

[CrescentCityRay]

As a part of us New Orleanians trying to get a real commitment, anyone interested in New Orleans getting reliable levees and wetlands restoration, which used to do a great job of protecting our city from storm surge before the US Army Corps of Engineers did their thing on us is cordially invited to come on down between Jackson Square and the river from 9 to 10 am and participate in our non-political

New Orleans Cat 5 Levee and Coastal Restoration NOW Rally

which is intended to be an opportunity for New Orleanians to voice their recovery concerns before the national media, just a couple of hours before the President comes to town for his TOWN HALL meeting with the lucky few. Many plan to wear life jackets and rubber boots and carry cardboard boats and carry signs stating the message they wish to be heard by outsiders, national news and the federal government. There will be no formal speakers, just lots of press and friendly, creative, New Orleans loving people. Even our Challmations and Metry neigbors are welcome if they can brave a trip to the Quarter.

A rally flier with more detailed information can be downloaded at:
http://www.crescentcityrecovery.com/

It should be a fun event. Remember to keep it moving, keep it peaceful and most of all, have fun with your neighbors!

[PAbodysurfer]

Harry,

Love your appearances on NPR and on Keith Olbermann. Keep fighting for New Orleans!
I am a small business owner trying to identify an agency (or agencies) that are assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina that have been displaced and are trying to repair the damage to their homes and/or are simply trying to return home. If you have a web link or contact # that you could pass along that would be great!

I hope that President Obama's visit there tomorrow will help draw national attention back to New Orleans. I was there last February and have never been more angry and sad at the same time. The inaction on the part of Bush/Cheney immediately following Katrina and up until the time they left office is criminal!

I trust that Obama will rally the country around New Orleans and remind them of what has been lost!

[Harry Shearer - Huffpost Blogger]

Try Common Ground Relief, and Covenant House New Orleans.

[BioLiberty]

Thanks Harry,

As a military veteran and volunteer from day one of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustov and Ike, I know that our government has turn disaster relief into a political football. I has nothing to do with saving lives or property anymore.The goal of FEMA and it's republican subcontractors is to maximize on the opportunities and profits that come about during and after such disasters. Opportunities like testing their models for a police state and at the same time being so incompetent as to waste billions of dollars on absolutely nothing of value and a contract with built in costs plus 10% profits and no accountability. Wow, What a Racket!

[skatoolaki]

Thank you for helping!

It was not only the inaction of Bush/Cheney after Katrina that was awful, it was utterly reprehnsible. While Bush and his administration were *well aware* New Orleans was flooding, the rest of us were kept in the dark. Help could have been sent right away. It wasn't because we did not know to send it.

Let me just say that I work for the State and in an agency loosely affiliated with the Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP, now GOHSEP). From what I have been told, OEP was not notified until after the fact that New Orleans was flooding, or - at that point - had flooded. The White House knew long before they notified anyone down here in Louisiana who could have done something about it. Yes, people were left to die - trapped and drowning. I have heard this from numerous people in high positions that worked at OEP that night, so I don't doubt that it is true. If Bush could do *that*, then it isn't a far jump to understand the lack of concern and help afterward.

[unitron]

"While Bush and his administration were *well aware* New Orleans was flooding, the rest of us were kept in the dark."

My impression was that it was more the other way around, everyone *except* the Bush administration knew that there was a first class disaster going on there, but apparently neither W. nor anybody working for him had a radio or a television set or access to newspapers.

[drallen]

I think it is foolish to spend money trying to protect land that is below sea level. No amount of money can ultimately save this land. After the hurricane, many people expressed the opinion that the low land should left to return to it's natural state but that position was ignored by local politicians who wanted to see the city rebuilt.

It is undeniable that much money is spent and sometimes wasted on other projects mentioned in these comments. But that doesn't justify spending money on this project. Funds would be much better spent on improving the quality of life of the people who were dislocated by the flooding and others in similar positions. It is time to apply sense rather than sentiment to this question.

[LJRettie]

Booo-urns...

[Harry Shearer - Huffpost Blogger]

First, more than half of New Orleans is at or above sea level. SEcond, most river ports are at or near sea level The only people who expressed the opinion that the low land "should left to return to it's natural state" were out-of-town urban planners. New Orleanians love their home, and those who were exiled from it want nothing more, in most cases, than to be able to come home. Sentiment? Yeah. So is patriotism.

[Rizz]

Well, patriotism isn't going to rebuild those homes, now is it?

Oh wait... ;P

[skatoolaki]

Poor Harry. You must get so tired of repeating the same information and details - facts and truths - over and over in every article and sometimes repeatedly in comments from just one article! I applaud your tireless efforts. Even being a native Louisianian who suffered through Katrina (though in Baton Rouge) and New Orleans-lover and supporter who saw so many friends and loved ones lose everything and be scattered as if by the winds all over this nation, I have learned a lot from not only your articles, but the info you give out in comments to those who just do not understand the basic facts.

As a matter of fact, I have begun saving your comments that teach me something I did not know and intend to do further research on them all and put all of the information and facts together in one blog post for people to refer to. I wouldn't be able to do that without you, though, because you are one of the few people still fighting for our beloved city, her people, and for the federal government to own up to - or at least make right - the mistakes they made that cost so many lives in so many ways. I can't thank you enough for continuing what I *know* is, at times, a thankless fight. You have my support.

[marco01]

Yet somehow the Netherlands has been able to do the same for centuries. Why has the Netherlands been able to accomplish this for a large portion of their country but the US can't do it for one city?

[skatoolaki]

Because it's easier to ignore the problem. For decades there have been those that fought for money to shore up our levees. And for decades, it was a fringe that was often ignored.

The way I always saw it was this: politicians do not often stump for long-term plans. They are not interested in tackling problems that have no immediate impact, that won't show how awesome they are before election time comes 'round again. The idea of New Orleans flooding or the "big storm" that may someday come (which was actually not Katrina) was a "maybe" thing. And few politicians were going to jeopardize their chances of re-election by hawking the need to spend millions shoring up a levee system for a "maybe". Not when there were so many other immediate problems that need tackling (this state has many, believe me) that could, also, produce immediate results.

No one wanted to be the person that agreed to spend millions (maybe billions) to fix levees that may never fail due to a hurricane that may or may not come.

[bdlassiter]

Ahhh the real world, & this will bring jobs

[eyepatch]

Fear not Harry....President Obama will not disappoint!
The needs of New Orleans are many and the previous
administration did a lot of talking without doing anything
about the situation left from the aftermath of hurricane
Katrina, but President Obama will do what he can to
release the funding that the Bush administration promised
but never released! and yes the Federal Government must address the problem
of the disappearing wetlands that protect New Orleans....

He has only been in office 9 months but he has don't
more in 9 months than Bush did in 8 years....lets be patient
yet vigilant!

[LatteLibertine]

If we can endlessly bail out Wall Street and corporations, as well as fight wars with no end, we can hook up New Orleans. Please get real and get with it, Mr. President.

[LJRettie]

I second that...

[skatoolaki]

Agreed. It's difficult to see such resources - time and money - being dumped into all of these other things, yet one of this country's most important cities is left to dry rot.

[William50]

New Orleans ; a perfect example of the Republican and Democratic parties refusal to help Americans.
If you are a supporter of either major party you should be a shamed of your party. There has been more money spent in Iraq to rebuild then in New Orleans. The truth is the areas outside the city proper, to the south were hit even harder and they are still a waste land while the proper American government refuses to rebuild.
middleamerican2010, a small group that is interested in putting five to ten people into congress over the next two elections would demand action and real accountability in rebuilding this hard hit area.
Thousands of people, millions of workers are out of work, working half time and no benifits. What is wrong with a real program, controlled by small business owners, financed by the feds to put people back to work in America at prevailing Federal wages in this area.
Every dollar accounted for. All material bought at real prices not federal wage uncontrolled values. Forty hours of work a week. First the management end, no eastern controllers here just hard already knowledgeable business interests with 85 percent small less then 200 men businesses. Then a police force, military style to protect the supplies and workers with shoot on site orders. Yes, middle america would put Americans back to work rebuilding America! What can you say for your party? (well we saved the banks!)
middleamerican2010
Casey

[Agent420]

I'd like to take issue with one of your sentences in your post.

"There has been more money spent in Iraq to rebuild then[sic] in New Orleans."

I think you should have said, "There has been more money wasted in Irag to rebuild than in New Orleans."

The money spent in Iraq for rebuilding has disappeared.

[RepugsOut08]

"The money spent in Iraq for rebuilding has disappeared."

Just to take your effort at clarification one step further, the money for rebuilding in Iraq can probably be found in Bush and Cheney's Swiss bank account.

[fogbreath]

trillions for war, as little as we can get away with for the gulf coast.

[C65]

FOGBREATH,
You complain about everything that Bush/Chaney did for IRAQ,now, but where were you and the TEABAGGERS,while they were in office,STARTING WARS and doing nothing to help New Orleans?
To top it off,you've shown distain for this administration before it was even ELECTED,by
your vote and support for REPUBLICANS AGAIN,both in the Presidential race and
your Governors races.SO KEEP YOUR COMPLAINTS TO YOURSELF,OR TELL YOUR
STATE SENATORS AND REPS. IN WASHINGTON,TO SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT IF
YOU WANT YOUR NEEDS ADDRESSED OR SHUT THE HE$$ UP.

[Moonlighter]

Well, how about instead of Mardi Gras 2010, you turn it into a protest march along the parade route. Or, bring the Mardi Gras to D.C. and roll it through there? Use what you have.

And the music lovers out there, check out The Human Levee Music Project at http://www.humanlevee.com

[alumcreek]

A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon your're talking real money.

Everet McKinley Dircksen minority leader of the Senate said this in the mid 1960s. A measly 44 years ago.

BTW when Dircksen died while in office, the FBI inventoried the contents. Several shoe boxes filled with $100 bills totaling nearly $3 million were reputedly found in his closet. What a thrifty man he must have been? Too bad he never ran the treasury. He was a Republican but not the kind we have today.

[RepugsOut08]

$150 million for urgent flood protection.
Approximately the same amount the health insurance industry has spent in the last few months lobbying to kill health care reform on Capitol Hill.
$150 million used to sound like alot, but now, thanks to the greedy examples shown by the entities who control this nation, we realize it's just spare change to them.
And let's talk "socialism."
"Brother, can you spare a trillion so my rich Wall Street and Banking friends can remain disgustingly rich, even though it was their own fault they lost their a$$es and crashed the economy?"
And the inevitable response? "Of course! You can't be allowed to fail! Congress! Check, please!"
"NOW!"
And the flipside....
"Brother, can you spare a few million so my city and family might not drown from further Federal incompetence?"
And the inevitable response? "Get a job!"
Perhaps Obama will encourage the school kids to take swimming lessons.

[StuManChu]

Hmmm, where did the money go? We can't seem to build new towers in NYC either. Maybe government is not the answer to run projects. They seem to come up short EVERY TIME.

[RepugsOut08]

The money went to Halliburton and other corporations.
What you are forgetting, is that WE, you and me, are the government. Don't feel bad, though. Most of the nation has forgotten it as well.
If the people ever finally remember this simple fact, and assume their rightful control, the corporations and insurance companies will finally bow to us, instead of us bowing to them.
Of course the ones actually in control want you to hate the government, don't they? Think about it.

[telebob59]

Pree-cisely! The forces (corporations, govt. representa­tives--ele­cted or appointed--acting on behalf of corporations, the media, owned by corporations) who whip up frenzies of the more ignorant and easily swayed among the populace over things like 'socialism' and 'welfare cheats' see to it that little or no attention is given to the hand-in-glove symbiosis between Halliburton, Blackwater, etc. and the government concerning no-bid contracts and the like. Then there's Boeing, General Dynamics and other defense-related corporate institutions who are more than propped up by the Federal government. Banking and finance? Don't get me started as space doesn't permit. The junta is in control to the point of manufacturing misplaced outrage, Glenn Beck, tea parties, etc. So is it any wonder the ACE functions in a similar fashion regarding the protection of NOLA?

[luziannagirl]

Fanned and faved, Repugs.

[skatoolaki]

Wow - favorited & fanned. Very well said.