This Washington Post story tells of the cost estimate increase for the levee reconstruction project in New Orleans. In order to meet federal standards, the new levees will cost triple the original estimate to $10B.
The news represents a shift for the administration; President Bush had pledged in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina to rebuild New Orleans “higher and better.” Now, some areas may lose out as they compete for levee protection. Powell’s announcement, in a conference call with reporters, prompted denunciations from state and local officials who said the federal government is reneging on promises to rebuild the entire region.
“This monumental miscalculation is an outrage,” said Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). “This means that, just two months before hurricane season, the Corps of Engineers informs us they cannot ensure even the minimum safety of southeastern Louisiana. This is totally unacceptable.”
So, two months from the hurricane season, the residents of New Orleans — what’s left of them and those who have returned — will be left not high and dry, but low and most likely sopping wet and moldy.
Anyone want to do the math and see how many fortified levees we could build along the Gulf Coast with all that money being spent in Iraq?