Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (
More info?)
On Fri, 2 Sep 2005 16:20:31 +1000, "John Ward"
<johnrmward@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>Hi All,
>
> It's far too easy to be wise after the event.
>
> So here's a pro-active challenge - what should be done to address the
>aftermath of Katrina, including all aviation matters?
>
>Regards,
>John Ward
I'll let others address the "emergency" need (S&R, taking care of
people who've been displaced, etc.)
The first thing that needs to be done is to fix the levees to
control the inflow of water into New Orleans. I understand that
they've got one breach almost sealed.
Once that happens, they can start pumping water.
The next thing is infrastructure--roads, rail, water/sewer, and
electricity. The transportation links in and throughout the area need
to be a priority, because without them, it's very difficult to get all
the people and "stuff" you need in to do what needs to be done. It
appears that MSY can handle flights (not passenger flights, but relief
flights), and that there wasn't a lot of damage at the airport.
However, you can't fly in enough stuff to rebuild a large part of a
city. You _can_ keep a city supplied (ie the Berlin Airlift) but it
doesn't do any good to get a weeks worth of supplies for 100,000
people into the airport if you can't get it out to the people who need
it.
I don't know the legalities involved, but I would certainly look at
the possibility of having a plan for a Dunkirk-like evacuation by air
(no plane leaves the area without a full compliment of passengers, any
plane not grounded for maintenence issues and not already leaving is
commandeered for the evacuation, etc.) A more realistic option might
be to use any available AMC (formerly MATS) planes. Get people out of
the immediate area as quickly as possible, and then transport them (by
bus or by rail) to more settled locations.
I would also look at the feasibility of coming up with a way to
drain some of the water out of Lake Ponchetrain into the Gulf (the
eastern part of the lake is not far from the Gulf of Mexico). You
wouldn't be able to drain it dry, but every cubic foot of water you
get out of the lake would be one less cubic foot to deal with.
I'd also want to know what it would take to rebuild the levees to
withstand a Cat V storm.
take care,
Scott