Dutch Style Barrier for Louisiana Coast?

[terstorm1012]

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl1 ... ab306.html

[LSU2001]

My question is simply this. If we invest billions on the latest and greatest flood protection what is going to address the fundemental problem of NOLA sinking?

I am not trying to offend anyone nor say that NOLA should not be rebuilt but I think that any attempt to control flooding without addressing the very serious issue of rapid (in geologic terms) subsidence of South Louisiana. I foresee a neverending struggle against flooding if this issue is not somehow addressed. In addition to subsidence our loss of wetlands and coastal deltas is making the city and South La. as a whole much more vunerable to storms. I think Katrina shows that we don't need a Cat 5 monster slamming ashore to do horrific damage.
Just asking the questions and would like some serious discussion on these issues.
Tim

[Ixolib]

In my viewpoint, the types of systems they have in Holland would not work here. Reason - Holland is not under the threat of CAT 5 (or 3 or 4) hurricanes like NOLA is. Certainly, the North Sea can throw some mean weather their way, but not on the same level, frequency, intensity, and track as a tropical low. Having spent three years in that wonderful country, I can attest to the enormity of their "dikes". But, I just don't see the same concept working to protect the LA coastline and/or New Orleans.

Of course, we may never see whether or not they work if they're installed. But, even if it's 50 or a 100 years from now, I hope somebody remembers to pull up this thread for an intersting and historical perspective. Surely S2K will still be around then!!

[LAwxrgal]

I've been watching (in passing) many of the local news reports, some of them coming from Holland...they cite the similarities in the landscape (many cities below sea level, etc) between areas of coastal Holland and the Louisiana coast. I share your reservations, Ixolib, in regards to the fact that Holland doesn't get hurricanes.

They did mention Holland does have flooding threats from time to time and even mentioned the area was vulnerable to a sixteen foot storm surge if they didn't have the elaborate system. I guess in that context storm surge doesn't always apply to hurricanes, eh?

I could be wrong, what do I know?

[P.K.]

They did mention Holland does have flooding threats from time to time and even mentioned the area was vulnerable to a sixteen foot storm surge if they didn't have the elaborate system. I guess in that context storm surge doesn't always apply to hurricanes, eh?

The 1953 storm killed over 1,800 in Holland and hundreds in the UK alone due to the surge.





http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understanding/1953_flood.shtml
http://www.thehollandring.com/1953-ramp.shtml

[BayouVenteux]

One other caveat...if I'm not mistaken, I believe that several articles that I have recently read on the Netherlands flood controls mentioned that since their completion, they've never been used. So in addition to the aforementioned concerns regarding whether a similar system constructed in Louisiana would be hurricane-resistant, they're basically an unproven commodity to the Dutch as well.

[P.K.]

I'm sure I saw a tv programme that said they did use their flood barriers but due to them being computer controlled often it would be able to tell exactly how high the water would be if it was close to the level that sets the barriers off, and not raise the barriers.

The Thames barrier certainly gets used to protect London from this sort of thing.

[BayouVenteux]

The Thames barrier certainly gets used to protect London from this sort of thing.

Coincidentally, I heard an interesting segment on the BBC World Service news this afternoon about the Thames barrier. According to the report, the U.K. is directing substantial funding toward updates and improvements in the barrier in response to forecasted sea level rises over the next 100 years and the devastation in New Orleans following Katrina.

[P.K.]

That won't be due to Katrina. The problem we have is SE England is sinking due to the last ice age with Scotland rising. Therefore any rise in absolute sea level due to thermal expansion or melting ice caps adds to this problem.