Monday, October 20, 2008

The 4,900-year gap

A neighbor from Vista Park had another letter in The Times Picayune today.

KC is one of the few people in New Orleans who truly understands the risk of living here. As he rebuilds his home just a few hundred feet from the London Avenue Canal breach, KC has been tireless in his efforts to get the word out: We Are Not OK.

Just one small point I need to make about KC's letter: the Dutch design goal is to provide for a MINIMUM 1,250-year event, mostly in farm or less-developed areas of the county. Highly populated urban or industrial regions get 10,000-year protection (0.01 percent chance of exceedence per year).

But KC is cold correct when he points out who is responsible to manage the residual risks: individual citizens.

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