Dam Break Could Flood Area of 1.4 Million

Why lie? Who is ignoring it? They recognized this problem in 2004, manipulated the water levels to reduce the chance of failure in 2005, and construction started in 2006. Complete remedial construction will be done by the Army Corps of Engineers by 2012.

It's fully funded at a cost of $306 million. The reports coming out today are all just knee-jerk responses to the fact that the fishermen and resulting businesses are pissed that they are keeping the water levels down. The people living there who are now bitching knew that there were problems, and the plans and warnings have been on the CoE site.

"We have done almost NOTHING to help most of the 500,000 people that lost their home in Katrina."

Monkeys could see through that. $122 BILLION dollars in aid was approved, and they've already caught more than a billion dollars in fraudulent claims. Billions have been sent out, and you say NOTHING has been done. You're a liar, period.

What role do you think the government should play in "rebuilding" homes? Why do I pay for insurance, Col? If it is the government's responsibility to pay for my house to be replaced, why should I pay for it at all? Am I wasting my money? Should I just send a bill to the Dems in Congress?

You're stretching and not even making a dent.

Bakerstreet

I hope you are correct about solving the issue at Wolf Creek. I do not believe the Corps of Engineers hyped the danger as you state.

There are many other needs that are not being addresses. The issue of rebuilding the levies in New Orleans to withstand a cat 5 storm has not been resolved. The vast majority of the 500,000 homes look just like after the storm.

This year Bush has estimated we will spend $170 Billion is a lost cause in Iraq. When are we going to deal with the issues that face our country?

What role should the fed play in the Gulf? Rebuild the levies to with stand a cat 5 storm. Provide those that can not afford to rebuild their lost homes with the money needed. Take it from what we are wasting to create more enemies by fighting the Iraq war!

If you want to talk about fraud, where is the $9 Billion to rebuild Iraq that Fed can not locate? Where are the 500,000 small arms sent to Iraq that can not be located? What about all the OVERCHARGES from the contractors in Iraq via NO BID contracts?

And a 5 second Googling debunks the whole thing:

 

"The cost of the full repair project, which will include fortifying the dam with grout to a depth of 275 feet and building a concrete cutoff wall, will be $309 million and, optimistically, will be complete in 2012"

 

Ergo planned for, budgetted, and on the road to being done. Or as you put it "ignored!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

"Corps spokesman Bill Peoples said failure of the dam was not imminent. But he said people should have evacuation plans ready in Nashville and other downstream communities, including Burkesville in Kentucky and Celina, Carthage, Clarksville, Gallatin and Hendersonville in Tennessee."

 

As you should anytime you live in a flood plain.

 

I knew it was easily taken apart just looking at the title and seeing no link for corraboration... hmmm seems like I talked about that whole "no link when I interpret results" thing just this week too.

"Rebuild the levies to with stand a cat 5 storm."

The fact of the matter is, between activists and the fact that people insist on living several feet below sea level, there may be NO way to protect these places for a Cat 5 storm. The walls meant to stop a katrina-style event were supposed to have been built, and were fully funded and ready to go, under CARTER, but were blocked by environmental activists.

"Provide those that can not afford to rebuild their lost homes with the money needed."

Well, screw it then, why am I paying for insurance at all? I won't be able to afford to rebuild my house in the event of a tragedy. If it is the government's job, why pay insurance at all?

Are you serious? You really believe that such is the government's job?

Are you serious? You really believe that such is the government's job?

Not only that, all construction should cease anywhere else in the United States and all contractors forced to move to New Orleans to repair the city to standards at or above what it was before.

Then Col can complain when the next disaster occurs and the people he forced to move to New Orleans aren't there to repair the damage.

Armchair quarterbacks are damn good at 80 yard touchdown passes, aren't they?

More like saying that the quarterback should be be receiver, too. I'm sure the insurance companies would just LOVE it if we paid through the nose every month, and then the government came in and rebuilt our houses for free. Oh, wait, not free, since it is our tax dollars.

So, in essence, the Col says we should pay twice. Once in insurance premiums, then again in tax money when we pay for the government to rebuild.

I hope you are correct about solving the issue at Wolf Creek. I do not believe the Corps of Engineers hyped the danger as you state.

You hope! My goodness col Gene, you write a book and publish it but you don’t do simple due diligence on an article you write bashing the President. What does that say about your sources and research on everything you have written on JU if your brilliant revelation can be debunked in minutes? Wait is that not what happens with all your articles? Never mind.

How long have we known this dam needed rebuilding?

Will the dam cooperate and hold together until 2012

How many other dams, sewer and water systems, bridges, electrical grid also need to be replaced? I have scene estimates of as much as a Trillion Dollars of repair is needed.

As to the issue of rebuilding in areas of New Orleans that are below sea level: That is a real issue. If the decision is NOT to rebuild in those areas, please answer the following:

How do the hundreds of thousands who own land in that area to get land to build on that is above sea level?

Where do they get the money to build given the fact that most are poor and have no money or ability to borrow more even at low interest rates?

How many other dams, sewer and water systems, bridges, electrical grid also need to be replaced? I have scene estimates of as much as a Trillion Dollars of repair is needed.

Sorry but I'm going to go with the crowd on this. What you're talking about is NOT the governments responsibility. "Maybe" to help with the funds....but the actual work? No! That is the individual states responsibility.

" How long have we known this dam needed rebuilding?"

The seepage problems and repairs have been underway since the 1970's.

"Will the dam cooperate and hold together until 2012"

The more serious the problem becomes the more they keep the water levels down. This isn't something you can just throw money at. Sadly for folks like you there are some problems that you can ignorantly spend billions on and still not get the job done.

That's why we have so many money pits in government work. People think they can cut a check and magically fix things. Don't you think before you puked out this "Because of Iraq we're all going to drown" blog you could have checked these questions out yourself?

"How do the hundreds of thousands who own land in that area to get land to build on that is above sea level?"

They wouldn't. They'd live somewhere safe, and billions of tax dollars would be saved the next time their spit of sand washed away. I personally believe that once a land owner has been flooded out more than once, the land itself should be condemned.

Eventually, you have to accept that mother nature is in charge and you shouldn't build houses in places that are often under water...

"Where do they get the money to build given the fact that most are poor and have no money or ability to borrow more even at low interest rates?"

Hopefully they paid for insurance and will get paid through it. If they didn't, how is it any different than me refusing to pay for home owners insurance and then my house burning down? If I decide to save the money on insurance, and my house burns down, do you think YOU, through your tax dollars, should pay for my irresponsibility?

How long have we known this dam needed rebuilding?

For years it was known, and just like in New Orleans it was known for years the Army Corps of Engineers tells the locals it needs fixing but because of the corrupt congress of the 1960’s that puts the federal dollars in local hands to pick and choose where to spend the money in this case the locals want to spend it on the dam and not line the pockets of the politicians. From this you complain that things are being done the way YOU think it should be done. At best I get from what you are writing is that it is ok for the people in New Orleans misuse the money the federal government handed them for years to upgrade the levies but didn’t but it is bad for this other group to see the problem and fix it with the money the feds gave them and it won’t get fixed as fast as YOU want but it is a plan that the locals agreed to and are implementing. Can’t make you happy as long as Bush lives.

Somethin' when a one-trick pony starts running out of tricks.

How do the hundreds of thousands who own land in that area to get land to build on that is above sea level? Where do they get the money to build given the fact that most are poor and have no money or ability to borrow more even at low interest rates?

Perhaps you can answer this to me:

Why do people who live in tornado alley continue to rebuild their houses after tornadoes constantly destroy them every year? I'm sorry to say this but stupidity has taken over many American mentalities when they refuse to move from places prone to have things such as tornadoes and flooding at a constant rate year after year.

BTW, this is by far the worst article you have posted considering that this problem has been around since the 60's yet somehow it's all Bush's fault. Talk about stupidity. You probably own a house in a tornado or flood prone zone, don't you?

Drmiler et al

"Where do they get the money to build given the fact that most are poor and have no money or ability to borrow more even at low interest rates?"


Hopefully they paid for insurance and will get paid through it. If they didn't, how is it any different than me refusing to pay for home owners insurance and then my house burning down? If I decide to save the money on insurance, and my house burns down, do you think YOU, through your tax dollars, should pay for my irresponsibility?

You must be living in a dream world. Many of these people could not afford insurance. Living in Florida I can understand WHY. For those that did have homeowners insurance the companies have refused to pay claiming the damage was done by water. That is curious since it was the WIND that caused the water to destroy their homes.

Thus if you answer in Insurance you like Bush have no answer or help. This was the worst natural Disaster we EVER had in America. 500,000 homes were destroyed and the vast majority are owned by low income people that simply do not have the resources or credit to rebuild without help. WHERE IS THE HELP? For $100 Billion we could build 500,000 homes at $200,000 per home. We will spend $170 Billion in Iraq this year on a failed war!

WHERE IS THE HELP? For $100 Billion we could build 500,000 homes at $200,000 per home. We will spend $170 Billion in Iraq this year on a failed war!

You fail to answer why it's the federal government responsibility to build people homes.  Iraq has nothing to do with this, and you should stop trying to equate everything with Iraq.

Thus if you answer in Insurance you like Bush have no answer or help. This was the worst natural Disaster we EVER had in America. 500,000 homes were destroyed and the vast majority are owned by low income people that simply do not have the resources or credit to rebuild without help. WHERE IS THE HELP? For $100 Billion we could build 500,000 homes at $200,000 per home. We will spend $170 Billion in Iraq this year on a failed war!

Again this is NOT the governments problem. If they didn't have insurance that's on them. Get a clue. If your too poor to afford fire insurance and your house burns, do you honestly think the government will help you rebuild it?

Mmkay, Col. The fact is homeowner's insurance is not as expensive as you're making it out to be, unless of course you live in an area where your property is prone to wash off into the ocean or flood. There, again, is a good case TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO LIVE.

You're actually saying that if a person can't insure their home that the government should insure its value for them? Without any contract, or government program, or terms set before the destruction of the home? The government, using our tax dollars, basically says "Oh, yeah, we can spot you if anything happens."

Bullshit, frankly. They are saying a LARGE part the money paid in $2000 checks to people for 'survival' money ended up going to non-essentials. Some people they caught were spending it in the "champagne room" of strip bars. If the government worked the way you described there'd be a mysterious fire going in every neighborhood, 24/7.

The fact is that many or most of the people who were camped out in the convention center didn't own their own home at all. Should we give new homes to people who rented? How do you determine whether a person who DID own a home was negligent or just too "poor" to pay for insurance for their SHELTER in life.

You can't argue this Col, unless you are a communist or something. The idea that every time someone forgets to pay their homeowner's insurance and their house burns down WE have to pay for a new one? Bullshit. If Habitat for Humanity wants to do that with donated funds, God bless them, but you don't force charity at gunpoint unless you're a friggin fascist.

Col

The money to help those displaced home owners in the state of Louisiana has been here since the summer. 7.5 billion to be exact. There are 125,000 eligible applicants for the money. 90 or so thousand have applied. The last count of people who received a settlement is 120.

Six months have passed and the organization hired by Louisiana Governor Blanco continues to promise a faster process.

I know you ignore results that do not conform to your ideals but the feds gave the state the money for uninsured homeowners to rebuild months ago. Governor Blanco paid IFC $759 million to distribute the money to the people and they have only been successful in that effort for just a few more than 100 people.

I know that is Bush's fault too. He should have never trusted a dime to the joke of a governor we have in this state.

Just John:

First the decision as to if the levies are to be built to protect the low areas from a cat 5 storm has not been made. If the levies are not built to Cat 5, no building should begin in the below sea level areas. That will require replacement land in areas that are high enough. That could cost more then the $7.5 Billion.

Second, at $150,000 per home, which today is a very modest home, it would take $75 Billion or about 10 times what you claim is available to build 500,000 homes.

Col, I dunno where you get your numbers. I read that the red cross estimated that around 350,000 homes were destroyed by Katrina AND Rita. Over HALF of those were rental properties that the people living therein wouldn't have a claim for the property anyway.

Re: your dollar amount, I already posted that $122 BILLION was allocated for Katrina relief. That's almost twice the $70 billion you cite, even if your claim wasn't totally bogus. There's absolutely, positively no federal responsibility to rebuild homes for people. Period. None. Zip.

Re: The levees, talk to your liberal friends. Had Dems and hippies not prevented them from being built 20+ years earlier, you might not have this bogus argument at all.

no building should begin in the below sea level areas.

Once again you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. Each day Louisiana looses a football field size of land to the Gulf of Mexico. They can build levees that could withstand a category 5 storm and the problem will not be solved. A storm surge will most likely push a lot of water into the city which is moved out of the city by pumps that failed during Katrina. The problem is much larger than a levee can solve.

Second, at $150,000 per home, which today is a very modest home, it would take $75 Billion or about 10 times what you claim is available to build 500,000 homes

In the Governor's plan only 125,000 homeowners qualify for a piece of the $7.5 billion. The grants go up to $150,000. They are based on the home's pre-storm value minus any insurance/FEMA/SBA loans monies already provided to the homeowner. This is not a federal plan this money was turned over to the state and this is the result.

The current statistics on the Road Home Program are: 101,000 applicants - 34,000 of those applications have been processed - 258 homeowners have been paid.

Why is this still the problem of the federal government?

BTW - I lived in Hendersonville, TN for eight years. I am quite familiar with Lake Cumberland.

Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Steve Roemhildt said, “We are not seeing conditions at the dam that eminent failure is possible, however there are things happening at the dam that we just don't know about.” WWW Link

You must be living in a dream world. Many of these people could not afford insurance. Living in Florida I can understand WHY. For those that did have homeowners insurance the companies have refused to pay claiming the damage was done by water. That is curious since it was the WIND that caused the water to destroy their homes.

Fake col of low repute:

I was here for Andrew and all the ones after. I moved to central Florida 2 years before we were hit by three or four in a row. I was a property manager for that time and as I told you many times before most of the people in New Orleans are renters. The landlords are responsible for repairs. They choose not to do so it is their land and their business. The City of New Orleans has 650 million dollars sitting in Washington D.C. for about 2 years waiting to be claimed. More if they use what has already been given them but they are fighting at the local level on how to steal I mean use the money. Three other states were hit by katrina and they are up and running. It is not the Governments responsibility to handhold every person with a knee scrape. The Democrats and liberals in that nasty state choose to drag their feet and are losing people because of it. People moved out of the state are choosing not to go back because they are seeing what happens when you live in states run by Republicans. Things get done. Of the four states hit by Katrina only one was run by Democrats and only one has done nothing to fix the problems for their people.

You are a political hack and every time you evade the facts and spout political garbage to bash the president or the nation I will call you on it. Translation for liberals. If there is a fact that proves you wrong I will tell you. If you ignore the fact I will call you a hack. I am not trying to change your opinion on any subject but the truth needs to see the light of day someting liberals are not happy to do.

BTW all my properties were fixed in under 30 days. No government assistance, no handouts, and the insurance companies paid quickly with no complaints or foot dragging. All of my landlords are middle class people who bought a second home and rented it out to pay the mortgage so they would have a home in Florida when they retired. It is called planning.

The people in New Orleans knew the city was prone to flood for over 100 years, the government to help out the city build the levies with the best knowlege there was back then. The governemnt provids money yearly for upgrades and repairs so what happened to the money for the last 40 years of a Democrat controlled Congress? Why is it the current administrations fault that the money was wasted the last 40 years? I lived in New Orleans for a few months. Seeing how things were run there I moved out because everyone knew that if they had another hurricane like Cameale the city would be under 26 to 30 feet of water. It was part of the tour you can take where they point this fact out along with the water marks on building from that hurricane. That tour I took was in 1974, the last time I lived there was after Andrew and nothing had changed.

Your stupid idea of providing land for people to replace the land lost in the flood. Get real. Are you suggesting that the people that bought the land did not know they were in a flood zone? This was somehow a surprise? They are adults with money and the ability to pay their bills. They choose to buy the land where it was. The government does have a program for people who buy land in stupid areas and lose their homes. The government will buy the land and help them move out of the area. It seems you were wrong again O'insightful one of deep reserarch.

It seems you like to piss and moan and whine about a particular topic and then when your baseless information is proven false you run away with your tail between your legs. Later you spout off more crap and pretend like you never shouted fire in the theater at all.

You're a waste of bandwidth.

I believe I already answered this blog, months before it was posted:

WWW Link

I believe I already answered this blog, months before it was posted:

Yes sir, you did, so did a lot of other people which is why he had to re-post his sillyness rather than answer the statements you and others posted.